Move Along Folks, There's Nothing to See Here

 

Barring a seemingly impossible miracle, Portland State University this fall will start demolishing an attractive 5-story building that has been a compatible neighbor to the South Park Blocks for 90 years.

 While loss of the Parkway Manor is sad in itself, the fact that PDSU has no immediate plans or funding for a replacement building compounds the wound.  The site could sit vacant behind security fencing as an urban puncture for several years to come.

 “I wish I didn’t have to present this,” Jason Franklin, PSU’s vice president for planning, construction and property management,  told a Downtown Neighborhood Association committee as started detailing problems with the now-vacant building.  The 54-unit apartment has served as student housing since 1969, but has been vacant for over a year.

 Franklin said renovation for continued student housing would cost $25 million, and operations would lose $13 million over the next 20 years.  “Everything (inside) would have to be removed and put back.”  It is clear that the building has suffered from managerial neglect, with a leaking roof, broken elevator and inadequate plumbing.

 It wasn’t clear from his presentation whether PSU had considered any other potential uses for a renovated building, but he ruled out potential office space.  He said the university has plenty of office space already, and many employees like working from home.  Switching the building’s use would be “a big lift for us to do that.”

 Peggy Moretti, a longstanding preservation advocate, questioned the validity of Franklin’s gruesome financial picture.  “You can make numbers say anything you want,” she said.  Saving the building, she added, “Depends on whether there is a will to do so.”  She said demolition “feels morally irresponsible to me.”

 The building was designed by the prominent Portland firm of Bennes and Herzog.  John Virginius Bennes designed several buildings on the Oregon State University campus that are now a part of a National Historic District.  He and Harry Herzog also designed the prominent Hollywood Theatre in Northeast Portland.

 The Parkway Manor’s two public facades show a rather subdued Art Moderne Zig-Zag motif crafted with bricks.  There is nothing like it anywhere downtown.

 Franklin said PSU is “very cognizant of its location and the importance of its location,” and agreed that demolition creates a “hole” on the South Park Blocks.  But he said allowing the building to stand empty while PSU decides what should replace it “is a safety issue for us at this point.”  He said the empty building would be a threat for vandalism, graffiti and trespassing squatters.

 So just think of how much money is being saved while the vacant site scars what used to be one of the most pleasant urban environments on the PSU campus -- and in downtown Portland.  PSU has no current plans for the site, and when it does, it will have to await funding from the Oregon Legislature, which meets every two years..  And then any proposal will have to go through Portland's design review, taking most of another year.  

Meanwhile, enjoy the view. 

----Fred Leeson

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A Blockbuster in Northwest Portland

 

Apartment tower large version (TVA Architects)

The urban tension between “old Portland” and “new Portland” could play out dramatically on the historic Honeyman Hardware block where a developer hopes to plant a 23-story, 250-foot tall apartment tower near two historic landmarks.

 Call it a blockbuster proposal in more ways than one.  The tower would eliminate one historic structure and loom high above its two remaining predecessors standing at nine and two stories, each.  The 250-foot height is the maximum allowed under current zoning.  The block is bounded by NW Glisand and Hoyt Streets between Park and 9th Ave. 

 Because of the block’s historic designation, the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission has design review authority over the proposal.  While the commission likes the idea of additional housing and vitality it would bring to the neighborhood, the 250 foot height was clearly the commission’s primary concern at a preliminary advisory meeting.

 “The scale is overwhelming,” said Commissioner Matthew Roman.  “I don’t know how you make a tower disappear.”

 The building is proposed by Evan Fields, a Los Angeles developer who owns the whole block.  His “preferred” plan would hold 295 units with parking buried below.  The footprint amounts to roughly half of the block, with a fin of the tower rising from within the two-story Bindery Building.

 

Apartment tower smaller version (TVA Architects)

At its first review, the landmarks commission preferred a slightly smaller building that would add 243 units to one quarter of the block.  This tower would sit on the site of the existing the Metro Building, which started life in 1903 as a livery stable for freight-hauling horses.  The two street-facing facades of the Bindery Building would be saved, though its interior would be wiped out to create underground parking and a new interior built.

