Category: Adaptive Reuse

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Adaptive Reuse Oregon History Oregon Real Estate Portland historic preservation

Portland’s Galleria mall gets a makeover


Olds, Wortman & King department store

Portland’s famous mall got a huge makeover and just celebrated it with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. 

No, not THAT Mall, the other one: The Galleria (now called Galleria). 

A quick bit of history. Built in 1910 and originally known as the Olds, Wortman & King department store, in the 1970s The Bill Naito Company repositioned the building in 1976 and renamed it the Galleria Mall. 

It thrived through the 80s and early 90s but with the sparkling new Pioneer Place it saw traffic plummet. In 2018, Unico Properties LLC purchased Galleria. The acquisition was part of a joint venture partnership with Partners Group, which invested in Galleria on behalf of its clients. In 2021, Partners Group and Unico invested approximately $20 million to fully renovate the historic landmark, delivering state-of-the-art amenities and creative office space to the heart of downtown. That same year, Unico secured a new, 42,000-square-foot, 15-year lease for SERA Architects, Inc., a multi-disciplinary architecture, interior, and urban design firm committed to sustainable placemaking, at Galleria.

“We preserved the past while revitalizing this historic landmark and we’re honored to reveal a beautiful new building that creates a hub, with a modern and exceptional amenity package and reflects the epitome of sustainability and decarbonization, in this prime area of downtown,” said Charlie Floberg, Unico Properties Director, Market Leader. 

Here are some impressive factoids for the building (and energy efficiency!) nerds:

  • Completely new mechanical systems (HVAC, electrical and plumbing, fire panel) to maximize energy efficiency – the remodel was done under the Path to Net Zero standards which is an extraordinary step, especially in a building that’s more than 100 years old.  It’s a standard above current energy code. This historic building is meeting Energy Trust of Oregon’s net-zero standards and is targeting LEED Gold certification, with the possibility of getting higher.
  • All interior finishes removed – raw shell for office users to maximize for their visioning of space.
  • Infilled the atrium to maximize floor area.
  • Full modernization of the elevators in 2023.
  • New lobby with an homage to the historical fabric of the building – respecting Galleria’s history and respecting its place on the National Register of Historic Places – reused the marble floor where possible.
  • Dedicated and secure bike storage; full fitness center and shower facilities; common conference room.
  • Modernization of the parking garage – new automated equipment.
  • High-efficiency lighting throughout.
  • Galleria is now fully electrified and is pursuing LEED Gold certification, with the possibility of getting higher. Galleria is not only an example of decarbonization, but it is also a building that prioritizes health and wellness for its inhabitants. Galleria is also targeting Fitwel certification, which is expected in 2023.

My last memory of the space was in 2008 when the ground floor atrium offered tables and chairs and was a great place to bring over food from the (now-gone) food carts. As I sat down to eat I grabbed my pho from the lid and the container dropped to the floor spilling hot pho all over the place. Nice one, dude. What’s your memory of the place?

Color pics: Photo credit: Molly J. Smith / BW pics: Oregon Historical Society.

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Adaptive Reuse Oregon Design and Architecture Oregon History

Serve on Milwaukie’s historic city hall committee

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Milwaukie City Hall was built by the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works, between 1937 and 1938.  

Help write Milwaukie City Hall’s next chapter. With plans in place to move city services to another building in a few years, the city is looking for volunteers to serve on a committee that will help determine how the current City Hall should be used in the future. Restaurant? Brewpub? Affordable housing?

The current Milwaukie City Hall has served the community since 1937. Now, as the city plans to move to a newer building, City Council is asking for help in deciding how the current city hall site should be used in the future. 

Do you live in Milwaukie? Submit an application to serve on the City Hall Blue Ribbon Committee, a short-duration advisory committee that will include city representatives and community partners.

Committee members will learn about the historic significance of the site, historic preservation laws, operational costs and limitations, and development market conditions. The committee will help create development goals for the site and help structure the public engagement effort with the broader community.

