Recognizing Portland's LGBTQ+ History

 

Former Majestic, Now Crystal, Hotel (National Register form)

In its quest to recognize Portland’s historical diversity, the city is proposing to add to the National Register of Historic Places two sites frequently used by the city’s LGBTQ+ residents in an era between 1948 and 1985.

One is the former Majestic Hotel – now known as the Crystal Hotel at 1217 SW Harvey Milk St. -- which from 1969 to 1985 offered baths, hotel rooms, a bar and restaurant aimed at serving LGBTQ+ customers.  The area came to be known informally known as Portland’s gay triangle.  One of its enterprises was the Club Portland bathing site that operated from 1969 to 1985, and is believed to be the city’s first LGBTQ+-associated business.

Today, the Crystal Hotel, which was renovated in 2009, is part of the McMenamin entertainment and lodging chain.  The building itself was added to the National Register in 2009 as a contributing member to downtown Portland’s commercial growth.  The LGBTQ+ history would be an addendum to the earlier listing.

“The building, more than any other in Portland, provided an affirming focus on an LGBTQ+ population, hosting a unique combination of uses supporting and protecting the queer community,” the nomination states.  The hotel and baths were vital places where socio-medical workers strived to provide information about HIV and AIDS in the early 1980s.

Brandon Spencer-Hartle, the city's historic resources manager, said the federal government is encouraging local jurisdictions to make their historic landmark designations more inclusive concerning human diversity.

 

Normandale Field, 1948 (National Register form)

The second site proposed for the national listing is the Erv Lind Field in Northeast Portland’s Normandale Park.  Built in 1948 a national American Softball Association women’s championship tournament, it was first called Normandale Field.  The name was changed in 1965 in honor of Portland businessman whose Erv Lind Florists team was a frequent national competitor in women’s fast-pitch softball competition.

Erv Lind died in 1964 and his team imploded.  At their peak in the early 1960s, the Florists drew several thousand paying customers to their games in Normandale Park. The field continues in active softball use, despite the decline of women’s softball as a semi-professional sport.  

Competitive team sports opportunities were rare for young women in the 1950s and 60s.  While some players were lesbians or bisexual, they were instructed to appear neat, tidy and well behaved.

“Players, whether they were lesbian, bisexual, or straight, grew up together and stood outside of the societal norms together for this period of time, because they were athletes. The 1950s caricature of the mannish lesbian athlete affected all of the players, reminding them to publicly maintain a heterosexual, feminine identity,” the nomination states.

Regardless of their sexuality, the teammates developed comradery and lasting friendships.  The softball field became a welcome place to socialize and enjoy sport.  National interest in the sport declined after the middle 1960s.

 Detailed histories of both these sites were researched and written by Kristen Minor, a former member of the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission.  With approval from the commission, the nominations will be forwarded to the State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation on Feb. 16.  If approved by the state committee, the nominations will be sent to the Interior Department for final consideration.

-------Fred Leeson

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

 

Update on the David Campbell Memorial

 

The good news is that temporary chain-link fencing has reduced vandalism, graffiti and trash inflicted on the David Campbell Memorial that has stood at SW Alder and 18th Ave. since 1928.

The better news is that sometime in the future, the fencing will disappear and a new Portland Firefighter’s Memorial Plaza will adjoin the Campbell monument that honors the city’s fire chief who lost his life fighting a major Southeast waterfront fire in 1911.

Ironically, most Portlanders know nothing about Campbell or efforts to honor 76 Portland firefighters killed over the years while trying to save Portland residents and property.  Plans developed by the David Campbell Memorial Association seek to do a better job honoring all fallen firefighters while bringing more attention to David Campbell. 

There is no deadline for completing the plaza.  Don Porth, a retired firefighter and president of the memorial association, hopes to raise roughly another $1 million to pay for the improvements.

Rendering of proposed plaza (David Campbell Memorial Association)

“We are not doing anything difficult,” he says of the plan.  “It will reflect the character of Portland firefighters – hard-working, determined, reliable – not fancy.”  He added, “Our goal is to provide better explanations and to make it more inviting.”

