Leftbank has the right idea

After the annual Time-Based Art Festival concluded in September, I didn’t expect a return visit to the decaying old cluster of buildings by the Rose Garden where TBA located its temporary Works bar and performance space. But as it happens, there’s a lot more to Leftbank than just TBA. It’s about to become the next big renovation of an old Portland warehouse into a Mecca for the creative class.

Leftbank consists of three buildings that sit on a kind of automobile island with the Rose Garden to the south, Vancouver Avenue and an I-5 offramp to the east, Broadway and the Portland Public Schools parcel to the north, and the river (and Broadway Bridge) west. This is actually the most frequently seen architecture in Portland because of the amount of cars that pass Leftbank regularly. Yet it’s for the last several years or even decades been the kind of boarded-up architecture one goes right past and doesn’t even notice.

Leftbank’s most notable architecture is clearly the Hazelwood building, which was built in 1923 and designed by legendary Portland architect A.E. Doyle. The Hazlewood is notable outside for its arched windows, and has a very colorful past. Doyle, along with Pietro Belluschi, is Portland's most accomplished and important architect. Particularly as Riverdale School goes forward with its ludicrous, ill-advised, backward-thinking, hopelessly bad idea to demolish its prize Doyle-designed school, it's very refreshing to see a developer take a Doyle building with less pedigree and in worse physical shape and make it sing for generations to come. The people behind Leftbank could "school" Riverdale's board on civic history and preservation.

Doyle's Hazelwood building first housed a fashionable restaurant of the same name with a bakery, creamery and confectionary above. The City Club of Portland used to hold some of its earliest meeting there. A decade later, it transformed into a beer parlor and was later occupied by a variety of tenants: the Home Owners Improvement Co., Century Metalcraft Corporation, and St. John’s Welder Supplies. But it’s in 1945 that the real fun came via its new occupant: the Dude Ranch, which would become Portland’s premier jazz club. In his book Jumptown: The Golden Years of Portland Jazz 1942-57, Robert Dietsche writes,

“There never was and there never will be anything quite like the Dude Ranch. It was the Cotton Club, the Apollo Theater, Las Vegas, and the Wild West rolled into one. It was the shooting star in the history of Portland jazz, a meteor bursting with an array of the best Black and Tan entertainment this town has ever seen.”

After the Dude Ranch closed a few years after its opening, Mutual Wholesale Drug Co. bought the two existing buildings and added a third structure in the L-shaped leftover space made by the other two buildings, and opened connections between them. It’s been a few more companies’ home since then, but has largely sat empty.

I visited Leftbank a few days ago with Andy Powell, who is not the building owner but acting as a kind of hybrid developer-designer in collaboration with the owner, Daniel Deutsch. DiLoreto Architecture is the architect of record in a renovation that will see a variety of tenants representing new, cool Portland: a microbrewery, a bicycle frame-building school, and so on. The developers have been strategic and deliberate about finding not just any tenants, but ones that will comprise a vibrant community in the building.

If all goes according to plan, Leftbank will upon completion have the same rich but rough-around-the-edges feel of warehouse renovations into creative flex space like Beam Development's Eastbank Commerce Center and Beam's Olympic Mills Commerce Center with Works Partnership. Powell stresses that this project is "mission-driven" rather than "commerce-driven," however.

Indeed, Leftbank is an intriguing rabbit warren of spaces given how three buildings have been connected. In one building, for example, you see what was once an outdoor advertisement for a motor oil company before more space was added on. There are stair treads re-milled from old Douglas fir in the floors and beams. There is exposed brick everywhere and, even better, a palette of unique clay blocks that give the interior an unexpected texture. There are also dramatic wide-open spaces at Leftbank, free of columns and revealing huge unfettered floor plans.

