Renaissance at the Harlow Block

 

From high hopes to hard times and back again, few of Portland’s historic buildings have seen the economic swings and racial animosity wrapped within the three-story brick building at 722 NW Glisan St.  The newly-restored Harlow Hotel is named for John Harlow, an early steamboat captain who built it in 1882.

Harlow, an early entrepreneur who also laid out and named the City of Troutdale, originally called his building the Grand Hotel, assuming it would draw customers from the proposed big new railway depot just few blocks away.

Alas, changes in plans meant the depot wouldn’t open for another 14 years.  That was the first of many bumps in the road for the hotel that originally was heated by wood stoves and lacked electricity.  Electricity didn’t arrive until after World War I.

 In the 1930s, the hotel and ground-floor storefronts were managed by Japanese proprietors, but all lost their businesses when Portland’s Japanese residents were sent to internment camps at the start of World War II.  Post war, the building was inhabited by low-income monthly tenants rather than tourists.  The upper two floors were closed to tenants in 1972.

 

The building remained largely vacant for decades. Though its condition deteriorated, many of its internal details including door and window casings remained.  The building was purchased in 2008 by Ganesh Sonpatki, who operates moderately-priced hotels under the Portland Value Inns brand.

 It seemed like the building’s bad luck continued, as restoration was slowed first by the 2008 recession.  Because the Harlow Hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, design changes took longer than expected to be planned, approved and then accomplished.  The addition of an elevator  was a complicating technical factor.

 The upper two hotel floors were finished and ready for opening in 2019 – just as the COVID-19 pandemic arrived.  The street also has suffered from homeless people living in sidewalk tents. As a result, building’s reemergence as a viable hotel drew little attention.

 The ground floor originally contained five storefronts, with the hotel entry up a central stairway.  Now, with the exception of a coffeeshop, the ground floor spaces are devoted to lobbies and an exercise room.

Images of the attractive, renovated interior can be seen here:  https://harlowhotelpdx.com/

 The Harlow Hotel is believed to be the second oldest brick structure in the neighborhood.  The restored  Merchant Hotel at NW 2nd and Davis St. is two years older, dating to 1880.

 

Cast iron column, here painted black, were a frequent element in 1880s architecture 

The Harlow Hotel originally had an arched entry leading to the second floor hotel.  The arch was lost during a renovation in the 1940s when it was covered with stucco.  It now has been recreated.  The gently arched windows reflect also an Italianate design popular late in the 19th Century.  The original architect is not known.

 For all the bumps it has survived in the past, the Harlow Hotel could be headed to better days amid new, fancier surroundings.  The former U.S. Main Post office one block north of Glisan Street is being torn down and its large, soon to be vacant site is expected to sprout a combination of high-rise buildings in the future.

 Given the difficulty of its history and challenges in its restoration, the Harlow seemingly has earned a better life.  

 ----Fred Leeson

Join Building on History’s email list by writing “add me” to fredleeson@hotmail.com

 

 

 

Reimagining O'Bryant Square

 

For the past five years, chain-link fencing has sealed off O’Bryant Square, a small downtown block that used urban renewal money in 1973 to develop a park atop an underground parking garage.

In a small way, it was the kind of project that gave urban renewal a bad name.  The public restrooms attracted graffiti, drug use and sexual activity.  The big decorative water fountain seeped water into the parking garage.  It acquired nicknames of Needle Park and Paranoia Park.

Oddly, its best use occurred earlier this decade when it provided imnpromptu seating for food carts located on a nearby vacant block.  The square provided the sort of  pleasant activity that urban renewal planners never considered, since food carts didn't exist in their day.  But now the food carts are gone and that block is sprouting a luxury tower. Given all the park's problems, the city simply fenced it off. in 2018.

Now the chain-link fencing is scheduled to come down so the small block can be completely levelled.  The non-profit Portland Parks Foundation has announced plans for a public “visioning” process to determine how the park should be redeveloped.

What the park will look like, what it will be used for, when it will be rebuilt and for how it will cost are questions that have no answers as yet.

The planning will begin with some bottom-up thinking, rather than from the top down.  Randy Gragg, the park foundations executive director, said the goal is “to bring national and local thinkers together with the community to re-envision the park’s future.”

After meetings in February and March, the foundation hopes to envision a first-phase design and to “learn what activities work, and don’t, to shape the future permanent design” when funding becomes available.

