Mt. Angel Abbey Library (Brian Libby)
BY BRIAN LIBBY
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. On this Architectural Heritage Center tour attendees will see the city’s first “skyscraper”, a bank that could have been a Greek temple and you’ll 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 meetup location to be announced. 10AM Tuesday, May 2. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
COTE Greenbag - Architecture 2030
This event is an introduction to the Architecture 2030 Commitment, a national initiative from the American Institute of Architects that provides a framework to help firms evaluate the impact of project design on energy performance. The Commitment builds on the 2030 Challenge, which calls for all new buildings, developments, and major renovations to become carbon-neutral by the year 2030. Three representatives from firms of different scales will present their lessons learned from several rounds of reporting 2030 data. For those who are considering signing the Commitment or are in their first cycles of reporting, this session will offer suggestions for jumping in the deep end: defining and calculating EUI and LPD, collecting project information, influencing design, and taking advantage of data from the national database. AIA Center For Architecture, 403 NW 11th Avenue. 12PM Tuesday, May 2. $35 ($25 for AIA members, $15 for Associate AIA members, $5 for students).
Lisa Heschong
The University of Oregon's College of Design welcomes Lisa Heschong, Vice President and Chief Building Scientist at TRC Energy Services in Sacremento and formerly the head of the Heschong-Mahone Group. Heschong is one of the nation's leading experts on the physiological effects of natural light, be it the increased average test scores seen in schoolchildren tested in naturally-lit spaces or the reduced breaks taken by office workers in offices with windows. University of Oregon, White Stag Block, 70 NW Couch Street. 5:30PM Tuesday, May 2. Free.
Architects in Schools 2017 Exhibits
Each year the Architecture Foundation of Oregon's six-week residency program for elementary schools, Architects in Schools, introduces thousands of kids to design, with local architects and other design professionals volunteering to partner with classroom teachers. The program has grown from annually serving 800 in 2003 to more than 4,500 students in the Portland metropolitan area, Central Oregon, Salem, Eugene, Medford and Ashland. The fruits of that labor, students' projects, will be displayed at five locations throughout the city, four of which are participating in this opening-night party. Opsis Architecture, 920 NW 17th Avenue; Pioneer Place: 700 SW Fifth Avenue; Ankrom Moisan, 38 NW Davis Street; and Dull Olsen Weekes Architects, 907 SW Stark Street, 5:30PM Thursday, May 4. Free.
Kings Hill Tour
Many of Portland’s most notable late 19th and early 20th century architects designed homes in this hilly National Register Historic District. The neighborhood of this Architectural Heritage Center tour is also known for its wonderful landscape architecture, serving as a gateway to Washington Park. Tour meetup location to be announced. 6PM Thursday, May 4. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
The Pearl District – Then and Now
The Pearl District was practically deserted 25 years ago. On this Positively Portland Walking Tour, attendees will see how the district has been transformed into a dynamic walker-friendly neighborhood with contemporary and adaptive high rise housing, fine dining and world class entertainment. The Pearl District in Portland has become a model of high quality urban living and a must-see destination for visitors to our world-class city. Tour begins at AIA Portland Center For Architecture, 403 NW 11th Avenue. 10AM Friday, May 5. $15.
Mark Lakeman: Placemaking Through Engagement
Portland State University School of Architecture and Center for Public Interest Design welcome Mark Lakeman as part of the CPID Talks lecture series. A national leader in the development of sustainable public places, Lakeman has directed, facilitated, or inspired designs for more than three hundred new community-generated public places in Portland alone. Lakeman is a Principal and Designer at Communitecture, a full service design firm that aims to create beautiful and sustainable places that bring people together in community. Through his leadership in Communitecture and its various affiliates such as the nonprifit City Repair Project, The Village Building Convergence, and the Planet Repair Institute, he has also been instrumental in the development of dozens of participatory organizations and urban permaculture design projects across the United States and Canada. Portland State University, Shattuck Hall, SW Broadway and Hall Streets. 11AM Friday, May 5. Free.
Old Town Historic District Walking Tour
The commercial district near the historic Skidmore Fountain and the oldest standing buildings in downtown comprise this tour of Portland’s only National Historic District. Attendees 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, and along the way learning about some beautiful but long-lost buildings while also seeing great examples of historic preservation. Tour meetup location to be announced. 10AM Saturday, May 6. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of the American Ranch Style
From the 1950s through the 1970s, the ranch style became almost ubiquitous as new housing developments sprung up throughout the American West. In this Architectural Heritage Center lecture, Jim Varner will explore the ranch from its beginnings as an indigenous housing style, through the World War II era and beyond, when it became so popular that nearly 75 percent of new houses constructed in the 1950s were built in the ranch style. Along the way, Jim will discuss the achievements of architects and builders, such as Cliff May, Joseph Eichler, and Oregon’s own Robert Rummer, as well as major influences on the style. Architectural Heritage Center, 701 SE Grand Avenue. 10AM Saturday, May 6. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
Historic Buckman Neighborhood Walking Tour
The Buckman neighborhood is the residential center of historic East Portland, an area that developed in the 1870s and 1880s due to its close proximity to the waterfront and railroad yards. Buckman retained its prominence on the East Side into the early years of the 20th century, but experienced a decline in population and elegance by the mid 20th century. After years of stagnation and incompatible infill, as attendees on this Positively Portland Walking Tour will see, this quintessential Portland neighborhood is experiencing a rebirth of residential appeal and commercial growth. Tour meets at Floyd's Coffee Shop, 1412 SE Morrison Street. 1PM Saturday, May 6. $15.