I’m very interested in Leftbank’s location as well, not only the challenges it faces today but the promise this site holds for the future. As we all know, the Rose Quarter needs to better integrate into the urban fabric; it’s even more of an island than Leftbank. But having people working and hanging out here will help, as will the eventual redevelopment of the Portland Public Schools land across Broadway. Moreover, the ugly concrete Rose Garden parking garage could eventually be torn down and, along with the Coliseum’s surface parking, be turned into a new high density residential or office building. There is also the dilapidated old hotel across from Leftbank and the Rose Garden that has previously housed its employees and now, I believe, is used by Central City Concern to house the less fortunate.

All told, this is a huge amount of untapped potential. Given the proximity here to downtown, to the river, to both Northeast and Southeast as well, to two freeways and a MAX line nearby, the area surrounding Leftbank ought to eventually become a much more vibrant, pedestrian oriented area that’s thriving not only with basketball games and monster truck pulls, but a distinct place where people live, work and play. Right now Leftbank’s location is somewhat of a hindrance, but in the future it will be a gold mine.

I took the photos you see above during my recent visit, but here are some historic shots of the building, provided by Andy Powell and Leftbank...

Comments

[Mike Francis]

This is a very cool project. I look forward to sitting in the brewery someday, toasting Doyle and DiLoreto.

[C. LoNigro]

The Leftbank now creates a warm welcome as one crosses the Broadway Bridge, and gives life to this transitional urban area.

One mistake in the article however, Diloreto Architecture has great experience in restoration projects of this caliber as they were architect on the Eastbank Commerce Center.

[John Russell]

I'm really loving that old aerial shot at the bottom. At the very least it's interesting to note how the streetscape has evolved around the Leftbank—such as the old intersection with Flint, the two-way traffic on B-way, and the lack of stop lights. Unfortunately, you can also see some of what was demolished to make way for I-5 up top. It will be interesting too to see what happens with the vast swaths of nearby pavement in the near future.

[t]

I like the comment that this project is "mission driven" and not "commerce driven". That's a quaint idea. Do they have any tenants? Having an empty building is an interesting "mission".

Its a very tough location to access with a million cars buzzing by it on all side at all hours. I have a hard time seeing it ever become "pedestrian friendly". Nice idea and a nice building, but one that is going to very tough to keep full.

[tao]

The City and PDC are putting PDX Lounge there, to help promote our leading sustainable design and development sector, and to offer space for them to collaborate for higher visibility, marketing and showcase events, and B2B networking. A modest investment that should support these companies, many of whom are positioned to have some resilience even in this economic climate due to growing demand for better design/development.

[nesw]

My understanding is no retail brewery at this location - just a coffee bar. Love the creative use of the space and reused materials - but they seem to be lacking some essencial "green" elements - like daylighting the downstairs office areas and new windows with some level insulating value. Do not think I would want to commute here daily by bike (or anyother way for that matter). However very happy to see the buidling come alive again.

[andy powell]

It's really exciting to see all of the interest and opinions about the Leftbank. Many thanks Brian (and all), for your involvement... it’s exciting after many months of labors to open up a dialogue about the place! A few thoughts about some of the posted comments and perceptions...

Yes, the project is striving to gather the mission-driven, not the commercially-driven. This is a distinction that is as much cultural as it is economic, and the comment suggesting it ‘quaint’ gave me a bit of a chuckle. Simply, the idea is to bring together people with passion for what they do. It’s certainly reflected in the framebuilding school we're talking with, but even more so in coming tenants like PDX Lounge and Portland Farmer's Market. They are at the heart of the 'vibrant community' we are working to cultivate -- and this not for the sake of selling space, but rather, for the sake of making everyone involved better, more inspired, more empowered. Think 'building as advocate,' less so the traditional 'building as money-maker'. Of course, the need for the project to be economically sustainable is a given, but that is just one part of the triple bottom line (economic, environmental & social) we are seeking to satisfy.