 Citizens interested in learning about the process and how to participate can find information at https://www.portlandpf.org/back-to-square-one-green-dreams?mc_cid=1b2cbf4b81&mc_eid=0ca4b529f6

The planning process is similar to one used by the Parks Bureau in the early 2000s when it devised plans for Director Park.  Though the park’s activity has been stymied by the pandemic in recent years, its fundamental design was a success.

 The challenge at O’Bryant Square (named for Portland’s first mayor) is deciding who is most likely to use it and for what purposes.  Located at SW Park Ave. and Washington St., it is not adjacent to the downtown retail core nor close to most high-rise offices.  More than likely it needs some sort of pleasant attraction – perhaps a better fountain – and adequate seating, some with rain protection.  Perhaps a common "theme" can be developed that would help attract visitors.

 And it probably will need restrooms – another difficult design challenge.

 While Building on History always favors retaining the best of vintage architecture and public spaces, it is obvious that nothing in the current park is worthy of salvage.  We can only hope for a new and better outcome this time around..

 -----Fred Leeson

 Join Building on History’s email list by writing “add me” to fredleeson@hotmail.com

 

Dr. John D. Marshall Building

 

Dr. John D. Marshall Building

In 1952, Dr. John D. Marshall, one of Portland’s few Black doctors, erected a modest, one-story, flat-roofed building in the heart of Albina.  Given that Blacks could not be treated at the time at nearby Emanuel Hospital, Dr. Marshall’s clinic quickly became a busy medical hub for Albina’s heavily Black community.

 Dr. Marshall practiced at the N. Williams building until 1970.  During that time, he also leased space to o a Black-owned pharmacy and dental clinic.   Then, from 1970 to 1979, the Dr. John D. Marshall Building housed to medical facilities run by the supposedly “radical” Black Panther Party, the Fred Hampton Free Health Clinic and the Malcolm X Peoples’ Dental Clinic.

While the Black Panthers operated medical clinics in several other cities, Portland was the Panther’s only dental clinic, according to research in a National Register of Historic Places nomination.  The Portland Historic Landmarks Commission has recommended the nomination for state and national consideration.

“It was the hub of Black medical care.  Nothing else like it existed,” said Caity Ewers, an architectural historian who helped write the National Register nomination.  The nomination is based on the building's significant involvement in Portland's ethnic heritage and Black healthcare and medicine. 

Besides its medical tenants, the building also housed from 1959 to 1969 the law office of Aaron Brown, a lawyer who was the first Black appointed to the Multnomah County bench in 1969.  Judge Brown had a lengthy judicial career that was well-recognized for his personable style in handling civil cases and misdemeanor crimes.

 The Dr. John D. Marshall Building is owned today by Bernie Foster, publisher of The Skanner newspaper.  Foster ran his newspaper from the building for 10 years, starting in 1980.  Even then, he said, “People would come in and say, ‘Is the doctor in’?”

 Ewers said one element of the building’s historical significance was Dr. Marshall’s ability to finance its construction in an era when racial discrimination was highly common among Portland’s lending institutions.  He was one of fewer than five Black physicians in Portland at the time.

 The National Register nomination reflects a trend in the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability to place new emphasis on historic places involving Portland’s minority communities.  “Even though we have only one building today, we have others in the pipeline,” Brandon Spencer-Hartle, the city’s historic resources manager, told the Landmarks Commission.  The bureau’s efforts are supported by consulting and research by Kimberly Moreland, who also is a Landmarks Commission member.  She did not participate in the commission’s deliberations favoring the nomination.

 The Marshall Building continues its connection with the Black community today as the home of the Terry Family Funeral Home, a Black-owned firm.  The building has undergone a few significant changes over the years, but its basic shape and Roman bricks retain the building’s original character.

 The National Register nomination will be considered next month by the Oregon State Advisory Committee for Historic Preservation.   The final step after that would be consideration by the National Park Service, which administers the federal National Register program.

 -----Fred Leeson

Join Building on History’s email list by writing “add me” to fredleeson@hotmail.com

 

Good News on N. Interstate Avenue

 

The "new" Palms sign (Ankrom Moisan Architects)

There is good news on N. Interstate Avenue: The sign…will be fine.

 After being removed later this year, the 50-plus foot tall iconic neon sign that formerly attracted visitors to The Palms Motor Hotel will return in in 2025 with the same type fonts and same colors of neon and paint.  Only the words “Motor Hotel” will be changed to “Luxe Lofts.”