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Adaptive Reuse Oregon Design and Architecture Oregon History

Vote for Astoria’s Odd Fellows Building

Astoria oddfellows
Source. 

The Odd Fellows Building in downtown Astoria has the chance to nab some hard cash in preservation funding from American Express, in addition to an initial grant of $10,000 to increase public awareness of these historic places and build grassroots support for their Main Street district. 

A new campaign, 2019 Partners in Preservation: Main Streets, shines a light on historic buildings and sites celebrating the contributions of women in local communities across the country.

In honor of the upcoming 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote, Partners in Preservation: Main Streets features 20 sites that each highlight and raise awareness for the often unrecognized contributions of women to American history and society. 

The Odd Fellows Building in downtown Astoria was the first building the community chose to rebuild in 1923 after a fire devastated the town. Almost a century later, three local women purchased the building and, with an incredible amount of community support, saved it from developers.

Today, the building houses a gallery, apothecary, art studio, and coffee shop, as well as Astoria’s only nonprofit dance studio and black box theatre—all owned and operated by local women. Funding will restore and weatherize the building’s historic facade and windows to ensure it continues to serve the community for generations to come.

Vote here. 

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Adaptive Reuse Oregon Design and Architecture Oregon History Portland History

Rejuvenating Estacada’s main street, one building at a time

The long-gone Hotel Estacada.
The long-gone Hotel Estacada.

Snuggled along the Clackamas River, you might know Estacada as the town where you stop in for supplies before heading out to the river or maybe as the home of the now defunct Safari Club that once showcased stuffed animals while diners enjoyed a meal or a cocktail.

Estacada is more than that, with a deep history going back over a century. It started out as a camp for dam builders, then a weekend destination for Portlanders who stayed at the (long gone) Hotel Estacada, shuttled there via trolley line (also long gone) from downtown Portland. The key word here though is: dam. In fact, there are four dams on the river near Estacada built by workers who have lived in Estacada at one time or the other (while earning the nickname “the dammedest town in Oregon,” according to an old diner’s matchbook).

Sure, it’s had its moments—some positive, others negative.

“There’s been several decades where Estacada suffered from a negative perception challenge that it was a rough and tumble place on the outskirts of Clackamas County,” says Matt Lorenzen, Estacada’s Economic Development Manager. 

Downtown Estacada
Downtown Estacada

However, thanks to a strong economy and population growth in the greater Portland region, engaged city staff, a forward-thinking City Council, and tools like tax increment financing (urban renewal), downtown Estacada is experiencing somewhat of a renaissance. Several downtown buildings have been recently rehabilitated and occupied by new businesses, including a dance studio, an outdoor outfitter, and a frozen yogurt shop, with help from local urban renewal grants. 

Most recently a Revitalization grant made available through the Oregon Main Street program—a division of the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)—will make possible the retrofit of the popular Broadway Building, built in 1938. 

“If you do a back-of-the-envelope pro forma on putting a quarter million dollars into this building, it makes no sense whatsoever,” says Lorenzen. “But with these public funds you can do some cool things to breathe new life into a building, and in our case, into a highly visible corner in a downtown that’s trying to come back to life.” 

Renderings for the Broadway Building renovation. Source.

The Broadway Building sits in a key location at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Broadway. In Estacada, Broadway is considered the “main” street, even though there’s an actual Main Street. It’s the first intersection visitors come to when exiting or entering downtown from Highway 224, and with the public art on the walls, it’s a highly visible building. 

Using historical photography, it was discovered that the building had a somewhat dubious addition to it in the 60s or 70s that Lorenzen describes as “very utilitarian,” and “at any rate its [architecture is] incompatible with downtown and with the corner that we’re revitalizing.”

The goal, he says, is multifaceted in that it will restore the facade of the building, taking a historically incongruent facade on Fourth Avenue and bringing it into alignment with the downtown and with the building that it’s attached to.

SUM DESIGN STUDIO + architecture, the team behind the design, came on board and agreed the Broadway Building was the more cost-sensitive in terms of not having to do a deep demolition and treated it as more of an addition project. 

