Reincarnation for Oregon Casket

 

An historic five-story building in Northwest Portland’s Old Town is expected to become the first example of a vacant downtown building to be converted to housing units.

While many have talked about the need to remodel vacant or mostly-vacation downtown for housing, the design and building code challenges are daunting.  Plans call for the former Oregon Casket Co. building to converted to 34 housing units, with two live-work units on the ground floor and 32 on the floors above.

The building at 403 NW 5^th Ave. was built in 1897 for the Oregon Casket Co. and has had several subsequent tenants that used it mainly as a warehouse.  Kalberer Hotel Supply Co. was a prominent the occupant from the mid-1940s into the 1970s.

Details show the elegant cornice and original windows

Whidden & Lewis, Portland’s most prominent architecture firm near the turn of the 20^th Century, designed the building with a knobby stucco finish on the upper floors and an elegant brick cornice and quoins adding definition to the building corners on floors two, three and four.  It ranks as one of the least-recognized Whidden & Lewis structures, given that others include Portland City Hall, the former Multnomah County Courthouse, Arlington Club, downtown office buildings and many high-end residences.

 The Oregon Casket project is expected to cost about $10 million.  Prosper Portland, the city’s development agency, has agreed to a $7 million low-interest loan with a 15-year term once final designs are approved.  A Prosper Portland resolution said “office-to-residential conversions and the development of middle-income housing are high priorities for the City and for the Old Town/Chinatown neighborhood,” and align with city development strategies.

 The project developer is Owen Gabbert, head of a real estate development firm that has experience working on historic properties as well as new buildings.  Design Research Office, a Portland firm, is working on the plans.

 Images on the Design Research website show that the interior with its heavy post and beam construction is substantially clear, leaving considerable flexibility for interior design. (Oregon Casket Building | Discover Historic Living Spaces — Design Research Office ) Given its 128 years, the building has been largely immune from unfortunate renovations.  Even the original multi-pane, double-hung windows remain.

Renovation of the building for its new life is expected to occur in 2026.

The building currently does not have a historic designation, but it’s age, design history and its role in the development of Northwest Portland would make it eligible for placement on the National Register of Historic Places.  Preparation for a nomination reportedly is underway.

 ----Fred Leeson

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