So far, Portland firefighters have raised $131,000 for the project, and the Portland City Council has added $350,000.  Porth, who has been working steadily on plans for over two years, hopes to raise additional funds from businesses and neighborhood groups in the area and from interested citizens.  Potential donors can find how to contribute at DavidCampbellMemorial.org.

The historic memorial and its bronze urns (now removed for restoration) were designed by Paul Cret, a University of Pennsylvania professor who was a leading Beaux-Arts designer of the era.  Porth said retired Portland architect William J. Hawkins III, who is deeply devoted to protecting Portland’s public artworks, helped design the new plaza to be finished as soon as funds are available.

Porth said he also hopes to develop sufficient money to provide an endowment for future maintenance. 

 Legally, the irregular triangle on which the memorial sits is part of a right-of-way owned by the Portland Bureau of Transportation.  Porth said a stewardship agreement has been reached with the city that allows the Portland Fire Bureau and the Portland Firefighters’ Association more control over the memorial’s maintenance. 

Chances are, almost every Portland citizens recognizes this memorial, but few know what it is about.  The improvements will be a welcome change.  

-----Fred Leeson

Join Building on History's email list by writing "add me" to fredleeson@hotmail.com 

New Life at The Sandy Jug

 

There is no need for architectural vocabulary to describe the Sandy Jug.  One glance says it all. 

After serving for decades as a strip club, this 96-year landmark at 7414 NE Sandy Blvd. is being remodeled into a new business where patrons and servers will be fully clothed.  More on that later.

 The Jug (also called by punsters The Sandy Jugs during its stripper era) was one of three unusual buildings erected in the 1920s that visually represented the businesses inside.  The Big Shoe at NE 20th Ave. (now long gone) was a shoe repair shop.  The Steigerwald Dairy building with its big milk bottle at NE 37th Ave. remains, but the bottle was encircled decades ago with a newer façade.  (A little-known fact is that the bottle still survives inside.)

The Steigerwald Dairy before remodeling

 Both The Big Shoe and the Steigerwald Dairy were designed by the company owners.  The Sandy Jug was different.  It was designed by the architectural firm of Bennes & Herzog, well known in the era for Portland theaters (including the Hollywood), several imposing residences of differing styles and for several buildings on the Oregon State University campus.

One theorizes that the Jug did not rank highly to Bennes & Herzog on their personal list of accomplishments.  Nevertheless, it ranks as a well-known Northeast Portland landmark even without formal designation; losing it would have been sad, indeed.

 The jug originally served as a refreshment venue for an adjacent gas station, known as the Gusher, which presumably was the primary business.  To attract motorists, the small triangular lot included an 80-foot faux oil gusher that was removed long ago.    

 Today, the Sandy Jug is being remodeled by a company headed by Marcus Archambeault and Warren Boothby, who in recent years have revitalized several old-school bars in Portland including The Alibi, The Sandy Hut and Holman’s.  Their business philosophy is to take old so-called dive bars and to revive them into attractive, popular destinations.

 So far, the exterior of The Sandy Jug has been tastefully repainted and narrow vertical windows that were boarded up during the strip club years have been restored with glass bricks, largely restoring the jug to its original appearance.  A covered patio has been added with outdoor seating – for clientele when the weather is appropriate.  An opening date for the new enterprise has not been announced.

Those of us who enjoy a tall cold one from time to time may well be able to help usher The Sandy Jug into its second century. 

 -------Fred Leeson

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

 

 

 

  

Looking Back on 2023

 

Theater of Tomorrow

While some encouraging architectural preservation projects are currently in progress, 2023 was more notable for its losses than for completed successes.

 On the bright side, the former Oregon Theater, erected in 1926, has been returned to productive cultural use – after decades as a porn theater – as the new home of the Northwest Film Study Center.  It now bears the unwieldy name of PAM-CUT, with an associated title of Theater of Tomorrow.  (At least the latter makes sense.)

The thoroughly cleaned and brightened 376-seat theater will be the home of movies and live cultural entertainment, sponsored in conjunction with its corporate parent, the Portland Art Museum.  Saving the historic theater also preserves retail spaces fronting on the 3500 block of SE Division.  The best possible result in the preservation world is to restore an old building successfully to its original use.

