Midtown Blocks Historic Assessment September 2004 Acknowledgements Portland Bureau of Planning Vera Katz, Mayor Gil Kelley, Planning Director Project Staff Joe Zehnder, Principle Planner Steve Dotterrer, Principle Planner Julia Gisler, City Planner II Cielo Lutino, City Planner II Lisa Abuaf, Community Service Aide With Additional Assistance From: Donah Baribeau, Office Specialist III Gary Odenthal, Technical Service Manager Carmen Piekarski, GIS Analyst Urban Design Section Portland Development Commission Amy Miller Dowell, Senior Project Coordinator Historic Research Consultant Donald R. Nelson, Historic Writing and Research Cover Images (clockwise from top left): Guild Theatre Marquee, 2003; SW Salmon & Broadway, ca. 1928; Drawing of the Pythian Building, 1906; SW 9th & Yamhill, 2003; Entrance to the Woodlark Building, 2003; Virginia Café Neon, 2003; Fox Theater and Music Box, 1989; Demolition of the Orpheum Theater, 1976; Construction of the Benson Hotel, 1912; Stevens Building, 1914; Broadway Building and Liebes Building, 2003. Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................. 1 Recent Planning for the Midtown Blocks ........................................ 1 Historic Assessment ................................................................ 1 Elements of the Historic Assessment............................................. 2 Findings ............................................................................... 4 Recommendations................................................................... 7 Historic Context Statement .......................................................... 9 Historic Property Assessments in Focus Area .................................... 25 Block 2 ................................................................................ 25 Block 3 ................................................................................ 43 Block 4 ................................................................................ 61 Block 86............................................................................... 79 Block 219 ............................................................................. 93 Study Area Map ......................................................................... 113 Appendices .............................................................................. 117 Appendix A: Property Information Summary Table ........................... 117 Appendix B: Development Timeline............................................. 121 Appendix C: Data Sheets for Buildings Outside of Focus Area .............. 129 Introduction Recent Planning for the Midtown Blocks Over the last few years, the future of the Midtown Blocks has been uncertain and subject to public debate. In 1999, the City adopted Concept Design: The Midtown Blocks, which was a collaboration between the Portland Development Commission and the Portland Office of Transportation that focussed on streetscape improvements. In about 2000, the Park Blocks Foundation, a private non-profit group, began promoting a vision of linking the North and South Park Blocks by acquiring and demolishing the developed blocks between Taylor and Washington Streets. In the fall of 2000, the Mayor asked the Planning Director to convene an inter-bureau team to analyze urban design concepts and development opportunities for the Midtown Blocks. This resulted in the creation of an Advisory Council of Experts (ACE), which included nationally recognized professionals in design, development, and historic preservation. In its report (Midtown Blocks Planning Study: Report of the Advisory Council of Experts - May 2001) the ACE recommended an alternative development strategy that would preserve the historic buildings in the Midtown Blocks. Between 2002 and 2003, City agencies explored how to implement the design and development strategy for the Midtown Blocks. This work included a development opportunity strategy prepared by a team of consultants. Most recently, the Bureau of Planning produced Park Avenue – Urban Design Vision (2004). This latest vision synthesizes the recent line of design and development thinking into a single, coordinated and phased strategy for creation of renewed vitality for the Midtown Blocks. Historic Assessment The Midtown Blocks Historic Assessment was prepared as background for development of the Park Avenue – Urban Design Vision. It also responds to recommendations found in the Midtown Blocks Planning Study: Report of the Advisory Council of Experts, which advises the City to “determine, in a focused manner, what specific historic buildings are important for Portland to safeguard today.” It also builds on the Historic Overview of the Midtown Blocks (January 2001) prepared by SERA Architects, PC, for the Portland Development Commission. The study area for the Midtown Blocks Historic Assessment includes twenty-six blocks defined by the half-block Park Blocks between SW Salmon to the south and W Burnside to the north, as well as those blocks immediately adjacent west and east, from SW 10th to SW Broadway, respectively. The historic research for the project covers each property in this study area. Donald R. Nelson, research consultant, was hired by the City to provide historic information on the 74 individual properties. Historic assessments have been included for the 20 properties that are located on Midtown Blocks 1, 2, 3, and 4, as well as Block 86 (bound by Oak, 9th, Stark, and Park) and Block 219 (bound by 10th, Yamhill, 9th, and Taylor). The assessment evaluates the buildings’ historic and architectural significance as individual buildings, as well as their contribution to the larger fabric of Portland’s downtown. This historic assessment report focuses on these properties because they are critical to the character of the area and are located on or in close proximity to the Midtown Park Blocks. These buildings are also the center of the discussion regarding possible redevelopment strategy for the Midtown Park Blocks. See page 115 for a map of the study area. The buildings that have received an historic assessment are identified with a hatched boundary. Midtown Blocks Historic Assessment Page 1 Introduction Elements of the Historic Assessment 1. Historic Context Statement The statement is a written narrative that provides information on the historic trends, development patterns, social influences, and distribution of historic resources in the area. Several significant historic periods have marked the development of the Midtown Blocks. 1843-1852 The Midtown Blocks Formation The Midtown Blocks represent a significant portion of the original 1843 “Portland” land claim of William Overton. One year after Portland’s incorporation as a city in 1851, a park strip extending through the city from north to south was deeded to the City for public use. The City of Portland failed to secure the deeds fully, and the Midtown Blocks remained in private hands. 1853-1904 Victorian Era During this period, the City’s commercial district, which had started along the waterfront, gradually began to shift inland. Fires in 1872 and 1873 destroyed major sections along the waterfront, and spring flooding that occurred until the sea wall was constructed in 1929 created disincentives to locate new development near the river. On three separate occasions from 1871-1886 the City contemplated purchasing the Midtown Blocks. During this time the Midtown Blocks became the site of new residential and commercial uses that extended west away from the pioneer era downtown. Many of the city’s prominent leaders chose the park-like setting of the Midtown Blocks to locate their elaborate new residences. The Victorian Era ended with the Olmsted Brothers Report to the Portland Park Board of 1903 calling again for the City to acquire the Midtown Blocks for their intended use as public park space. 1905-1920 The Lewis and Clark Exposition & Portland’s Golden Age Portland experienced a rapid period of growth following the Lewis and Clark Exposition of 1905. Many retail and office structures were built in Portland’s westward-shifting downtown, now centered from 5th to SW Broadway and along the SW Morrison and Washington streetcar lines. Glazed terra cotta became a popular ornamental element on many buildings after the Exposition and continued to be popular throughout the 1920s. The buildings constructed on and near the Midtown Blocks during this time are examples of some of the city’s earliest skyscrapers designed by many of the city’s most notable architects. 1921-1939 Downtown Growth & the Automobile Portland experienced another prolific era of construction in the 1920s. By this time the Midtown Blocks were almost completely developed with commercial buildings, and the construction that occurred was mostly smaller infill buildings. The construction boom of the 1920s continued until the stock market crash of 1929. In the Great Depression years that followed, there was very little building activity in downtown. Although the streetcar system was in use through this time period, the city was also adjusting to the increasing popularity of the private automobile. As a result, new auto-oriented developments were increasingly evident downtown. Page 2 Midtown Blocks Historic Assessment Introduction 1940-1968 The Automobile & Downtown Redevelopment The growing impact of the automobile on Portland’s downtown included the demolition of many buildings in the Midtown Blocks area. Demolished sites were often used for surface parking lots or