 The sign will be moved a few dozen feet farther south on the 3800 block to make it more visible to motorists and light rail transit riders using the busy Interstate Avenue corridor.  Instead of advertising a motel, it will be heralding a 155-unit, seven-story apartment building that will replace the motel.

 Dirgesh Patel, the motel owner who has lived on the block for 25 years, told the Overlook Neighborhood Association on Jan. 9 that the sign is beloved by his family (his parents bought the motel in 1998) and by countless others.  “People from all over the world came and loved that sign,” he said.

The sign is an excellent example of how a well-designed artifact can become a vital part of the urban fabric, even if its basic role isn't terribly important.

 Architects for the Portland firm of Ankrom Moisan realized the sign’s significance from the outset. “That’s a cool sign.  We could really work with that,” said Jason Roberts.

 When reinstalled, the sign will stand on a six-foot pedestal to protect pedestrians and to prevent harm to the neon.  It will sit near a 17- by- 35-foot courtyard recessed into the building’s façade.

As it looks today...

Neon enthusiasts were concerned when they first heard of plans to redevelop the motel site.  Kate Widdows, a designer and neon sign enthusiast, helped spur interest in The Palms situation, though in the end the sign evidently spoke for itself.

 “So far, you guys are totally on the right track,” she told the Ankrom Moisan team.  “We are thankful for that.”  She also added noted that a small element of the sign advertising “Free TV” will not be included as part of the sign’s restoration.  She suggested that it be saved as a stand-alone work of art.  “It’s beautiful.  It’s a part of history,” she said.  “It would be really cool in the lobby.”

People who would \like to comment on the sign's restoration play can send an email to  thepalmsdevelopment@gmail.com

 Although the over-sized Palms sign would not be allowed under Portland’s current sign code, there is an exception for a few notable neon signs along Interstate Avenue.  The city’s current historic resources code could allow the sign to become a designated landmark, independent of the rest of the property.

Patel said he was not aware of historic designation possibilities, but that he was interested in learning about them.  He also said he planned to live in the new apartments when they are finished, supposedly by mid-2025.

 ---Fred Leeson

Join Building on History’s email list by writing “add me” to fredleeson@hotmail.com

 

 

 

A 'First' for Native American History

 

(National Register Nomination Form)

The next Portland residence to be nominated to the National Register of Historic Places is unlike any other landmark in town.

It is not in an upscale neighborhood.

It is not grandiose.

It does not have an architectural pedigree.

It was not the home of a wealthy white person.

The modest 1930s shingle-sided house in the 10800 block of Northeast Fremont Street was the childhood home of jazz saxophonist Jim Pepper and the site of continuing inspiration while he was earning musical notoriety by blending Native American rhythm into jazz fusion. 

 The Pepper house is the first property in Portland to seek placement on the National Register because of its significance with Native American ethnic heritage and performing arts.

 Pepper’s parents, Floy and Gilbert Pepper, who came to Portland shortly before World War II, were descendants of Kaw and Muscogee Creek Native American tribes of Oklahoma.  Because of ethnic prejudices of the era, Floy and Gilbert Pepper experienced racism that affected their opportunities for employment, housing and credit in Portland. Jim Pepper was born in 1941, and after the outbreak of the war the family moved to Vanport, but lost everything in the 1948 flood.

 The family bought the home on Northeast Fremont in 1941, which at that time was outside the Portland city limits.  Jim attended Parkrose High School but transferred to Madison High School after becoming a target of bullying at Parkrose. He already was performing as a Native dancer and musician before his graduation from Madison in 1959.

Pepper played in several Portland jazz clubs with many of the city’s leading jazz artists in subsequent years.  After 1972, he lived in San Francisco and New York, and spent many years playing in Europe.  He said European audiences were more welcoming of evolving musical styles than in America, where  music was more dominated by the pop music industry. 

His influential album, “Pepper’s Pow Wow,” was recorded in New York, but Jim Pepper wrote many of the tunes on it with his father at their Portland residence, which he often visited.  The album contains perhaps his most famous song, “Wi Chi Tai To,’ which is heavily based on native rhythm of a Comanche peyote song, which Pepper said he remembered hearing at age 3.

