Standard Insurance Center and Portland Building (Brian Libby)
BY BRIAN LIBBY
Resilience: Preparing for natural disasters with confidence
Allison Pyrch, a geotechnical engineer with the group Salus Resilience, will be speaking about natural disasters relative to our region, assumptions, expectations, myths and how best to prepare. Join us for an evening of both education and professional networking as we strive towards creating a culture of resiliency. Have your disaster questions answered and learn about ways to survive, communicate and plan. Learn what next steps you can take as an individual, as a group or as an organization to have a resiliency strategy in place. AIA Portland, 403 NW 11th Avenue. 5:30PM Wednesday, August 3. $35 ($25 for AIA members, $15 for AIA associates, $5 for students).
Pioneers To Postmodern tour
Take a whirlwind tour of the entire range of Portland's architectural history. Visitors on this Architectural Heritage Center tour will learn about the first wooden structures near the river as well as the elaborate cast iron, stone and terra cotta decorated buildings of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. From there one will be transported into the modern age and the sleek designs of Pietro Belluschi and the postmodernism of Michael Graves. Tour begins at southwest corner of SW Pine Street and Naito Parkway. 6PM Thursday, August 3. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
Kerns neighborhood tour
With the Banfield freeway (Interstate 84) to the north, East Burnside to the south and Sandy Boulevard cutting right through its center, the Kerns neighborhood offers a unique slice of inner east-side Portland. This Architectural Heritage Center tour focuses on the variety of development that occurred between two historic street car lines. You’ll see the last standing trolley barn from Portland's first generation or street railways, a wide assortment of single and multi-family housing, plus some surprising and historic examples of industrial and educational buildings. Tour begins at the Laurelhurst Theater, 28th Avenue and East Burnside Street. 6PM Thursday, August 4. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
East Portland/Grand Avenue Historic District tour
Along Grand Avenue, once the main commercial spine in the original and separate city of East Portland, lies an amazing mix of architecture from Italianate to Art Deco. Among the many buildings, including a few hidden gems, this Architectural Heritage Center walking tour will revealthe well-known Barber Block, a one-time mortuary, and West’s Block, the oldest building on Grand Avenue and home of the AHC itself. Tour begins at Architectural Heritage Center, 701 SE Grand Avenue. 10AM Saturday, August 6. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
Classical Downtown Portland Tour
Downtown Portland contains an extensive collection of classically influenced buildings, many of which are clad with glazed terra cotta, a building material that was at its height of popularity in the early 20th century. Visitors on this Architectural Heritage Center tour will see the city’s first “skyscraper,” a bank that could have been a Greek temple and learn about several architects from this period who left an indelible impression on Portland including A.E. Doyle, the firm of Whidden and Lewis, and the Reid Brothers from San Francisco. Tour begins on SW Broadway at Pioneer Courthouse Square, above the fountain. 10AM Tuesday, August 9. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
Planning & Sustainability Commission hearing
The public is invited to this open meeting of the City of Portland's Planning and Sustainability Commission, which will begin with a work session on the Mixed Use Zones Project and conclude with a public hearing on the Central City 2035 Plan. The Portland Building, 1120 SW Fifth Avenue, Room C. 4PM Thursday, August 9. Free.
The state of Oregon's energy codes
Federal law requires that each state certify that their state energy code is at least equivalent to current federal model energy codes. Oregon took steps over a decade ago to improve energy codes as a means to help address state climate goals. Yet the expectation that Oregon would continue to upgrade its codes has not been met and progress to improve Oregon’s energy standards for new homes, apartments, and commercial buildings has faltered. Oregon has moved from a leader in code adoption during the 1970’s – 2000’s to falling behind federal standards. This presentation by Jim Edelson looks at how energy codes are determined in Oregon and outlines opportunities for creating a logical energy code pathway to decrease future energy costs and achieve important climate goals. AIA Portland, 403 NW 11th Avenue. 12PM Wednesday, August 10. $35 ($25 for AIA members, $15 for AIA associates, $5 for students).
Pearl District walking tour: Preservation In The Midst Of Change
Over the last 20 years, the Pearl District has been transformed from industrial enclave and rail yards into one of Portland’s most popular residential, cultural and retail districts, as this Architectural Heritage Center walking tour will demonstrate. A century ago, the area went through a similar transformation, from a working class housing area at the edge of a marsh to the city’s biggest industrial and warehousing area. Many of Portland’s best known architects of the period designed buildings for important local and national companies. Most of these buildings remain, with their exteriors intact, and new uses inside. But as the recent demolition of the Pacific Northwest College of Art's Feldman Building (a renovated old warehouse) reminds us, the current wave of development could threaten more historic buildings. Tour meets at southeast corner of NW 10th Avenue and Johnson Street. 6PM Wednesday, August 10. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
Hawthorne Boulevard tour
Originally known as U Street and later as Asylum Avenue, today Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard (named for a doctor Hawthorne who headed an asylum on the now namesake street) borders several of Portland’s most popular neighborhoods. This Architectural Heritage Center tour will explore both commercial and residential neighborhoods near Hawthorne in what was once a premier streetcar suburb on the city’s east side. Tour begins outside St. Stephens Catholic Church, 1122 SE 41st Avenue. 6PM Thursday, August 11. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
Old Town Historic District tour
The commercial district near the Skidmore Fountain and the oldest standing buildings in downtown comprise this tour of Portland’s only National Landmark Historic District. Visitors on this Architectural Heritage Center tour will see the work of Portland’s earliest architects, learning how cast iron played a central role in their designs and how the city developed so close to the river. Along the way, visitors will also learn about some beautiful but long-lost buildings while also seeing great examples of historic preservation. Tour begins at Waterfront Park's Japanese-American Historic Plaza, NW Naito Parkway and Couch Street. 10AM Saturday, August 13. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
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