Great News at the Albina Library

 

Historic Carnegie branch on Knott Street

There is much to admire about the new Albina branch library that just reopened after two years of remodeling and expansion.

Our focus here is primarily on preservation of the original 1912 Albina library that was funded by a donation by Andrew Carnegie.  The wealthy industrialist paid for small libraries built in neighborhoods, rather than for monstrosity buildings erected in central cities.  (He paid for seven in Multnomah County; three remain as libraries today.)

Ellis Lawrence, who had a distinguished architectural career over several decades in Portland and Eugene, was the original architect. 

A team headed by Portland’s Lever Architecture has done an outstanding job repairing the 11,000 square-foot Carnegie structure facing on NE Knott Street while adding 30,000 square feet of new facilities facing a block south on Russell Street. 

New Albina branch entrance on Russell Street

The Carnegie building has been totally devoted to children’s books and activities.  Chandra Robinson, a Lever principal, said elderly Albina residents remembered going to the old library as children with their parents.  She said the goal is to provide similar memories for children entering from Knott Street today.

Preservation of the old building included reopening three elegant interior arches that has been closed off in 1960 when the original library closed to the public.  The work also included extensive work to improve earthquake protection.

 The original walls were built with hollow clay tiles that fail terribly in earthquakes.  More than 400 holes were drilled in the walls so the hollow tiles could be filled with concrete.  Then, new interior walls were added, meaning that the building’s interior dimensions were reduced by eight inches along the outside walls.

 

Children's room. Note reopened arches, restored cornice moldings

The earthquake work meant destruction of the original plaster cornice decorations.  Fortunately, Lever found an elderly plaster craftsman who was able to reproduce them. The upshot is that a viewer familiar with the original building will believe that nothing has changed.

Given the north-to-south slope of the block, walking through a passageway at the rear of the Carnegie building brings one out on the second floor of the big addition that faces on Russell Street.  Extensive use of laminated timber beams and large windows provide an open, airy feeling.

 

New adult reading room

The new addition includes meeting rooms, reading rooms for adults and teens, many comfortable seating options and an enclosed courtyard intended to give a “back yard” feel.

 In sum, the new branch is an outstanding addition to the neighborhood. Paying admirable respect to own history makes it better. By size alone, the Albina branch now ranks as a regional rather than merely as a neighborhood attraction

----Fred Leeson

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Reviving the Washington Park Railway Loop

 

The closed Washington Park Zoo railway station (Melissa Darby photo)

From 1960 to 2013, the 2.5-mile Washington Park Zoo Railway route into Forest Park was perhaps Portland’s greatest family entertainment.  Youngsters loved the open-air cars and passengers of all ages enjoyed the trees and spectacular views of the Rose Garden, downtown Portland and Mt. Hood.

 Alas, construction changes at the zoo led to closure of the park loop in 2013.  Though a smaller loop still runs within the zoo’s boundaries, it doesn’t capture the majesty of the longer route with a stop as the now-closed Washington Park station.

Could the bigger loop be restored?  A special committee meeting in an obscure government room could prompt the Portland City Council and the Metro regional government to consider the train’s revival and hold public hearings to consider it.

From 1960 to 2013, the 2.5-mile Washington Park Zoo Railway route into Forest Park was perhaps Portland’s greatest family entertainment.  Youngsters loved the open-air cars and passengers of all ages enjoyed the trees and spectacular views of the Rose Garden, downtown Portland and Mt. Hood.

 

Map shows current and former zoo railway routes

 Officials at the Oregon Zoo, a branch of the Metro regional government, are not keen on the idea.  Though the train was always considered a profitable venture, they don’t see it as playing a role in the zoo’s mission related to animal preservation and education.  Further, they worry about maintenance and operational costs.

 However, there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak.  The train, tracks and route are owned by the City of Portland, dating back to the era when the city owned the zoo.  Train advocates think the city and Metro could create an intergovernmental agreement in which a non-profit entity would be in charge of operating and maintaining the train and tracks.

 At a recent meeting, Rick Gustafson, a former Metro executive director, said the intergovernmental agreement with a non-profit operator is how the Willamette Shore Trolley operates. He recommended the same strategy for the zoo railway.  

Kathy Goeddel, president of the non-profit Friends of Washington Park Zoo and Railway, said the longer ride is preferred by riders by a 4 to 1 margin.  “We need to give everyone the ride they want,” she said.

 Key members of the current task force are Olivia Clark, a Portland city councilor, and Christine Lewis, a Metro councilor.  They likely will have to become advocates of the long route if it has a chance of being revived. The public likely will not have a chance to comment unless those governments decide to hold public hearings.

---Fred Leeson

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