Grand opening and first impressions at UO's White Stag block

Today begins a four-day grand opening celebration for the University of Oregon's new home at the renovated White Stag block, in Old Town at Naito Parkway and Couch Street beside the Burnside Bridge.

I got a jump on the proceedings by visiting yesterday. Overall I like this project a lot. It was designed by Fletcher Farr Ayotte of Portland along with the university. And I think it will be a tremendous step forward for the University of Oregon in Portland and for the school of architecture.

It's also exciting to think of how this will invigorate the Old Town area, particularly its relationship with the waterfront. Having the school there will also transform not just the buildings, but the feel of being in this place. The Oregon College of Oriental Medicine is also set to move in nearby in a year or two, so this stretch of Old Town will soon be crawling with students. And that should mean a new generation of retail, restaurants and other amenities moving in too.

I really loved the public spaces created by the White Stag. As one enters, there is a dramatic stairway that defines the ground floor space. Even better is a skylight there that actually exists in the space between the White Stag and its adjacent buildings. So when you look up, the skylight seems like a small winter garden as it canopies between the old brick facades. Standing here, bathed in natural light with a blend of new and old architecture so visible is a joy.

Crossing Naito, I also really enjoyed seeing the building from Waterfront Park. This building isn't big enough to occupy a big presence on the skyline, but because it fronts the park and the water, it's part of the skyline's front row. That these late 19th and early 20th Century buildings are being well preserved by people like developer Art DeMuro (whose Venerable Properties developed this project) and developer Jim Winkler is a major credit to Portland. Buildings like this also make a wonderful contrast with newer contemporary architecture, at least when the latter doesn't try to kowtow by deliberately looking old.

Oh, and this project has just been awarded LEED 'Gold' certification from the US Green Building Council. Never easy for historic preservation to pull off.

Other aspects of the project, though, seem less successful - at least to me. For example, although the White Stag building looks out at Naito Parkway, Waterfront Park and the Japanese American Historic Plaza memorial, with retail frontage of the ground floor Duck Shop, you can't enter the building that way. All the doors are locked. Virtually the same goes for the connecting door with First Avenue and the MAX stop right outside. When I walked out that door, it would let me out but was locked as I tried to re-enter.

Instead, the only way to enter the building is through a side entrance on Couch Street. They've put a little modern canopy over the door and hung a long, tall sign outside as well. But I'm sorry: it just seems totally absurd to lock all the doors except for on Couch. I understand that the university is concerned about security, and that having everyone enter through one door allows them to keep a measure of control. Even so, the feeling I get from that entrance is not just that it feels architecturally incorrect, but that the university is at least implicitly saying, "We've made this move down to Old Town, where there are a lot more vagrants and dirty people walking around, so we're going to hedge our bets by putting the clamp-down on our security, just in case."

If any of those undesirables do make it past security, though, they can recline in the lobby on a quartet of Eames lounge chairs. These babies retail for $3,600 to $4,500 apiece on the Design Within Reach website. Was the budget for White Stag sizable enough to spend over $15,000 on four chairs, or was there a donation made? (And if it's the latter, where do I get mine?)

Moving through the rest of the building into its upper floors, I was also surprised at the lack of transparency. Most of these spaces, as I understand it, are classrooms and offices. I can't speak to all the functional needs here, and of course this is a historic building with a different feel from open-spaced newer buildings. Even so, I'd have liked to see much more done to bring natural light, both its illumination and its visual connection to the outside, brought further into the space. 

The one exception is the top two floors, where the architecture department holds court. Standing up here, where you can see the view outside even from the elevators in the middle of the building, was what I imagined I'd experience in much more of the upper portion of the building. However, a friend formerly at UO expressed to me some concern that there's not enough pin-up space or studio privacy in this area. Indeed, there's a difference between the kind of visual evaluation/reaction I give and one based on actually using the space.

My feelings about the architecture may have been somewhat mixed, but I hope it all is taken within the context of being very glad to see this project come to fruition. I'm sure Oregon State would have done a much lesser job.

Oh, and over the next four days, UO will hold several lectures and panel discussions as part of the grand opening. Today brings a lecture called "Urban Planning and Sustainability" with visiting professor Alexander Schmidt. Tommorow (Thursday) brings a lecture called "Placemaking: Lessons From Portland" at noon and a panel discussion at 4PM on media coverage of the presidential race (I particularly love Tina Fey's contributions).  Friday at noon brings a lecture on multimedia history from Dana Plautz, and at 4PM a lecture from German urban planner Thomas Sieverts as part of the "Suddenly" art and literary series. There'll also be a free classical concert that evening at 8. Saturday brings a series of art and architecture exhibitions....and a very tough game for the football team with USC.

Comments

[billb]

I love the building restoration ,
bravo to all. However I share with Brian deep concern over the entry issues. I literally wenr around the whole block looking for a sign of U of O's entry! A university
like a church should open it's arms to it's community. The entry
should herald 'Welcome'.

[robert]

I think the most powerful move in the entire project is the alignment of the two skylit first floor spaces with the main entry. If the entry were not on Couch you would lose the best aspect of the design.

Also, if you stand on Naito or at the area adjacent to the Max stop for about 2 minutes, you will realize why these are poor choices for the entries. Naito is too busy and the sidewalk too narrow. The Max stop area is dangerous and smelly.

[chris]

I was at the White Stag building a couple of weeks ago for a private event and I had the same issue of not easily finding the entrance.

Maybe when it is more active the entrance will be obvious but it does seem like an uninviting welcome.