Album's back cover

 The “Pepper’s Pow Wow” has been described by one scholar as “something of a musical ‘bible’ for Native artists."  Pepper’s performance of Wi Chi Tai To, a lengthy chant and song, can be seen here, as performed by Pepper in 1980:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiFU85j0mO4

 The National Register nomination includes a detailed history of Pepper’s musical career, written by Architectural Resources Group historians. Some of Pepper’s original musical notes and his saxophone have been donated to the Smithsonian Institution.  Pepper died of cancer in 1999.

As for the Pepper house on Fremont Street, “No other place is as closely or consistently associated with his development as a musician or with his productive period as an artist,” the nomination states.

The nomination will be reviewed by the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission on Jan. 23.  If positive recommendations come from the landmarks commission and the the Oregon State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation, the nomination would head to the National Park Service for final review. 

 ----Fred Leeson

You can join Building on History’s email list by writing “add me” to fredleeson@hotmail.com

 

Our 2022 Preservation Awards

 As a year filled with political and social turmoil grinds to a close, let’s take a few moments to recall some excellent achievements for preservation in Portland.  These people and projects deserve our thanks for their skill and perseverance in saving important architectural history. . 

The Elk Fountain Committee

 This ad-hoc group of preservation and political veterans conquered difficult odds in convincing the Portland City Council to restore the David P. Thompson elk statue and fountain in its historic location in the middle of SW Main Street.

 Mike Lindberg and Stephen Kafoury provided the political expertise while William J. Hawkins III, Aubrey Russell, Brooke Best and Henry Kunowski lent preservation knowledge.  Kit Abel Hawkins and Wendy Rahm provided document and agenda management.

 While the City Council decision appears to be firm, restoring the fountain remains a difficult and time-consuming matter.  No city bureau wants to take charge of it, and assessment of damage to the granite fountain and its water-retaining ability is on-going.  The landmark is unlikely to return within 2023, but there is every assurance that The Elk Fountain Committee will continue its vigilance.

 

Phoenix on Foster

 Matt Froman knew almost nothing about historic preservation when he took on restoration of the erstwhile Phoenix Pharmacy building on S.E. Foster Road two years ago. 

Froman partnered with preservation veterans Rick Michaelson and Karen Karlsson for strategic help, but acted himself as general contractor, laborer and leasing agent for the renovated structure.  Its primary tenant is now Foster Outdoor, a retailer of camping and outdoor goods.  The upper floor is a suite of attractive offices. 

This easily-recognized building was erected 100 years ago with a façade that curves gently along the  acute angle of its trapezoidal lot.  From its opening in 1922 until 1946 it was the home of the Phoenix Pharmacy, operated by the much-admired pharmacist, John Leach. 

But after sitting mostly vacant for 20 years, the building needed a new roof, seismic bracing, new electrical and mechanical systems, windows and store-front system.  Froman’s dedication to the neighborhood landmark is a grand example of the enthusiasm and diligence required for successful preservation projects.

Hollywood Theatre

 After being stalled for two years because of the pandemic, the non-profit Hollywood Theatre successfully completed restoration of the ground floor façade, bringing a historic unity to the wild and wacky Roaring 20s architectural design fronting on N.E. Sandy Boulevard.

Construction and opening of the theater in 1926 was sufficiently dramatic that the whole surrounding commercial neighborhood became known as the Hollywood District, a name it still bears today.  In its heyday, the theater was Northeast Portland’s challenge to Downtown Portland as a venue for live productions and movies.

 Sometime in the early 1960s, the ground-floor façade sadly was “modernized” and much of its terra cotta details were stripped away.  Building manager Virginia Durost and architect Paul Falsetto supervised and designed the restoration.  One piece that remains missing is the original freestanding polygonal box office, which could not be replaced because it would have blocked passage for some attendees with disabilities.

While the exterior of the theater is now in excellent shape, much interior work remains to be done.  It is a credit to the organization that it is devoting careful attention to the building’s needs to that it can remain a vital landmark into its second century.

 ----Fred Leeson

 Join building on History’s website by writing “add me” to fredleeson@hotmail.com

 

 

 

Finally: Eastmoreland National Historic District

 

A six year fight that finally led to the acceptance of the Eastmoreland Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places is significant for two reasons.

 First, it likely will be the last such district proposed in Portland for many years to come.  Building a historical record that meets requirements managed by the federal Secretary of the Interior is a complex and expensive process.  The rules fall outside the scope of Portland’s own zoning rules, which have drawn the ire of local officials and some residents in the historic neighborhoods.