Alvar Aalto: Technology & Nature
One of the great architects of the 20th century, Finnish architect Alvar Aalto helped humanize and soften modernist architecture by introducing extensive use of natural materials such as wood while also designing the furniture and interiors of his buildings. Technology & Nature analyzes Aalto’s unique resolution of the demands and possibilities created by new technology and construction materials with the need to make his buildings sympathetic both to their users and to their natural surroundings. His inventive use of timber in particular represents both a reference to the forest landscape of Finland and a building material that is ‘warm’ and extremely adaptable. Filmed in Finland, Italy, Germany and the USA, this 1987 documentary shows how the Finnish natural environment and art traditions were essential elements in Aalto’s pioneering harmonization of technology and nature. Nordia House, 8800 SW Oleson Road. 7:30PM Monday, May 8. $5 suggested.
Ladd's Addition Tour
Enjoy a stroll through this leafy enclave of early 20th century homes, churches, and businesses, not to mention yours truly for the past 18 years. This National Register Historic District is Oregon’s oldest planned community and in 2009 the American Planning Association honored it as one of America’s Great Places. Easily identifiable on any map, the neighborhood, once comprising the property owned by former Portland mayor William Ladd, eschews a traditional street grid for a series of circles dotted with rose gardens. As attendees on this Architectural Heritage Center will see, Ladd's Addition also boasts one of the largest tree canopies in the city, making it ideal for a spring or summer walk. Tour meetup location to be announced. 10AM Tuesday, May 9. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
Modernism And Beyond Tour: The Architecture Of Downtown (North)
Downtown Portland contains an abundance of post-World War II architecture by some of the leading architects and firms of their time. This Architectural Heritage Center walking tour explores the northern portion of the central business district, with five buildings by Belluschi including his most famous of all, the Equitable (now called the Commonwealth) building from 1946, the nation's first office tower with an aluminum and glass curtain wall. Other stops include the work of noted architects and firms like Richard Sundeleaf; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; and ZGF Architects. The tour will also focus on three modern public plazas and try to figure out reasons for success or failure of those designs. Tour meetup location to be announced. 6PM Thursday, May 11. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
Old Town/Chinatown Walking Tour
On this Positively Portland walking tour, attendees can discover the history and architecture of Portland's first commercial district, where over 100 years ago ocean-going ships delivered their passengers and goods in this thriving port city . The tour will also feature Old Town's "Blazing Center" which hasn't changed much since the days it was originally filled with brothels, bars and gambling houses, and survivors of the cast-iron era of architecture, as well as a look at Portland's Chinatown as well as restored landmarks like the US Custom House and the Society Hotel. Like many neighborhoods in Portland, this district is changing with the times and those changes involve the re-purposing of many underutilized buildings. Tour begins at AIA Portland Center For Architecture, 403 NW 11th Avenue. 1PM Friday, March 24. $15.
Mt. Tabor Walking Tour
This Architectural Heritage Center tour rambles through a stunning neighborhood on the west side of Mt. Tabor Park. From the former Baseline Road, now Stark Street, attendees will meander past numerous fine residences, as well as a school, church, and hospital. This area retains much of the freshness and beautiful views today that made it a popular place to build beginning in the 1880s and continuing well into the 20th century. Tour meetup location to be announced. 10AM Saturday, May 13. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
The Basics of Wood Window Repair
Contrary to the mass marketing that fills our mailboxes, original windows can be refreshed and repaired to meet today’s energy savings goals. At the same time, preserving original windows also preserves historic character and re-uses material that is inherently sustainable. This workshop covers the basics of identifying problems and repairing the wood windows in our older homes. The Architectural Heritage Center welcomes Patty Spencer, owner of Fresh Air Sash Cord Repair, who will share her years of experience in preserving and restoring the function of original, double-hung, wood windows found in homes built in the 1940s and earlier. Architectural Heritage Center, 701 SE Grand Avenue. 10AM Saturday, May 13. $12 ($8 for AHC members).
Willamette Heights Walking Tour
Willamette Heights is a classic Portland early 20th century “streetcar neighborhood” situated in the far northwest corner of the city. This prestigious, out-of-the way residential enclave owes its growth to clever real estate developers who exploited the proximity of the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition located just below. On this Positively Portland walking tour, attendees will see some fine Arts and Crafts homes, designed by the city's leading architects. Tour begins at Dragonfly Coffee House, 2387 NW Thurman Street. 1PM Saturday, May 13. $15.
Advertisements
Comments