The two other historic buildings include the Cotter Building, a seven-story reinforced concrete structure built in 1912 as the Honeyman Hardware warehouse.  Surprisingly, it was designed with potential conversion to a hotel in mind.  Decades later, the building was converted to apartments and a two-story penhouse was added.  The two-story bindery building, built in 1920, originally served as the Honeyman Hardware retail store. At one time, all three old buildings were linkied as part of Honeyman Hardware Co.   

 This once-industrial and transport-oriented neighborhood is on the cusp of a host of big buildings.  Two blocks to the north, the city has approved 400-foot height limits on the U.S. Postal Service site that soon awaits redevelopment.

Placing the proposed tower on the block with historic buildings struck Commissioner Andrew Smith as odd, since there are other potential sites sitting nearby.  “It’s like I’m the only person sitting in a theater and somebody comes in and sits on my lap.”

 Fields and his design team, TVA Architects, are expected to return at a date uncertain with more details about the smaller, quarter-block tower. 

 Melissa Darby, a former landmarks commissioner for eight years, testified that in her experience these public reviews often lead to better outcomes.  “This can be done better,” she said.  “It looks like any airport hotel.”

 Interestingly, Fields agreed.  “She’s right,” he said.  “Developments and architecture get better with feedback.” 

 At this point, the 250 height appears to be a necessity in Fields’ mind.  The question is whether TVA, a highly talented design firm, can devise a possibly more muscular-looking building that fits better with the block’s context.

 It’s also worth noting that rejection of a final plan by the Landmarks Commission could be appealed to the Portland City Council.  Such appeals are rare.  But given the general lack of interest --or downright antipathy -- usually xhibited by the current council for anything historic, approval would be a slam dunk.

 -----Fred Leeson

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Encouraging Work In Progress

 

Given the challenges many faced by historic buildings in Portland, it is refreshing to see work on two important restorations steaming ahead, two years after their plans were approved by the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission.

One is the Troy Laundry building, at 1025 SE Pine St., a rare industrial project dating to 1913 designed by Portland architect Ellis Lawrence.  Lawrence at the time was in the early stages of became a busy, productive and prominent architectural career.

 The other is the New Fliedner building, at SW 10th Ave and Washington St., which is downtown Portland’s best example of a Zig Zag Moderne design on its two public facades.  The building as we see it today was designed by Richard Sundeleaf, although the structure itself dated to 1906.  Until Sundeleaf’s colorful makeover, it had been the home of the Eastern Outfitting Co., one of Portland’s major apparel retailers of the era.

 Astute followers of Building on History will recall that both these renovation projects were described here as they went through historic design review by the landmarks commission in June and August of 2020, respectively.  Months passed while final plans, financing and building permits were achieved.

 The half-block Troy Laundry building was the culmination in Portland of the efforts of James F. Tait, a Scottish immigrant, who opened a laundry service in 1889.  As years passed and his business grew, Troy Laundry amassed as many 10,000 individual and business clients in the era before the presence household washing machines became, well, automatic. 

 Tait also expanded to Seattle, and is believed to have operated the largest commercial laundry business on the West Coast.  He was an early adopter of the 8-hour working day and provided a lunchroom for employees. +-

 Laundry operations folded, so to speak, in 1980.  The renovation will retain the historic characteristics of the public facades and the interior will be converted to a private athletic club.  The restoration is paired with construction of a 6-story residential building with 132 units and ground-floor retail abutting Troy Laundry on the north.

If all goes well, the 5-story, quarter-block New Fliedner building will be returned to its earlier status as an office building with ground-floor retail.  The office entrance will be through the stylishly-decorative portal on Washington Street.

 The building’s Zig Zag Moderne styling is a variety of Art Deco.  It varies from other Art Deco structures with its frequent cross-hatched designs at the main entry, at the cornice and on banding above the first floor.  Zig Zag lacks the rounded building edges intended to give Art Deco buildings an aerodynamic feel.  When finished, it should be a colorful and eye-catching sight.

 The New Fliedner was going through design stages at the start of the COVID pandemics.  The pandemic’s negative effect on retail and downtown office spaces has been dramatic.  Given the investment and attention to detail in the restoration, one hopes that the New Fliedner can still have a long and successful presence. 

-----Fred Leeson

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Going, Going...Soon to be Gone

 

Portland State University has filed its intention to tear down the Parkway Manor, a 90-year-old former apartment building, now used for student housing,  that faces the South Park Blocks at 1609 S.W. Park.