 Second, the process finally defeated fraudulent efforts by a handful of Eastmoreland residents that tried to create trusts with several thousand “members” who could vote against the designation.  Interestingly, no people were attached to these trusts; they simply were numbers on pages recorded at the county recorder’s office.  The rules later were amended so that only real parties who had the ability to sell a property could vote.  The later count was 70 percent to 30 percent in favor of the designation.

 Eastmoreland now joins Kings Hill, Ladd’s Addition, the Alphabet District, Irvington, and Laurelhurst as Portland residential neighborhoods qualifying for the national recognition.  For the preservation community, the primary benefit of these designations means that buildings identified as “contributing” elements cannot be torn down without a public hearing that weighs the reasons for and against demolition.  In essence, it prevents developers from picking off individual lots to tear down houses and build bigger, fancier ones. 

 The Eastmoreland district is composed of 475 acres containing more than 1,000 buildings that meet the era of being constructed between 1910 and 1961.  The district also includes the Eastmoreland Golf Course and the scenic Crystal Springs Garden.

The neighborhood’s general plan follows the early 20th Century City Beautiful planning movement, with a long grassy esplanade along S.E. Reed College Place and east-west streets following the gentle flow of the topography rather than being carved into rectangular blocks in an urban grid. 

Reed College Place 

As an early Portland suburb, Eastmoreland’s attractiveness drew several of the city’s most prominent architects.  Their designs fell mostly into the popular historical architectural revival styles of the early to mid-20th Century.

 Earlier this year, the Portland City Council revised its code for historic resources to include new incentives for specific landmarks and historic districts that could be designated by the City Council, exclusive of the federal rules.  While those rules were supported by preservationists, there so far has been no interest exhibited by the City Council or by the city Planning Commission for any new designations.

 Cities by their nature, of course, are in continual flux.  There is no way of predicting eventual success or failure of the city’s own new rules.

 ----Fred Leeson

 Join Building on History’s mailing list by writing “add me” to fredleeson@hotmail.com

 

 

 

Projects Needing No Opposition (Now)

 

Newspaper advertisement, 1964

One encouraging thought for architectural preservationists is that we don’t have to worry about saving “historic” projects that never made it off the drawing boards.  This inspiration is prompted by a new exhibit at the Architectural Heritage Center called Unbuilt Portland.

 The exhibit includes a dramatic painting showing 15 bulky stories of apartments grafted atop the old Masonic Temple (shown below) that is now a part of the Portland Art Museum. Among other non-starters is a tall spire that thankfully was never added to A.E. Doyle’s classical Roman temple of the U.S. National Bank downtown, some underground parking and highway plans..

The prospect of failed proposals brings to mind another major project not mentioned in the AHC exhibit.  It was a plan submitted to voters twice in 1964 to build at 64,700-seat domed stadium close to Delta Park in North Portland.  Proponents hoped the $25 million project would land a major football or baseball franchise, and perhaps even the U.S. Olympics.

The concept of a domed, multi-purpose stadium was still new in 1964, when Houston’s Astrodome was not yet completed and several other cities were conceiving stadia that could house both major league baseball and football teams.

 The Delta Dome was unique in that it would have had natural ventilation from air flowing through a gap between the larger inverted bowl that comprised the Plexiglas roof and the smaller seating bowl below.  The creative design was the product of the big Skidmore Owings Merrill firm that had designed Memorial Coliseum just a few years earlier.

Apartment proposal, circa 1955

 Delta Dome drew heavy support from local politicians, sports enthusiasts and business interests who believed the new stadium would be an economic stimulant.  A sportswriter contended the ballot measures gave Portlanders the choice of being “a Big League City or a Sad Sack Town.”

 Voters in May and again in November of 1964 took the sad sack town option, and that was the last we heard of Delta Dome.

 Had the dome been erected, there was a strong opinion that Al Davis would have located his AFL football team, the Raiders, in Portland instead of Oakland.  How long he would have remained in Portland is a good question; Davis later moved from Oakland to Los Angeles, then back to Oakland; his son later fled Oakland for Las Vegas.

 Further, the domed stadium concept proved unsuccessful elsewhere.  Today the Astrodome is long vacant; Seattle built the Kingdome and later imploded it.  It turned out that stadia built for both football and baseball didn’t provide optimum seating for either sport, and major league cities these days have erected separate venues for the two sports.