The late Parkway Manor

On the downside, 2024 marked the demolition of the Parkway Manor, a charming Art Deco apartment building, later owned by Portland State University for student housing that faced the South Park Blocks.  PSU chose to let the building deteriorate over the years, until it could make the case that rehabilitation was too expensive.  The university has nothing in mind so far to replace it.  Thanks for the chain-link fence, PSU.

 Another loss was the closure of U.S. Bank’s historic and elegant banking floor in the historic building that once served as the bank’s headquarters.  At least the building designed by A.E. Doyle is still in good condition, and one hopes that a successful use can be found for the ornate main floor without compromising its aesthetic integrity.  One wonders that if the bank had not fled to Minneapolis many years ago whether management would have decided on closure. 

In its glory...

Back on the plus side, the owner of the magnificent but badly run-down neon sign marking The Palms motor hotel agreed to remove the sign, restore it and return it to the site when the motel is replaced with an apartment building.  The sign is a great example of 1950s exuberance when N. Interstate Avenue served as the main highway to and from Seattle.

 We finish with a win-loss scenario.  Heroic efforts by the Restore Oregon preservation organization to restore and find a new home for the former Jantzen Beach carousel finally met with success after several years.  Alas, the new home will be in The Dalles, not Portland.  It is unfortunate that Portland could not or would not find a location for it.

When a new building is completed to house the carousel, it will be another reason to visit the National Neon Sign Museum where it will reside.

 -----Fred Leeson

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

 

Progress on the Elk and Fountain

 

(Architectural Resources Group)

Yes, it is taking a long time for the City of Portland to return the D.P. Thompson elk statue and fountain to its historic location, from whence they were damaged by protesters and then removed by the city removed in 2020.

 Alas, the project is not as simple as it might seem.  Despite some dithering about which city agency would be in charge, the project requires some time-consuming steps.  Such as refabricating 17 pieces of granite that were either destroyed or too damaged to be repaired, and plumbing in a new water recirculation system.  A new concrete foundation must be laid and the elk sculpture itself be braced for an earthquake.

 Another difficult issue is determining what contractor is able to perform this challenging historical project.  The city is required to accept the minimum bidder, and the Water Bureau try will protect itself by qualifying eligible bidders who can demonstrate their expertise.

Shaded areas show granite to be refabricated.  (Architectural Resources Group)

 The City Council in May, 2022, voted to restore the elk and fountain after it had been removed two years earlier.  Current estimates suggest a completion time will be late next year.

 Historically, the fountain --gift from an early Portland mayor – was intended to provide drinking water for horses and dogs.  All four watering troughs were damaged beyond repair, in part from fires that were set when the fountain was dry.  A protective measure might be to let water sit in them even when not circulating, possibly with use of mild antifreeze. 

 Typically, the water was turned off for up to six months per year.  The recirculating water system is expected to save 6.8 million gallons if it were to operate all 12 months.  That would be enough water to service 146 houses, according to the Water Bureau.

William J. Hawkins III, a retired architect whose efforts ultimately led to the restoration plans, told the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission that he has seen signs of destruction at the original site, which is now mounded with dirt and plantings.  “Perhaps someone is still out there to damage this fountain,” he said.

Peggy Moretti, a landmarks commission member, suggested that the final plan include bollards that could protect the fountain and statue from vehicular damage. 

 The commission reviewed the restoration plans at the 60 percent stage of design.  A final review will occur presumably in the first quarter of 2024.  “I think we are getting everything we want,” said Commissioner Matthew Roman.  When the work is ultimately finished, “This should be a proud moment.” 

 -----Fred Leeson

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

 

A Boost for Foster Road

 

Encouraging work is progressing on S.E. Foster Road to restore a 108-year old theater building into active use as a performing arts venue.

The Classical Ballet Academy located next door to the historic Ames Theater at 5516 S.E. Foster Road plans to reopen the re-named Foster Theater for the Performing Arts next year.  The renovation work has already cleaned up the exterior of the 1915 building and installed a new blade sign and marquee.