In regards to the ‘essential green’, we’ve made an informal accounting of our ‘green’ credentials, which is available here: http://leftbankproject.com/2008/08/but-is-it-green/

The comment raises a significant question, which we’ve grappled with every step of the way. How do you balance the desire for highest-efficiency and best environmental practice with the need for affordable spaces? In this initial phase of restoration and redevelopment, to do everything that could have potentially been done to those ends would have ultimately made the place unaffordable for the very people it seeks to embrace.. Understanding that, we’ve focused first on restoring the true integrity of the buildings and reusing everything we possibly could. When introducing new systems into the building, we’ve invested in the best and most efficient technologies available, as in the case of our Daiken super high efficiency HVAC system, or the broad use of LED lighting. And as for daylighting, we have taken every opportunity available to increase it in a building that already has a considerable amount (perhaps Brian can attest?). Couple that with operable windows in virtually every space, and you have a very livable building that still remains accessible to lots of us who can’t (or don’t want to) pay for the pearl.

As for the brewery, it’s been clear from the beginning that in order for an honest-to-god collaborative community to develop and thrive here we would need a few things, and great coffee, good food and yes, drinks (!), were among them. The craft brewery is an upstart called Upright Brewing Company, and while not a brewpub itself, its brews will be available in the cafe at Leftbank that's currently under development. In this cafe, regional, seasonal, and organic foods will fill the menu, and 3rd wave coffee + teas and more will fill the cup... and of course, Upright beer and likely a full bar to back it up.

And one last note, about accessibility – I’ve biked regularly to and from the area for the last 18 months, and can tell you that once you know how the traffic works, it’s not much of an issue. It is, like many spots on the bike map, a place where you’ve got to keep your eyes open and your riding practice on its best behavior. That said, the coming streetcar line is going to change the area rather dramatically, with widened sidewalks, improved bike lanes and quite possibly, additional crosswalks and signaling – all of which will make for a very different place!

[Ray Whitford]

I sure hope that your work opens up the Rose Quarter area (within 1/4 mile of 99W and the Broadway Bridge) to others! Your early adoption and vision will always be remembered.

Hopefully the Blanchard site (PPS Maintenance building) will be used for a AAA Baseball Stadium and the PPS can use a Gateway/CEID location). Getting 41 more days of fans coming to baseball games will also help with traffic.

Place the SMART Tower nearby; think about moving I-5 East and underground; work toward opening up the waterfront for the public; move Union Station to new underground platforms under 99W and the Memorial Coliseum (Memorial Station at the Trails End Transit Station); and add more parking (MLB needs down the road) and/or apartments above the current parking structures. (Remember that all of this is a forty year project, and we still have no master plan for this critical piece of land in PDX.)

The Rose Quarter and Old Town/Chinatown needs to be our Entertainment Zone. You are doing a great job with your investments in creating a livable and friendly zone that could truly become the center of Portlands Welcome Mat and First Impression.

Ray

[val]

Bravo! This project is just the sort of thing Portland needs to see more of. The adaptive reuse of a historic building is the very essence of "sustainable development."

[Heidi Bertman]

Leftbank is an example of restrained decorum on the development scene in Portland. There is an intelligent balance of materials and building reuse, as well as more technically based sustainable strategies. Thank you for posting about this project.

It's refreshing to have the original building there where you can touch it, particularly when so many developments either cover up or demolish the history of our existing building stock. The focus of the development as mission-based instead of lease-it-now-based (isn't that what we really mean by "commerce-based?") is going to bear itself out as the economy refines. Looking at the recent "hub" development with Lincoln, etc., it seems to make a lot of sense to Portlanders to support the fabric of our city this way.

The neighborhood will be very interesting to watch as the PDC plans and support manifest in the next few years. There will be an increased sense of pedestrian accessibility and literal ties over the bridge.

[Valentij]

I got to go to Leftbank for Beyonda's New Years Eve Ball and it is amazing. Doyle lives!

There is a certain aesthetic of 80 year old brick and timber that you just can't fake. If anyone wants to turn an old eastside warehouse into large flats, count me in!

[brad cooloey]

Finally got a chance to visit this project and was thoroughly impressed. The expression of materials and communal spaces makes for a very invigorating space.

Also the brewery in the bottom didn't hurt the experience any.