“We looked at it from a storefront aspect,” says SUM’s Matt Loosemore.  “We’re doing an awning replacement, we’re taking off all of a failed stucco system, exposing the substructure, and then re-stuccoing the facade.” The goal, he says is to scale back the existing two facades by breaking up the canopy line, keeping them at a consistent height, and adding more glass into the center space. “That way, we’re actually gaining an additional retail space.” 

However, because grant dollars are through SHPO, they’re required to follow Oregon’s Secretary of Interior’s standards for revitalization or rehabilitation, compelling the team to respect the historic aesthetic of the building.

The building will have a bit more modern touch, using a steel canopy, with all new window systems. “You’ll be able to see the old character of the building, but at the same time, appreciate some of the newer amenities,” says Loosemore. 

The Broadway Building is just one project out of many helping to contribute to downtown Estacada’s revitalization. 

“There’s a bit of a demographic shift taking place and an economy shifting towards tourism and outdoor recreation,” says Lorenzen. “That shift doesn’t mean just razing old buildings and building new ones, but rather preserving and enhancing and doing it in a way that’s respectful to the past.” 

Categories
Adaptive Reuse Oregon History Portland History

An under-appreciated mid-century spot in Milwaukie

Downtown Milwaukie is experiencing major changes to its downtown core. From the south Downtown area (there’s an actual crane up in Milwaukie) with two huge mixed-use projects up within a couple of years, to a new library, to more mixed-use dotted along McLoughlin, downtown will look different in 2-3 years. It hasn’t seen this much growth and construction probably since after WW2.

That said, Milwaukie has an impressive stock of mid-century ranch homes sprinkled throughout the neighborhoods that have remained unscathed in their original condition.

Many commercial mid-century buildings also dot the landscape from super-mod churches to office buildings to bowling alleys.

millwaukie cleaners

One mid-century building still standing is the (now former) Milwaukie Cleaners building. Almost invisible, since it sits on a desolate part of Main street (most people usually drive by it to hop on 99) it was built in 1959 and designed by Joseph H. Rudd & Associates, a Portland architecture firm. The streamlined design and folded plate roof were commonly found on dry cleaners of the time. The space is a bit striking and unusual, most notably that roof.

According to Leesa Gratreak, MS, Architectural Historian, at HDR, Joseph H. Rudd & Associates was started by Joseph H. Rudd in 1950 after completing his degree in architecture at the University of Oregon. Rudd, originally born in Idaho in 1922, was active in local philanthropy and housing boards in Portland, as well as an active member of the city planning committee in Vancouver, Wash. Rudd continued to design with the firm until his retirement in 1990 and he passed away in 2003.

Examples of additional work include Yaw’s Top Notch Restaurant in Portland; quarters for the Sisters of St. Dominic on the Marycrest High School campus in Portland; a U.S. National Bank Building on Division Street in Portland; as well as numerous residential buildings throughout the Portland metro area.

“The building is an excellent example of mid-century plate glass design and exhibits a folded plate roof and decorative concrete block patterning,” says Gratreak. “The roof is considered a common feature associated with dry cleaners as it allowed a wide overhang for items to be safely transferred into the vehicle.”

Once Milwaukie Cleaners closed shop, the future of the building remained unknown. Just recently, tell-tale signs of a new business showed up—brown paper on the windows—with word on the street that new tenants will be involved in the budding CBD industry.

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Adaptive Reuse Oregon Design and Architecture Oregon History Portland History

New Spaces, Old Places: Blake McFall Building

New Spaces, Old Places is an occasional look at adaptive reuse projects around Oregon and beyond.

Also known as the Emmett Building in Portland’s Central Eastside, the five-story building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Designed by McNaughton & Raymond of Portland and built in 1915, it was added to the register in 1990.

Blake McFall Building under construction, 1915.
Under construction, 1915.