 Likewise, the university plans to demolish the Harder House, a one-time residence long ago converted  to offices that sits to the rear of Parkway Manor.  The demolitions will open a half block for future development.  “We have not released any plans for this 1/2 block, but it would likely be a new academic or residential building, depending on future need,” said Jason Franklin, director of the campus planning office.

The quarter-block Parkway Manor site is important because it is a public face on one of Portland’s most scenic, peaceful, charming urban spaces.  The Parkway is not a designated landmark, but is listed on the city’s historic resources inventory.  As a result, PSU must provide a 120-day window before demolition in case a buyer or someone comes up with a plan to save the building or move it.  Since the land is owned by the state university system, any option besides demolition is moot.

 Parkway Manor was one of two apartments facing the South Park Blocks designed by the Portland firm of Bennes and Herzog in 1931.  The other is the Jeanne Manor two blocks north at 1431 SW Park.

A PSU framework plan adopted in 2010 suggests that new buildings on the Park Blocks will be smaller than in other parts of the campus in deference to its park setting.  In past decades, the Portland Design Commission has paid rigorous attention to new buildings facing the Park Blocks, in an attempt to retain their calm, green, pedestrian-friendly ambiance.  One hopes the same close scrutiny will be given to whatever new building PSU proposes. 

PSU has served preservation in the past by restoring and finding new uses for Shattuck Hall, a former elementary school, and Lincoln Hall, which started life as Lincoln High School.  The framework plan makes a reference to historic buildings when it states, “While substantial new development will occur within the expanded University District, Portland State recognizes that historic resources are valuable cultural assets that contribute to the University District and, as such, should be protected.”

 That was not the case at Parkway Manor, which contains 41 apartments and 13 single rooms.  It has been victimized by deferred maintenance, including decommissioning of the elevator serving a five-story building.

 

 Both the Parkway Manor and Jeanne Manor were designed in a Zig Zag Moderne style, which falls into the larger Art Deco realm.  These buildings replaced grander mansions that earlier lined the South Park Blocks.  Their brick facades, attractive entrances and human scale helped create the atmosphere of gentle urbanity that has remained along the South Park Blocks for the intervening decades.  These graceful older buildings set the context for newer ones -- also heavily relying on complimentary brick facades – added in the 1980s with Design Commission scrutiny.

 Whatever firm designs the new PSU building, or buildings as the case may be, faces a heavy challenge.  People who care about Portland’s urban environment need to be watching carefully and speaking out, if necessary.

 Meanwhile, it is a shame that a building erected with quality design and materials lasts only 90 years in our modern throw-away society. We should know better – and so should PSU.

----Fred Leeson

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Here's (Almost) Hollywood!

 

After years of planning, fundraising, careful demolition and unexpected COVID delays, the final touches on the Hollywood Theatre’s lower façade restoration are falling into place.

 For the first time since at least 1959, the 96-year-old landmark Northeast Portland theater will finally display a coherent exterior design that closely resembles its 1926 original façade.  A grand re-opening is set for July 17, to include displays of historic photographs, relics salvaged during the remodel and details of the multi-year restoration project.

When will the final touches be finished?  “July 16,” said Virginia Durost, an eternal optimist who is the theater’s facility manager.

 The theater was designed by the Portland firm of Bennes and Herzog.  Bennes is best noted for several buildings on the Oregon State University campus, while Herzog had a hand in designing some other Portland theaters.

 The Hollywood is said to be the last theater in Portland built both for vaudeville and movies.  Its playful tall, narrow, multi-colored terra cotta façade holds a plethora of funky byzantine details guaranteed to attract eyeballs from passersby.  The theater was an obvious expression of East Portland’s inferiority complex when compared with downtown’s upper crust.   While it may never have achieved parity with downtown, it was so notable that the surrounding business community adopted the name, “Hollywood District.”

Grand arch and bas-reliefs over the entry doors

 As frequently occurs when restoring old houses, careful demolition of the non-historic façade uncovered surprises.  One was three bas-reliefs that have been repaired and will glow under new lighting above the front doors.  Another key find was portions of the original terrazzo floor with checkered tile bands that once welcomed visitors as they entered under the marquee.

 The old floor allowed the theater to reproduce and original flooring and colors – while leaving two of the original floor fragments in place.  Demolition also uncovered three locked safes, which, after being hauled out and successfully opened – contained nothing.

