Portland‘s Historic Preservation Successes
““Portland has preserved many historic properties and landmarks.The key is business, government and citizens all working together to save our heritage. The following are some of our community’s successes.”
From Art DeMuro’s presentation “Historic Preservation: Portland’s Current Debate.”
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- Barber Block at 532-538 SE Grand Avenue, was built in 1890 and restored in 1977. This is an example of one of the earliest commercial buildings in the town of East Portland. The 15,000 sq ft building housed various businesses over the years on the ground floor including a drug store, banking house, “nickel theater,” restaurant, laundry, furniture store, hardware store and junk store. The upper floors had 36 sleeping rooms.
- Blagen Building, at 78 NW Couch, was built in 1888 and renovated in 1983. The original architect was Warren H. Williams. The building's original use was for a boat sails manufacturing and sales company. Each floor has a different window design. On the roof and 4th floor, there are carvings of women with spiked crowns. Below the women, two thirds of the way up the 2nd floor, are gaping lion heads. Decoration also includes arrows, scrolls, laurel and acanthus leaves, as well as stars and stripes on the side corners.
- Lavier Enterprises handled the conversion of the Barber Block, a Victorian brick building. The building has a restaurant designed for the ground floor and the upper floors were converted into 12 apartments. For many years, Digger O’Dell’s Restaurant was located in the ground floor space. Now, the space is occupied by The Rose and Raindrop. Before restoring the building, thorough research was done into original building colors, with the help of the Oregon Historical Society, and original exterior details were also restored resulting in this classic look today.
- Blagen Block’s current owner, Fountain Village Development, had the architecture restored making this building one of the surviving examples of cast iron columns and arches that once dominated this neighborhood.
- Northwestern Ice & Cold Storage, at NW 12th & Davis, was built in 1905 and renovated in 2000. This building, also known as the WP Fuller Co. Building, originally housed Fuller Co., a paint manufacturer from 1910-1918. Northwestern Cold Storage purchased it in 1949 and converted the building in 1950. When originally built, the structure was brick and had multi-paned steel sash windows. When NW Cold Storage converted it to meet their needs, they added stucco to the interior and boarded up the windows except for the loading entrances.
- Northwestern Ice & Cold Storage was renovated by current owner, Weiden+ Kennedy, Inc, an ad agency in 2000.
- Kennedy School, at NE 33rd Avenue and Killingsworth, was built in 1915 and renovated in 1980. The original architect is Floyd A. Naramore. The school shut down in 1975. The building was vacant until 1997 when purchased by McMenamins Pubs and Breweries
- Kennedy School renovation architects were Fletcher Farr Ayotte. Today, the site houses a restaurant, movie theater, bar, bed & breakfast and community meeting place.
- Montgomery Park in Northwest Portland, was built in 1922 (1936 final wing) and renovated in 1986. Montgomery Ward built this building (Portland's largest for decades) for their West Coast distribution warehouse. The original architect was Montgomery Ward employee, W.H. McCaully
- Renovation on Montgomery Park was done by current owner, Naito Properties and includes an atrium, convention/event area as well as office space.
- Public Services Building at 920 SW 6th Avenue, was built in 1928 and renovated in 1947, 1957 and 1999. The architect and building designer was Charles Green of Doyle, Paterson & Beach. The 16-story Italianante building with an arched granite base was originally designed for offices with retail on the ground floor. The two wings of the building were just two stories until 1957 when they were raised to their present 12 stories.
- The 1999 renovation of the Public Services Building cost $20 million for current owners Pacific Services Building.
- Seward (Governor) Hotel, at SW 10th & Alder, was built in 1909 and renovated in 1986. The Seward Hotel was one of Portland's finest hotels when built after the prosperous days following the Lewis & Clark Expo in 1905. Renamed the Governor Hotel in 1932, the old hotel was connected to the newer Princeton Building., built in 1923. The Princeton was originally the Portland Elk's Lodge for the local chapter.
- Renovation on the Governor Hotel began in 1986 when purchased by current owner. The architect was Stastny Architects with the design team of Candra Scott and Associates. The Princeton Building began major renovation in 1984, restoring and upgrading ceremonial rooms and public spaces. The Princeton and Governor joined in 1991.
- New Market Theater, in Old Town Portland, was built in 1870s and renovated in 1983 and 2002. The building was financed by Capt. Alexander Ankeny. The south wing of the block was built in 1871, the theater in 1875. Originally, the ground floor was a marketplace with 28 marble produce stalls. Upstairs was a 1,200 seat opera house. The building is a long, narrow Victorian style which includes arch carriage entrance portals on the ground floor. In 1882, the Portland Symphony was launched here
- In the 1950s, some of the New Market Theater’s cast iron columns were torn down. In 1968 the newly formed Portland Historic Landmarks Commission thwarted the demolition of the site to build a proposed business tower. The 2002 renovation included 20,000 sq ft of office space on the first two floors with restaurant and retail continuing on Ash and Ankeny streets. Entrances on 1st and 2nd avenues are entries for the current tenant.