Here’s what the Oregonian had to say about it in its July 1915 issue:

The second floor, reached by a fireproof viaduct from Burnside street will contain the offices, salesmen’s quarters, rest rooms and space for sample display and the balance of the building will be given up to general paper storage.

Total cost: $90,000.

If you’ve been in Portland for any amount of time, you’ll know this building better as the Towne Storage building. Up until a few years back, it was low-rent space for local artists. In 2016, it was retrofitted to include:

seismic strengthening, window sash replacement and refurbishment, brick and stone restoration, a new enhanced exterior entry and main lobby, restoration of the iconic steel water tower, and the addition of a new 8,750 SF Penthouse set-back on the roof with two exterior landscaped decks.

Blake McFall Company Building pre retrofit
Pre-retrofit. Source.

Blake McFall Building after retrofit.
Post retrofit. The water tower was kept intact. Source.

Categories
Adaptive Reuse Oregon Design and Architecture Oregon History Portland History

Crowdfunding a neighborhood hang-out: Ye Olde Towne Crier

Crowdfunding for retrofitting local buildings is one intriguing idea. I like it for a couple of reasons: One, the return is making your own neighborhood better or more livable and two the return is pretty immediate. You invest in a building around the corner, you can see the work being done daily. I also like it because you don’t have to invest handfuls of cash—for a crowdfunding site like NextSeed, the minimum is $100. Throw in an adaptive reuse component and it sounds even more appealing.

Towne Crier
Rendering of the new version. Source.

This brings us to a local project in Portland (in Woodstock): the Ye Olde Towne Crier (you might know it better as Grandma’s, copious smoking, and karaoke). Here’s the scoop: Tacee Webb, who has a 19 year career in retail, real estate and retail development, is retrofitting the space and naming it (actually going back to its original name) Ye Olde Towne Crier. The goal is to retrofit it “as a multi-level ode to Portland’s past and its current residents, a place to chat and dine among one another and enjoy the city’s brightest talent.”

So, why NextSeed? According to their website, “investing isn’t just for Wall Street and Silicon Valley. Everyone can now access exclusive investment opportunities and build a financial portfolio with local businesses.” The company focuses on helping consumer-facing, brick-and-mortar businesses in the food and beverage, health and wellness, fitness, hospitality and co-working industries.

Towne Crier 1953
Towne Crier, 1953. Source. 

And, according to Webb, by using NextSeed, “the risk is being absorbed so you don’t have to lose your house. It’s a higher risk for start-ups; this lets them get investors in a less riskier way.”

The project currently has raised $13,900 by 30 investors.

Webb hopes the Towne Crier will become a community gathering and destination spot as well as a local hangout for students of the Reed College neighborhood and locals from the Creston-Kenilworth community. The attached Treasury Cafe and Lounge will provide morning-evening service. Nighttime entertainment will include live music and whisky tastings featuring local musicians and artisans. Preeminent spirits expert Stuart Ramsay will oversee curation of the bar program.

“There are so many stories and it feels like a patchwork quilt that’s perfect for a community project,” says Webb. “There are many former customers in their 60s and 70s that have some great stories and we think it will help provide a sense of a place for them.”

The new space will also be a sort of repository for lost Portland restaurant artifacts: The stained glass windows are from Embers, the vintage neon Lounge sign (and its HVAC system) comes from The Overlook, while chandeliers from Der Rheinlander will grace the ceiling.

If you’re interested in helping fund the project (or any project), NextSeed provides some pretty decent details, from key terms, location analysis, and revenue sharing summary.

If you’re interested in retrofitting an old building in your own neighborhood, NextSeed is a good start. It doesn’t actually finance real estate purchases (Webb owns the building; she purchased it in 2017) but it can help you get on the path, and you’re going to need to be nailed down with your financials and have some semblance of a business plan (this is real estate, not a widget you’re working on).

Parting advice from Webb: “Have a strong team and partners. I’m not a restaurateur but my partner is. That’s been so helpful.”