 With the defeat of Delta Dome, the City of Portland decided to buy Multnomah Stadium from the private Multnomah Athletic Club.  The 1920s-era stadium has been renovated several times since and is now used almost exclusively for professional soccer.    However, its current seating capacity of 25,000 suggests that another significant expansion likely will be in the offing (as Building on History has suggested earlier) if professional soccer continues to grow in popularity.

 The Architectural Heritage Center's Unbuilt Portland exhibit (along with other displays) is open Thursdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 701 SE Grand Ave.  It might leave you with the realization that sometimes the city is better off with what it doesn’t achieve. 

 ----Fred Leeson

Join Building on History’s mailing list by writing “add me” to fredleeson@hotmail.com

 

Revisiting Lloyd Center

 

To be snarky about it, one could suggest that visiting Lloyd Center is a good way to get out of the cold, rainy weather and to avoid the crush of holiday shopping crowds.

 What once was Portland’s largest and busiest shopping mall lost its last big magnet store two years ago.  Like the past two big shopping seasons, the 1.16-million square foot mall on three levels and lots of parking remains a hollow shell of its former self.  For many years after its opening in 1960, the mall was packed with shopers during the holiday rush.  No more. 

 Yes, the doors are still open.  Is it worth the trip?

One year ago, a major real estate property development and management firm, Urban Renaissance Group, took control of the 18-square block mall and announced that it planned to keep it as a retail and community center with its skating rink in the middle.

 Since then – there has been little word about its future.  Remaining tenants have said they have been told no plans, but have received some directives about staying open during morning hours when few shoppers are present.

 The largest remaining stores are Barnes & Noble, Ross Dress for Less and Forever 21, an apparel store appealing to young adults.  Macy’s, the last of several so-called “magnet” stores, pulled out after the 2020 holiday season.  Under the original mall concept, a few major retailers attracted most of the customers and smaller shops filled in the storefronts between them.

 

Join the crowd

There are a few new shops this season, including a magic store and a purveyor of comic books.  Other low-voltage uses have included a film festival that ran for a few days in vacant shops and a roller-skating event in one of the former big stores. 

Ironically, the shopping complex that once floated Portland’s retail boat may become the low-rent venue for “creative” new stores, much like run-down neighborhood commercial streets once did.  A key question facing Lloyd Center is whether the new small shops can attract a sustainable customer base without the attraction of large stores. 

 Security also will be a challenge.  Some retailers at Lloyd Center have expressed concern about security from shoplifters.  A few private security officers stroll around periodically, and the large stores appear to provide their own. 

 A broader question may involve the patience of the Urban Renaissance Group and its partner, the KKR Real Estate Finance Trust.  These a big-money enterprises and one wonders when they will start considering more lucrative opportunities for the big Northeast Portland urban site.  If they aren’t already….

----Fred Leeson

Join Building on History’s mailing list by writing “add me” to fredleeson@hotmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

Exciting New Life at Yale Laundry

 

(Emerick Architects)

A pleasing restoration and lively new activity in Southeast Portland is headed for 800 S.E. 10th Ave., where a historic industrial laundry building will be renovated into a showplace for the celebration of Native American arts and culture.

 The Native Arts and Culture Foundation acquired the Yale Laundry building last year and is now starting on final designs for revitalization of the L-shaped building built in phases dating to 1909, 1927 and 1929.  Architects for the various phases are not yet known. 

 The most notable visual element of the building is the 1929 addition at the corner of 10th and S.E.  Belmont, where the new laundry office of that era was erected with an Egyptian Revival architectural theme.  The Egyptian motif was a popular in the late 1920s, thanks to new discoveries of ancient Egyptian ruins.  However, the decorations also celebrated the historic use of the building with cast-stone representations of workers doing various stages of the laundry process.

The foundation envisions the building as a place to encourage, display and sell Native American art and to produce events in a “black box” theater.  The theater’s entry will replace a garage door on the Belmont side that had been used for vehicle access.  The building also is expected to include a dining venue, as well as offices for the foundation that provides grants promoting Native American arts and culture.

“We are doing our best to retain as much as possible of the historic building,” Brendan Hart, an architect with Emerick Architects, told the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission.  The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its role in the early 20th Century laundry industry.  The landmarks commission will review the renovation because of the building's historic designation.

