Stuart Emmons' Crusadefor Fire Station One

In addition to being among the handful of most talented architect/planners in the city as head principal of Emmons Architects, Stuart Emmons has always been a crusader. He's written op-ed pieces in The Oregonian, he is a co-founder of the Design Exchange, and he is passionate about advancing the overall caliber of design in Portland.

Recently Stuart wrote a letter to Mayor Potter, Commissioners Sten, Adams, Leonard, and Saltzman as well as Bruce Warner at the Portland Development Commission and some other elected officials calling for the Fire Station One project to be continued.

What's fascinating about Stuart's advocacy here is that his firm actually lost the design competition for Fire Station One to Thomas Hacker Architects. But he believes moving the station from its current location, which is now under threat due to budget problems, is a crucial catalyst for the downtown waterfront. And Stuart should know - he designed the master plan for the area.

Here is a copy of Stuart Emmons' letter:

It is now or never for Fire One.

After three years of hard work and expense, the City might give up and just remodel the existing station. If Fire One stays where it is, it will be a significant setback — not only for our Waterfront/Old Town district, but also for downtown Portland. And downtown should be a top priority: if the heart of a city is not healthy and prospering, the rest of the city will wither. Which leads us to another observation:

It is now or the distant future (read: maybe never) for downtown waterfront housing.

We’re experiencing our hottest housing market ever. New tower cranes are popping up everywhere. Districts outside of downtown are booming. And absolutely nothing is happening in the downtown waterfront, where Portland’s best urban housing should be. Housing on the river will reconnect the city to the waterfront, make streets safer, and ease traffic congestion. It also will make downtown a more desirable location for business, retail and culture. We’ve given the waterfront ample time to develop, yet it remains a rummage of parking lots and underused buildings. Nothing will happen if development is left to the private sector. There are too many hurdles. This is exactly why we have the Portland Development Commission: to catalyze projects and make key areas more appealing to private investment.

The existing Fire One site is the best chance for a catalyst project in the district. It needs to become housing in three years, to spur housing for the rest of the waterfront. It needs restaurants and markets on the ground floor to reawaken Ankeny Plaza and set the stage for the Portland Public Market. If the site remains a fire station, with no housing and blank walls facing Ankeny Plaza, it’s likely that there will be no housing on the waterfront for another generation. Our downtown and our local economy can’t wait that long.

Since last fall, hurricanes, oil price spikes and construction in China have increased construction costs 12 to 18%. Given this reality, all government projects should be reassessed, but key catalyst projects must still move forward. Fire One is clearly one of these. There are tremendous long-term economic benefits for our city if the waterfront becomes a housing neighborhood. Tax gains for a new housing district range from $4.5 to $5.5 per year alone, with 38% of that going directly to education. And imagine the revenue from the inevitable increase in business and retail activity.

Something must be done. Small things are always tied to much bigger things. This is not a matter of a new station vs. a remodel. The vitality of our downtown is at issue here, and therefore the vitality of Portland.

I agree with Stuart. One can't blame PDC for considering killing the Fire One project because they've had trouble with the architect and contractor for that project in doing it for the amount specified. But it would be very short-sighted and ultimately much more costly to let the result of this design competition die on the vine.

Some of you might be suspicious of Stuart's letter. Is he hoping the city will drop Hacker's winning proposal and choose the Emmons/Hennebery Eddy proposal after all? I don't think so. I think most all of us in the architecture community want Hacker's project to happen. Like the tram, Fire One is suffering from skyrocketing prices for construction materials and the inexperience that comes with not having managed a design competition (including its getting built) for so long.

Fire One and the tram are important projects in and of themselves, but there is an even greater significance here - the future of design competitions in Portland and the high-density, burgeoning urban neighborhoods these projects act as catalysts for.

Comments

[Dennis L.]

Emmons is one of the most dedicated architects to this city and I am thankful to have him here fighting for these projects. I agree with Emmons, if we wish to see our downtown to grow something needs to happen at Ankeny. If the city doesn't step up to the plate and do something soon, downtown could end up being the forgotten part of town as all the business, retail, and residential migrate to the other districts. The waterfront should be lined with condos and apartments and other activities.

With the costs rising for the tram, I have yet to see anyone give up on its construction because it is a needed move forward for this city. If that is the case, why would the city wish to hinder its growth with this project? Over the next 10-20 years we are expecting over a million new people to move to Portland. If smart decisions are not made now, how would Portland continue to handle such a growth?

[the crow]

i agree with Stuart Emmons position, and i think it is important to discuss these issues, because they are about big ideas. competitions in the future as a means to solicit greater ideas of architecture with civic importance. as well the idea of housing on the river and at the edge of downtown is an opportunity missed for all too long. it is about time that the city helps the private sector and continue to support the public sector in developing the catlysts that create the foundation for future development and cultural environments. rising costs of construction are widespread and the architects and ideas are not to be blamed. instead of "politicking", the leaders should maintain a vision.

[Steve]

I am not arguing with Mr Emmons skill as an architect and the building looks nice. The issue with this and the tram and other public projects is the money.

We are closing schools and don't have money to open up jails, yet we are turning downtown into the modern equivalent of Versailles, a pretty place built by ippressive taxes on farmers.

[torridjoe]

PDC came up with the idea and sold Fire hard on it; I think they have a moral obligation to follow through. Fire bought it because it WAS a good deal all around. Damn the tram comparisons; this is creating a state of the art public safety building that clears the way for riverfront redevelopment. Bread and butter UR, IMO.

Besides, it was a cool plan.