A fragment of the original outdoor floor (top of photo) became a template for restoration

 A free-standing ticket booth that once stood near the entry could not be replaced because of modern access requirements.  However, it is remembered by a metallic octagon set into the terrazzo.  “We do not know its original exact dimensions,” Durost said.

 Lower façade details were designed by Paul Falsetto, a Portland architect known for his work on historic properties.  Durost also complimented the work of Architectural Castings Inc., a Portland firm that specializes in reproducing architectural details for historic buildings.

When the remaining architectural details are in place, "going" to the movies at the Hollywood Theatre will be an added pleasure in addition to whatever film awaits inside.  

 -----Fred Leeson

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Remembering Charles H. Carey

 

Charles Carey residence (National Register nomination form)

The next Portland-area structure likely to be accepted by the National Register of Historic Places is the Riverdale home of Charles H. Carey, who indisputably was one of the most important lawyers and political power brokers in Oregon in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.

 Carey, who practiced law from 1883 to 1933, also played key roles in writing Oregon history, helping to establish the Oregon Historical Society and the Portland Art Association, as well as founding the Multnomah Law Library, an institution that still serves as a research venue for local lawyers.

 In addition, Carey was one of the key backroom figures in the Oregon Republic Party, whose two factions battled one another ruthlessly in the era when U.S. senators were selected by state legislators.  Carey’s battles with the rival Joseph Simon faction could likely rank among the dirtiest in state history, when Senate seats to a certain extent were obtained by the highest bidder.

Perhaps the worst blight in Carey’s career is that he helped succeed in placing John Hipple Mitchell in the U.S. Senate.  Mitchell’s career and Senate term suffered a key blow when he was convicted in the 1905 timber fraud trials.  He died while the Senate was considering expulsion.

 As a lawyer, Carey represented banks and railroads and helped build what became Oregon’s largest law firm.  He wrote a lengthy “General History of Oregon” and “The Oregon Constitution.”  His constitution book is still used by lawyers today as it is the best collection of news accounts and other documents about the constitutional convention, where official minutes were not kept.

 Carey’s career of legal and social activities is so extensive, “It’s really deserving of a book,” said Liz Carpenter, a Eugene historian who prepared the National Register nomination.  Carey served as a Portland Municipal Court judge from 1892 to 1894.  Though the municipal court was the lowest rung on the judicial ladder, Carey was often referred to as “Judge Carey” for the rest of his life.

Carey library (National Register form)

 The Carey house was erected in 1902 and slightly expanded in 1904.  Its architect is believed to be Edgar Lazarus, who is best known for designing the Vista House at Crown Point.  The Carey residence is described as being a Colonial Revival style, with horizontal siding and a large porch supported by Doric columns.

 The house remains in the sixth generation of family ownership, and most of the interior is still in original condition.  The Riverdale neighborhood sits south of Portland's city limits close to the west bank of the Willamette River., 

 The National Register nomination is based primarily on Carey’s legal and social history rather than on the architecture of the house.  Regardless, the house is an excellent example of prime residential work in its era.  Carey was born in 1857 and died in 1941.

Oregonian, 1902

 ----Fred Leeson

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Is St. Johns City Hall in Jeopardy?

 

Buoyed by hopes of a prosperous future, residents of a village lying north of Portland voted in 1902 to incorporate themselves as the City of St. Johns.

 Though their dashed hopes led instead to a consolidation with Portland in 1915, the former city left behind a wonderful monument that still stands today as one of Portland’s most impressive  neighborhood landmarks: St. Johns City Hall, completed in 1907.

 The Georgian Revival architectural gem with its red bricks, heavy Ionic columns and large pediment, has served for decades as a police station and fire station, with the basement originally used as a jail.  Portland police used the building as North Precinct until 2009 and then used it for its training division until leaving in 2021, leading to some speculation that the historic building would be sold.

 Michael Q. Brown, president of the St. Johns Heritage Association, said the history group had displays on the top floor for nearly 40 years before being told by the mayor’s office to move out. "The threat from the mayor’s office was that we would be charged for transportation of our artifacts and charged for storage, if we did not remove our artifacts by August of 2021."