@robert: smelly? The Max is electric. As for danger, well, as dangerous as walking down any street with max on it. TriMet would have to determine safety issues. Naito, last time I looked, had over 20 feet of sidewalk at Couch and the street traffic was very uncongested.

[lynn james]

How about a complimentarily review of the newly renovated psu architecture building.

[robert]

Chris: I was not commenting on the smell of the MAX train itself. Go to the stop adjacent to the U of O building and take a good whiff. It smells worse than a urinal. It is a homeless camping spot when the Market is not going on.

[Robert]

Chris: Again, the safety issues are not related to the train itself.

This kind of makes my point for me; You have been to the building, yet you do not seem aware of the stink and danger of that MAX stop. That is probably because the entrance is not right next to the scariest MAX stop in the city.

[Brian Libby]

Lynn, I've been planning to visit PSU's renovated Shattuck Hall and write a post, but am glad you reminded me.

[ben]

the comment that the max stop is dangerous is an ignorant one. any proof that it's more "dangerous" than any other max stops? perception does not equal reality when it comes to our homeless population. smelly, maybe.

[Robert]

I regret that this is dominating the thread, even though I have been posting about it to explain why I think Couch is the better location for the school's entry.

I will say that the MAX stop is very dark, smelly, it's under a bridge, there are a lot of homeless people camped out there, there are no "eyes on the street"; commercial or residential spaces looking over it, not easy to orient yourself from, not many clear paths out. That doesn't seem like an ignorant perception of dangerous, many of those factors lead to dangerous spaces.

I could go on, but it is to say, dangerous or not, it's not the best place for a school entrance, which would serve a lot of people new to the area, studying late, etc.

The location of the entrance is more likely served by the next stop, which is more visible from the surroundings, more open, better lit, etc.

[brett]

So, any suggestions about what could be done, by the UO or the city, to improve that Max stop area so that side could be used for entry? Does anyone know if the UO's entry plans will change as the building and the area are revitalized?

[ben]

check out pdc's website for the work that is planned in the area under the bridge. retail, art, lighting. we'll see if it works. too bad it didn't happen in conjunction with the u of o design as true collaboration.

[alex]

i am an architecture student at the new building. so far i love it. we have beautiful studios, classrooms, and well appointed output rooms and computerized model shop.

indeed, the entry does seems stiff and inconvenient. it is a far cry from the accessibility (openness) of the eugene buildings. students and staff have mag card access to more entries. due to the neighborhood, i believe that the security measures are appropriate. the building currently has a low occupancy and that could be very dangerous for student safety. in addition to all the departments technology, students have computers and other expensive tools, it can be a devastating loss in more than one way... there are bikes there too... all and all, it is a bad idea to have people just wandering about.

[chris]

@robert: Sorry, I don't think your point was made. I circled the building and didn't have the issues you had.

It is unfortunate that there is a perception, real or otherwise, that the Old Town district is a place where people urinate as they please and danger abounds in the shadows.

I can understand the security measures UofO took to gate actual students into the school. Ironically, as I was looking for the UofO entrance, I wandered into other non-UofO spaces at the White Stag block that were free of any security guards.

Perhaps as UofO gears up the location and Mercy Corps eventually moves into their space, the neighborhood will shed these issues. I know the Naito family is betting on it.

[eenie]

One of the reasons that the university's entrance is on Couch is that the entrance on First leads to the elevator lobby for the block's other tenants--I believe the developers wanted to allow some degree of separation between the university's and the commercial tenants' spaces.

I don't think "student safety" was actually a big issue. Anyone bringing a bicycle in or out of the building is supposed to use the service entrance under the Burnside Bridge. I agree that in terms of crime and the homeless population, perception does not equal reality, but exiting the building under the bridge late at night doesn't feel particularly secure (even if it's actually perfectly safe).

The studio spaces are beautiful, but somewhat impractical. Lack of pin-up space is a major problem. And speaking of perception vs. reality... notice there are Eames lounge chairs in the lobby, but not a single piece of upholstered furniture on the 4th and 5th floor!

Carping aside, this is certainly a huge step up from the university's former home in Portland, and it's great to see these buildings brought back to life.

[lisa]

i disagree that there is a safety issue and agree that more entrances should be open to the public. i went to school in boston and nyc. most schools in both those cities leave their buildings open despite much higher crime rates than portland.

[Robert]

I hope I didn't come across as someone who is afraid of homeless people or Old Town in general. That would be far from the truth.

I cited several factors that COMBINED make the Max stop under the bridge feel unsafe. I wasn't trying to paint a picture of all of Old Town. I enjoy Old Town and have spent a lot of time down there, even right near that Max stop.

[kitty]

The building's problems are obvious: the school has shut itself off from the neighborhood, as can be expected of an institution at odds with it's surrounds.
Similarly, the interior of the building hides in self conscious preservationism. Very tedious inside and out.

[Mike Thelin]

I had toured the building during construction with Art DeMuro for a story I wrote for Willy Week, but didn't see the finished product until today. It's fantastic, and it's really going to energize the area. I don't see how the building has shut itself off from the neighborhood, as Kitty suggests. Academic uses rarely have a storefront or street-level presence. I'm told there will be a coffee shop directly across the street in the space formerly home to Voodoo Lounge. This type of peripheral retail is what's going to add energy and activity. The school will eventually house 700 students, Mercy Corp will add a few hundred 9-to-5ers, and plans for the adjacent Block 8 by Brad Malsin and the Naito Family will really get things going.

Art DeMuro did a really nice job on this building. I look forward to more rehabbed buildings in the neighborhood, but I also hope to see some modern gems as well. For Old Town to be successful, there really needs to be a mix.