 Between 1900 and the end of World War II, industrial laundries were heavily engaged in residential laundry as well as serving businesses such as hotels and restaurants.  Widespread introduction of home washing machines after the war led to the industry’s decline.

Art celebrating laundry workers (mostly women)

The Yale building followed a common thread of basements being used for generating steam that heated water and powered large washers.  The floors were built extra-study to hold the heavy equipment; large windows were common for available light. By coincidence, the former Troy Laundry building located a few blocks away is currently being renovated to become an athletic club.

Because the commercial laundry industry relied heavily on women who worked long hours in difficult conditions, it helped spawn laws in Oregon and many other states regulating hours and wages for women.  The rules were challenged by the owner of another Portland laundry company, but were affirmed by the U.S. Supreme court in Muller v. Oregon, 1908. 

 The Yale building also is interesting for an unusual reason.  It was built with a creek that runs through the basement.  According to preliminary plans, rain water will be routed from the roof to a courtyard and then to the stream in the basement.   “I hope there will be an opportunity to see the water, if that’s possible,” said Kristen Minor, the landmarks chair.  Native plans will adorn the courtyard.

 Emerick Architects will return with final plans for the landmarks commission at some future date.  Approval likely be speedy and enthusiastic. 

 At the end of an advisory meeting, landmarks commissioners were impressed by what they had seen.  “It’s an awesome project,” said Maya Foty.  “I’m loving this thing,” said another, Peggy Moretti.  “I’m really excited about this project,” added a third, Kimberly Moreland.

----Fred Leeson

 Join Building on History’s mailing list by writing “add me” to fredleeson@hotmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reimagining Jefferson High School

Architectural preservation clearly wasn’t a priority when Portland Public Schools remodeled Jefferson High School in the early 1950s.

 As the image above shows, the renovation sheared off  portions of the original roof, blew out mullioned windows, obliterated artistic architectural details, erased a balustrade, eliminated some arches and  scraped off decoration at the main entrance.

 Further, the addition of an all-weather running track funded with neighborhood support near the original northern front entrance means that primary entrance to the 1909 building is largely unusable, pushing normal access to the east and west ends.  The track and football field will remain in their present locations under any new plan.   

What remains is shown below.

 “I weep at what was done to it in the 1950s,” said Peggy Moretti, a member of the Portland Historical Landmarks Commission.  Still, keeping what’s left of the old building is important to the Jefferson neighborhood and alumni.

“People remember what it was when they went to high school,” said Matthew Roman, another landmarks commissioner.  “They want to go back to it.”   Given the passage of time, few Portlanders will remember the building’s original appearance.  One proposed option of tearing down everything on the site and starting over appears to be dead.  

The landmarks commission will have some jurisdiction over the major redesign of Jefferson now underway because the school is a contributing element of the Piedmont Conservation District.  

 The renovation project is the most difficult design challenge yet for the school district in its on-going renovation of Portland high schools.  The Jefferson campus is a hodgepodge of buildings added in 1928, 1953, 1954, 1964 and 1968 on a 13.56 acre site.  “All of these buildings are in various states of mild disrepair,” said Chandra Robinson, a principal of Lever Architecture, a firm working on the renovation plan.  Many of the additions no longer serve the purposes for which they were built.

 Architects and school district planners have held several community meetings about the Jefferson project.  As yet, however, there is no firm recommendation for what the plans will look like.  Robinson more details likely will be available for the landmarks commission next spring.  She estimated that construction would start in 2024.

Elements not likely to change include the original building, a gymnasium added in 1964 and the track and football field.  Many of the other buildings likely will be razed, to make way for new classrooms, science labs and performance spaces.

Robinson said the design will be intended for a student body of 1700.  Jefferson’s current enrollment is about 700.

 Suggestions from the landmarks commission about renovation of the 1909 building included looking for architectural details that may have been covered up instead of destroyed; adding some historic elements to the east and west entrances; possibly restoring a more original look to the north façade windows; making new additions more attractive to the facing neighborhood streets.  The commission also seemed to favor creation of an open courtyard south of the 1909 building.

 Sadly, restoration of the 1909 building will not achieve the preservationist’s goal of honoring design, materials and craftsmanship of a particular era.  As Robinson put it, the school district is not expecting to replace what has been gone for so long. 

 ----Fred Leeson

 Join Building on History’s mailing list by writing “add me” to fredleeson@hotmail.com