One of many displays formerly housed at St. Johns City Hall  (St. Johns Heritage Association)

 The heritage association has moved some of its historical displays to the Peninsula Odd Fellows Lodge.  When the St. Johns City Hall was renovated in 1978 with help from a $300,000 federal grant, Brown said one of the provisions was that the building had to contain some community use.  He believes the city has violated that agreement.

 Brown said he was told more than once that the building would be sold.  A speedy sale appears unlikely, however.  The latest tenant is the office of the Portland Park Rangers, an unarmed Parks Bureau staff that tries to resolve disputes and find answers for a variety of potential issues arising in city parks.  A Park Rangers representative said the agency has a five-year lease on the building.

 The building has an interesting pedigree.  Its architect was W.W. Goodrich, who came to Portland in 1903 in poor health when he was 62.  His earliest claim to fame was as a naval architect on the Monitor, an iron-sided vessel that fought the well-known battle with the iron-sided Merrimac in the Civil War in 1862.

 The Monitor had been built with private funds before the U.S. Navy bought it.  “The boat was launched in New York amid hisses and sneers,” Goodrich recalled in a 1905 newspaper article.  “Everyone believed it would sink when launched and were greatly surprised when it righted.”

 Goodrich said in 1905 that he was on the Monitor during the 3 1/2 hour battle with the Merrimac, won by the Monitor.  He claimed he suffered a burst ear drum and a broken hand.  However, obituaries after his death in 1907 stated that he was not present during the fight. 

 Regardless of the veracity of Goodrich's memory,  “This fight made navies of the world obsolete and useless,” he said.

 Goodrich also practiced architecture in New York, Denver, Berkeley and Atlanta before coming to Portland, as he tried to find a climate that would improve his health.  Goodrich died before the St. Johns City Hall was finished.  His son, Clenath L. Goodrich, supervised its completion.

 “To sell the building would be terrible,” Brown said.  “There is so much history there.  It is one of the few buildings we have left that absolutely says, ‘This is St.  Johns.’”

------Fred Leeson

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Annual Preservation Report to the Portland City Council

 

The annual report by the Portland Landmarks Commission to the City Council generally is dispiriting for preservation advocates.  The reports are always well crafted, including ideas that would enhance the city’s physical environment and our understanding of its history.

The city commissioners always heartily thank the landmarks commission members for their work and their ideas and diligence.

And then:  Nothing happens.

It felt like deja vue all over again on May 25, when the landmarks commission reported on its work in 2021 and their thoughts for improvements they would like the see made in 2022.  Their suggestions included:

·        -- -Restarting an inventory of Portland’s historic buildings that has not been updated since 1984, even despite a major expansion of Portland’s eastern boundary;

·         ---Undertaking a cultural resources plan to find a preserve locations of cultural significance to Portland’s various minority communities, even if the buildings involved are not considered architecturally significant;

·       ---  Finding ways to help fund expensive seismic bracing for some 1,600 Portland buildings constructed of unreinforced masonry that are especially vulnerable to earthquake damage;

·        --- Establishing a legacy business program that would assist historic businesses in facing a variety of economic challenges from issues including the pandemic and gentrification.

Alas, the report did not identify funding sources or amounts of money needed to carry out these suggestions, noble though they may be.

As all the compliments from city commissioners rolled in about the quality of the report, Commissioner JoAnn Hardesty -- who has sat through three previous landmark commission annual reviews -- sounded the voice of reality.

“I hate to be the wet blanket in the room,” she said.  Given the city’s limited resources, she said, opportunities for funding are limited.   “We will have to be creative and thoughtful.” Hardesty added,  “We really need to have a plan if you want it to become reality. We don’t have that.”

Of course, it is the City Council that controls the municipal budget, not the landmarks commission.  Even if the landmarks commission could suggest funding sources, some member of the council would have to propose council action. 

What might be different this year is the stress on appreciating the history of Portland’s minority communities, and an understanding that those communities need to be able to take advantage of whatever incentives and benefits preservation programs can provide.

In a letter preceding the commission’s report, Landmarks Chair Kristin Minor wrote, “On the Landmarks Commission, we are aware that for many, historic preservation seems like a side topic; something that is an “extra”, not a need. Yet preservation directly strengthens community bonds and generational stability, which help people heal and rebound from stress.