 Sarah Rigler, director the ballet academy, envisions the old theater as being used for community events and performing arts.  The theater was most recently known as the Day Music Co., which bought the theater in 1966 and used it mostly for displaying pianos for sale. 

 The renovation is a boost for the Foster Road neighborhood.  The vacant theater frontage after Day Music’s departure had become a target for graffiti painters and a site for homeless campers. 

The theater had an original seating capacity of 260.  It was built in 1915 by Charles A. Ames, who managed it for many years into the 1950s.  In 1929 he had new equipment installed for talking pictures, and the theater maintained its status as a first-run movie house into the early 1950s. 

(Oregonian advertisement, 1966)

 Day Music Co. had been founded in downtown Portland in 1929.  It moved to Foster Road in 1959 before it added the Ames building next door. 

Rigler intends for the ballet academy to continue teaching classical ballet as well as new dance forms including jazz and hip hop.  Fitness classes also are on the agenda.  She founded the academy in 2004.

 The marquee suggests that the theater space will become available in the fall of 2024.  In the meantime, we must hope that the newly-painted bright white walls will not become a new canvas for illegal artistic endeavors. 

---Fred Leeson

Join Building on History's email list by writing "add me" to fredleeson@hotmail.com

 

 

What's Next at Jefferson High School?

Original Jefferson High School main entrance

Architects working on a massive Jefferson High School renovation would like to bring back some of the distinctive architectural elements that once graced the school when its first building opened in 1909.

Tentative plans call for the restoration of a hipped roof over the main entry and suitable embellishment of the three Romanesque arches that mark the main portal.  Designers also considered trying to salvage decorative diamond and circular brick patterns in the original façade, but found that the heavy-duty plaster that buried them during renovation in the 1950s made salvage impossible.

“This is what we really want to do,” Chandra Robinson, a principal of Lever Architecture, told the Historic Landmarks Commission at a recent advisory meeting, referring to the hipped roof and the arches.  The latest iteration also would remove berms that hide some of the lower facade. 

It is not known, however, whether the budget will allow these restorations – or whether the Jefferson community wants them.

Several citizens at an earlier neighborhood meeting said they would be willing to sacrifice the historic building if a new structure could be built without sending students off campus for two years while the overhaul occurs. 

“It’s not a choice we’ve ever been given,” Robinson said of a new building replacing the 1909 structure.    The outcome, she said, ultimately has to be decided by the Portland School Board.  Students at other Portland high schools have been bussed to the old Marshall High building in Southeast Portland while construction occurred.

Today's stripped-down version

Robinson said a final proposed plan for Jefferson likely will be finished early in 2024.  The latest plans call for removal of a gymnasium built in 1928 that sits south of the 1909 building.  While the old gym has some attractive architectural details, it fails to meet for modern needs and stands in the way of plans for a new gym, theater and classrooms that would sit behind the 1909 building and an open plaza.   The current football field and running track would remain in place.

 Members of the Landmarks Commission expressed support for restoring the 1909 building to the extent possible.  “The 1909 building is the kind of structure that we’ll never get back,” said Commissioner Kristen Minor, who is ending an eight-year term on the commission.  “It’s really hard to look at it in its current form.”

 Commissioner Kimberly Moreland said the old building “represents a really unique design for schools of that era.”  Despite the unfortunate design changes made decades ago, the school remains a neighborhood landmark and is a contributing element of the Piedmont Conservation District, where city regulations attempt to protect historic qualities.

 ----Fred Leeson

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

 

  

Portland Monuments: Your Turn to Speak Out

Should Abe be restored?

 At long last, citizens have a chance to say whether historic monuments that were removed illegally some three years ago should be returned or replaced. 

The Portland City Council will make the ultimate decision sometime in 2024.  Whether monuments that were removed should be replaced has been a hot-button issue ever since.  Never willing to wade into controversy, the City Council set up a committee that eventually will make recommendations.