Categories
Adaptive Reuse Oregon Design and Architecture Oregon History Portland History

Former TriMet bus stop shelter reopens as coffee shop

800px-Portland_Mall_in_1982_with_bus_on_6th_Ave_next_to_Meier_&_Frank
Portland Mall in 1982 on 6th Ave next to Meier & Frank. Source: Wikipedia

When the Portland Bus Mall was unveiled in 1976 along SW 5th and SW 6th streets, shelters that graced the mall were some of the most technically advanced for its time and included amenities such as stylish (remember: 1970s) smoked glass and bronze design, pay phones, and a first-of-its kind monitor system that alerted passengers to arrival times of busses.

When the new mall was unveiled in 2009, the 70s architecture was ripped out and recycled as building materials by the project’s contractor. Sure, one can still see the outline of the old, oval shelters etched into the sidewalks, and the oh-so-70s planters along SW 5th and 6th. But for the most part, the new mall has transformed the streetscape with new shelters, bus trackers and better access to the storefronts along the street. The improvements were badly needed and most Portlanders at the time weren’t exactly bemoaning the loss of the old mall.

“Over the 25 years of the mall, the shelters were showing wear and tear and we just couldn’t maintain them,” says Bob Hastings, TriMet’s architect, who manages the architecture and urban design issues for light rail projects.

Thus began the retrofit of the bus mall.

Called the Mall Revitalization Project, it was “aimed to improve and repair the buildings and businesses along SW 5th and 6th to help increase their participation in the life of downtown,” says Hastings.

However, there is another holdout to our old bus mall. If you’ve recently strolled downtown along the mall on SW 5th, you’ve probably noticed the lone, 1970s surviving bus shelter and the coffee shop inside of it. Located near the former Congress Hotel (demolished in 1980) Caffe Viale, snuggled in an old shelter, complete with transit maps, original signage and icons, takes adaptive re-use to a new level. And it might have all started with a walk around downtown Portland back in 2004.

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The coffeeshop kept all of the architectural elements of the old shelters.

Tad Savinar was working for ZGF Architects at the time and was an urban design consultant for TriMet. While strolling around downtown along the mall during a series of walks, Savinar, also a trained visual artist, was taking inventory of the “existing conditions” of storefronts, such as badly placed awnings, garbage cans in front of storefronts, and anything beyond that. He broke down his walks into 20-foot segments, examining the mall as more of a “human experience.” And then he started to notice the lack of important services – like coffee. Would a coffee shop be successful if it was strategically placed directly on the street?

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Definition of adaptive re-use.

“I knew that all of these shelters were eventually going to come out and I started wondering about things along the mall that could be improved. Storefronts could be improved, lighting could be improved. All kinds of ideas. And one of them was the potential of rehabbing a bus shelter,” he says.

A study found – believe it or not – there was a dearth of coffee service in the area. Savinar then created a diagram of the number of office workers adjacent to the potential coffee spot and discovered there was a gap in service. He then approached Caffe Viale owners – who still have a brick and mortar location nearby – and they were game in setting up shop in the shelter. Money was accessed through the Portland Development Commission’s Storefront Improvement Program who then matched money from the business, as well as money kicked in from TriMet.

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Old signage still exists on the exterior.

Certainly, new construction had to be done, including the addition of plumbing for water lines, electricity and waste lines, but the final product has proven to be a successful re-purposed project that adds life on the street, helps keep some of Portland’s post-mid-century heritage alive. The space also illustrates there are dual purposes and creative ways to re-use and re-adapt unwanted and (mostly) unloved structures, including a bus shelter.

photo4
The old shelter has new life as a thriving coffee shop.

Nowadays, there are just a few more coffee places to choose from, but the coffee kiosk still does brisk business during weekday mornings catering to bleary-eyed commuters in need of caffeine before work. Plus, it’s a kick to peep inside the kiosk and see a part of Portland’s transit history still alive while waiting for your coffee.

“It’s a wonderful addition onto the streetscape,” says Hastings. “It livens the presence of the mall and does a great job of reinterpreting the original mall shelter.”