“Historic preservation and adaptive reuse are far better for the planet than the typical redevelopment model, moving us from a “throw-away” society to one that repairs and adds to what we already have. Finally, if used intentionally to honor communities who have experienced loss, displacement, and erasure, historic preservation can begin to work towards justice.”

If you are interested, you can read the full report here:  https://efiles.portlandoregon.gov/record/15076788

----Fred Leeson

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Some Deeply-Felt Thanks

 

While there still could be obstacles to restoring the historic Thompson Elk Fountain at its original site, the May 11 decision by the Portland City Council was deeply gratifying to the preservation community.  Kit Abel Hawkins, a vibrant member of the ad hoc Save The Thompson Elk Fountain Committee, wrote eloquent thanks the council members.

Her thoughts were echoed by other committee members who signed below.

 Dear Mayor Wheeler and Commissioners Hardesty, Mapps, Rubio, and Ryan-- 

 I write with gratitude for your finding your way to making something right in this City last Wednesday -- your withdrawal of the Demolition Delay Permit that would have stripped the Thompson Elk Fountain of its City Historic Landmark protections and your unanimous commitment to its full restoration.  Your action will serve as a symbol not only of your further intentions but of your coming actions in bringing the city that is our home back from the combined destructive forces that have plagued us for the last many months.

 It took listening and courage, coordination and time, imagination and effort to make this happen.  I am grateful that Commissioner Ryan was willing to be the first to step forward to boldly assert his support of the return of this landmark. I am thankful for all your collective openness to an idea that was becoming lost in a sea of process and options that combined would have  put the City in league with the vandals. Thanks go to Commissioner Rubio and Commissioner Ryan for introducing the Resolution, and for the introduction of good humor into the proceedings with the declarations of intent signified by those green antlers on your monitors and then on your heads. Thanks go to Commissioner Mapps for a history of the artwork that has stood at the center of Portland's civic center for 120 years. Thanks go to Commissioner Hardesty, who might have preferred a straighter road, quite literally, as PBOT bureau chief, but who found the virtue in this resolution supporting restoration. And thanks go to Mayor Wheeler for his outspoken grasp of the simple fact that the City should return the landmark to its site as an example of the City's devotion to stewardship of its resources on behalf of its citizens. 

 As was testified to at the hearing, we are here to help. Bill and I and the other members of the  Board of Restore the Thompson Elk Fountain stand ready to raise funds from the thousands who lifted their voices on behalf of the rightness of this restoration. The People of Portland wrote to let you know their opinion on this matter, and we hope to encourage them to add to a fund to see to it that the missing and damaged parts of the Thompson Elk Fountain are refabricated and given to the City for the complete and beautifully crafted restoration of this landmark artwork.  Preliminary drawings and plans have already been created, stonemasons found who see the work as completely feasible using precisely the same granite from which the intact portions of the fountain are made. Bill is having a model made so that one and all can visualize just how this cleverly and artfully conceived structure can be reassembled.

 Perhaps even beyond the particulars of this symbolic and reassuring moment, we are most pleased to have been considered as advocates whose ideas are worthy of consideration and whose commitment to honorable engagement resulted in a sense of optimism about the possibility that we can confront our problems as a city with common purpose, resolve, and effort.

Gratefully yours,  

Kit Abel Hawkins

William J. Hawkins, III

Stephen Kafoury

Mike Lindberg

Fred Leeson

Jim Heuer

Brooke Best

Rod Merrick

Henry Kunowski

Wendy Rahm

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Victory for the Thompson Elk Fountain

 

Wearing temporary antlers, Commissioner Dan Ryan saved the Thompson Elk Fountain

Preservation advocates savored a rare and joyous occasion this week, walking into a Portland City Council meeting KNOWING they had enough votes to preserve the historic David Thompson Elk Fountain.

 The council’s 5-0 vote to restore the landmark at its original location was a far cry from so many council hearings, where preservationists wait anxiously for their 120 seconds of impassioned testimony to fall on deaf ears because the decisions are already “cooked” in advance.

The May 11 council vote ranks as one of Portland's greatest preservation victories in recent years.

 The 120-year old elk statue and the fountain over which it presided were damaged by vandals in political protests in 2020.  Though the council had promised to return the elk, the city had initiated paperwork to remove the historic designation of the fountain, which had been removed by city staff from its site on SW Main Street. . 