In the meantime, the citizens’ first opportunity to weigh in comes in the form of an internet questionnaire, which you can find here:  https://www.portland.gov/monuments/get-involved

A series of public meetings also are to be scheduled early next year.

Preservationists who would like to see the most important monuments returned are viewing the questionnaire with a moderate dose of skepticism.  So far, notice of its existence has been scant, suggesting that perhaps it is being skewed to a certain audience.  The questions regarding ethnicity also raise the possibility that its results will be filtered through the lens of equity, diversity of inclusion – code words that have come to raise the possibility of exclusion and discrimination. 

For sure, quibbles can be raised about all the figures honored by the monuments – some more than others.  This is not necessarily a zero-sum game – some monuments could be returned and expanded upon with further information, while others get permanently removed from public view.  It also is obvious that some elements of Portland’s diverse population have not been included in the city’s collection of monuments.

The public conversation deserves to be thorough and honest.  So, take the survey.  Let’s try to obtain the most comprehensive public thoughts.

 ----Fred Leeson

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

Elegance Loses Out

 

A century-long tradition of banking in Portland’s most elegant business location will end Nov. 30 when U.S. National Bank permanently closes its historic Main Branch at 321 SW 6th Ave.

 First opened in 1917 and expanded in 1923, the Main Branch resided in the ground floor of the magnificent Roman Corinthian-style temple designed in two stages by architect A.E. Doyle.  The banking floor extended a full block under a ceiling some 30-feet high.

US National has closed several other branches as the banking business moves heavily to the internet.  In the bank’s earliest days, customers dressed in Sunday attire to do their banking.  Now we move pixels on a tiny screen, instead.

“Understanding that clients’ banking behaviors are changing, we continue to adapt how and where we operate,” a district manager wrote to branch customers.  “As a result, we have decided to close this location permanently as of Nov. 30, 2023.”

The late architect George McMath once wrote, “The marble floors, the mezzanine balustrade, the tasteful marble, plaster and bronze ornament, all crowned by the high coffered ceiling subtly painted in Classical colors, combine to display the sense of grandeur and wealth that was required of banks in the early 1900s.” 

 But no more. 

The building itself is not in immediate danger.  U.S. National sold it several years ago and merely has been a tenant.  The building has rented office space on floors above the grand banking space.  The current owner is a foreign limited liability company with an address in Sandy, Utah. 

Because of its historic landmark status – not to mention its ornate architectural design --  changes to the exterior of the bank are unlikely to be proposed or approved.  Alas, there is no specific protection for the elegant banking floor.  One imagine that a new tenant might be found in the realms of insurance or real estate of investment brokerage.

After Nov. 30, pedestrians will still be able to enjoy the heavy, curving bronze doors that feature bas relief panels related to Oregon history.

 Until Nov. 30, if you haven’t seen the lobby, make it a point to walk through it entering either from SW 6th or SW Broadway, and crossing to the opposing street.  You won’t regret it. 

 ---Fred Leeson

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

 

 

 

 

Historic Goodness in Southeast Portland

 

(Jessica Engeman photo -- National Register nomination)

Completion of the Rex Arms Apartments in 1913 at 1230 SE Morrison St. was an amazing achievement for the neighborhood and for Richard F. Wassell, a developer, contractor and apparently a self-taught architect.

 Portland’s first boom in apartment house development occurred mostly on the more affluent West Side, including downtown and the Northwest Portland neighborhood.  East Portland’s dominantly working-class residents unquestionably felt their economic inferiority.

 Wassell, who lived just a few blocks from the Rex Arms, no doubt believed he was striking at least one blow for equality, erecting a 62-unit building in an Italian Renaissance style that matched the size, quality and appearance of comparable buildings going up on the West Side.  The Rex Arms, now an affordable housing site owned by REACH Community Development, is Portland’s latest nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.

 The 90-page nomination form, compiled by Erik Hovmiller and Jessica Engeman, offers an exhaustive look at the building that, aside from window replacements, has seen little exterior change over the decades.  The document also provides a comprehensive history of Wassell, whose short working career certainly deserves attention.