 Mayor Ted Wheeler said restoring the fountain was “more than a statement about aesthetics.  People who break things don’t have the final word.  We do.”  The council hopes -- along with preservationists -- that the fountain's restoration will mark a comeback for Portland's civic spaces, economy and reputation as an attractive city. 

 The hero hat in this case goes to Commissioner Dan Ryan, who was the first (and only) commissioner to advocate for the fountain’s restoration before the May 11 vote.  After weeks of encouragement that included thousands of emails sent to the city and private negotiations with an ad hoc fountain restoration committee, Ryan convinced Commissioner Carmen Rubio to file the council’s resolution with him.

 Nobody was happier about the council decision than William J. Hawkins III, a Portland architect and historian who had spent a year and a half talking and pleading with city officials about saving the fountain.  Hawkins has created a foundation to accept tax-deductible donations to help pay for fountain repairs.

 Checks may be sent to: 

             RESTORE THE THOMPSON ELK FOUNTAIN

                          25 NW 23rd PL. STE. 6 #226

                               Portland, OR 97210

The fountain in earlier years 

Hawkins had made little progress saving the fountain on his own until he connected with the ad hoc committee that included Portland political veterans Mike Lindberg and Stephen Kafoury.  Those two diligent people took charge of communicating with City Council members and their staffs, and found excellent help through Ryan’s chief of staff, Kellie Torres.

 The non-profit Portland Parks Foundation will undertake a study of how to return the fountain and also meet pedestrian and transportation needs on Main Street.   Now that the fountain’s landmark status is no longer at risk, the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission also will have an important role in deciding how the various street needs are achieved.

 While celebrating their once-seemingly-impossible victory, Portland’s preservation community needs to study the tools that led to their success and try to determine how they can be used in future preservation battles. 

 The message to remember is that our city is not improved by destroying its best landmark buildings, municipal art and public parks.  If Portland wants to be a great city again, it needs to build on its history, not erase it.

 -----Fred Leeson

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Two Important Preservation Updates

Victory for the Thompson Elk Fountain 

In an apparent huge victory for citizen participation and preservation, the Portland City Council on May 11 is expected to approve a resolution calling for restoration of the Thompson Elk Fountain at its original location on SW Main Street. 

 The council’s action follows months of lobbying and apparently thousands of emails to council members supporting restoration of the historic fountain that was partly damaged in political demonstrations and then removed by the city in 2020.

 Next week we will discuss in more detail how this welcome decision came to pass.  The outcome clearly is one of the few times in recent history when public expressions of concern made a difference.

 

(HPA Architecture)

New Future for First Church of Christ, Scientist

Perhaps the only surprise about the vote to sell the Northwest Neighborhood Community Center (originally the First Church of Christ, Scientist) was the margin in favor: Community “owners” voted 53 to 3 to sell the building for $4.75 million to a Nevada development firm.

 Founders Developments plans to convert the former church two become part of a two-building “high-end hospitality product” with 98 rooms, a bar restaurant and other amenities.  The exterior facades and roof of the Beaux-Arts style would be retained, but the interior fully transformed 18 guest rooms.  The other rooms would be in an adjacent new building.

 The sale, expected to close in the fall, ends a long, tortuous process about what to do with the historic but ailing building.  Its vulnerability to earthquakes made its restoration as a community center largely impossible.

 The community owners essentially no choice but to accept the sale since no other reasonable purchase offers were received.  The sale proceeds will be held in trust to fund civic-oriented projects in six nearby neighborhoods.

“This building needs to be saved and by somebody with the assets to do it,” Dan Anderson, president of the NNCC board, told the Goose Hollow Foothills League a few days before the vote.

 The building’s current tenant, a children’s theater, has a lease that expires in September.  Some neighborhood residents will miss the building as a venue for theater, music and community events.

 Regardless, finding successful new uses for old buildings is a vital element in modern architectural preservation.  The leading example in Portland may be the McMenamin brothers, who have adapted a vacant school, county poor farm, movie theater, mortuary and other old buildings into successful venues for beer, wine, food, movies and concerts.  A more recent example is Steeplejack Brewing, which “saved” a Northeast Portland church by turning it into an attractive brew pub, restaurant and meeting venue.

 Designing and building the new hotel likely will be a slow process.  Plans for the new building and any changes to the exterior of the 1909 former church will have to be analyzed and approved by the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission.

-----Fred Leeson 

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