 Wassell worked as a carpenter and bricklayer before he started calling himself an “architect” in 1909.  He apparently was self-trained since there is no history of a formal education. "Evidence suggests that he primarily learned design through self-study and from his hands-on work as a builder,” the historians state. 

Decorative bracket and cornice (Engeman photo)

“After several years working in construction, he was driven to accomplish more and sought to become an architect and real estate developer. Building these skillsets afforded him an unusual amount of control over every aspect of his buildings—the aesthetic character, the features and functional aspects of the building that would affect his real estate pro forma, and the quality of the construction.”

 The Rex Arms illustrates Wassell’s mastery of the common residential architecture of the day.  A notable example of his own inventiveness is the large brackets supporting an elaborate cornice.  One has to wonder if he wasn’t influenced by the interesting brackets on William C. Knighton’s Seward Hotel in downtown Portland, completed in 1909. 

 All told Wassell designed eight apartment buildings, three commercial buildings and several houses.  One of his final projects was creation of the Peacock Lane development, which is famed for its Christmas season lighting.  Peacock Lane was listed on the National Register in 2017.

Wassell may have had a hand in designing other apartments in association with the well-known Carl Linde.  He also took a run at the food processing business during World War I.

 In all, Wassell’s projects, some never built, “offer further evidence of Richard’s seemingly indefatigable ambition, remarkable talents, and may suggest a larger contribution to architecture and development than documented” in the nomination form.

 Wassell died of pneumonia in 1927 when he was 39. 

 Hovmiller said REACH hopes to achieve historic tax credits for the building that will help maintain its availability for low-income residents.

 ----Fred Leeson

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

 

 

A Landmark Goes on the Market

Faced with a looming financial crunch, congregants of Central Lutheran Church in Northeast Portland have decided they must sell their landmark building that was designed by Portland’s most famous architect, Pietro Belluschi.

 Central Lutheran is one of two Portland churches designed by Belluschi in which he combined his love of indigenous Pacific Northwest building materials with hints of Japanese structural elements.  During his career that lasted from the 1920s into the 1980s, Belluschi was an international leader in buildings ranging from houses to churches to tall skyscrapers.

 In 1949 and 1950, Belluschi designed both Zion Lutheran Church in Southwest Portland and Central Lutheran in the Irvington neighborhood.  Zion Lutheran is perhaps a better example of the Belluschi style but Central Lutheran also has been designated as a Portland historical landmark for its architectural qualities.

 

Front canopy reflects Belluschi's Japanese influence

The landmark status likely will be a factor in whatever new use occurs.  Ideally, another congregation buys the building – which happened to another church just a block away that sold in 2019.  The landmark status prevents any significant changes to Central Lutheran’s brick and wood exteriors unless the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission – and perhaps ultimately the Portland City Council – agree. 

 Central Lutheran learned about violating the landmark regulations the hard way in 2005 when they whacked off the top 40 feet of Belluschi’s steeple that had suffered from dry rot.  The city forced restoration of the steeple following the original design at a cost of some $200,000. It took years of fundraising, but the steeple and its cross rising about 100 feet above street level were replaced in 2009.

Church officials have steadily worked on restoring elements of the wooden facades in recent years.  Their efforts have been hampered by the COVID pandemic that reduced rentals of church meeting rooms, and by the expense of cleaning up garbage and graffiti from homeless campers and vandals.

Rear side shows rounded end of chapel and church office.

Any savvy prospective buyers must recognize that Portland’s architectural preservation community will speak vociferously against changes that would significantly alter Belluschi’s design.  That said, the building with a sizable chapel, kitchen and meeting rooms conceivably could be converted to a new uses.

 Travelling in Denmark some years ago where Lutheranism is the state religion, your author learned that as religious views changed among the citizenry, many Lutheran churches were converted to new uses such as museums, art centers,  performance spaces and child-care facilities.

 That is the short way of stating that even if a new congregation does not buy Central Lutheran, another acceptable use potentially could be available.

 Church officials said their current funds are likely to be exhausted by the end of 2024.  That leaves an appreciable time for marketing the building and trying to find acceptable ownership and operation for a notable Portland landmark. 

 ---Fred Leeson

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