Interior of US Bank (Brian Libby)
BY BRIAN LIBBY
Bank Lobbies in Downtown Portland - Old and New
Since the early pioneer days, bank buildings have had major role in defining the streetscape in downtown Portland. From modest to monumental, financial institutions continue to make an aesthetic statement and at the same time provide a visual sense of security for their customers. This Positively Portland walking tour will include several elegant bank interiors that span over 100 years of Portland architectural history. Tour begins at Starbucks, 1211 SW Fifth Avenue. 1PM Friday, March 1. $15.
OHSU Campus - Places and Spaces
Attendees on this Positively Portland walking tour can explore the site and learn the history of the Oregon Health & Science University, which is precariously built on top of a Marquam Hill—donated by a local railroad when the site proved too hilly for trains—with great views but very challenging access. The walk will combine some architectural highlights and a number viewpointss before catching the tram back to the starting point. Tour begins at the Portland Aerial Tram's lower South Waterfront station, 3303 SW Bond Avenue. 1PM Saturday, March 2. $15.
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 revealed with ticket purchase. 10AM Tuesday, March 5. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
Manufacturing Mass Timber
As part of the Critical Mass (Timber) series, an informal monthly gathering of professionals interested in building with mass timber framing, Allan Czinger of equipment manufacturer USNR will discuss what factors are important at the ground level when talking about growing a local supply chain. Questions to discuss include: How can mills be customized to provide fiber more efficiently to mass timber manufacturers? What are the capital equipment requirements and associated costs for different scales of manufacturing facility? What capacity does Oregon have in terms of tertiary processes (e.g. kiln drying or specialized CNC fabrication)? What other logistical concerns need to be considered (e.g. sourcing fiber, transportation)? What are the barriers to investment? Meier and Frank Building, 621 SW Fifth Avenue. 5PM Tuesday, March 5. Free.
Building Enough Housing: Lessons from the Bay Area and Vancouver, BC
One of the surest ways not to house a city’s full community affordably (or at all!) is to chronically under-build housing. Experts from Vancouver, the East Bay, and San Francisco will share their expertise and recommendations on how to allow housing production to keep pace with the needs of a growing population — and what the impacts can be when acute housing shortages occur. Speakers include Gil Kelley, who heads planning and urban design for the City of Vancouver, BC and is the former Portland Bureau of Planning director; Kim-Mai Cutler, a partner at Initialized Capital, an early-stage venture firm in San Francisco; and Brian Hanlon, who co-founded and leads California YIMBY, a statewide pro-housing advocacy organization. Ecotrust, 721 Northwest Ninth Avenue, #200. 5:30PM Thursday, March 7. Free.
Churches of the South Park Blocks and Beyond
The South Park Blocks and vicinity are also the home to several of the most notable late 19th and early 20th century churches in Portland. This Positively Portland walking tour will visit up to nine of these fine buildings with a chance to view several interiors. The tour will include some of the stained glass designs by the legendary Povey Brothers Glass company. Tour begins at Oregon Historical Society, 1200 NW Park Avenue. 1PM Friday, March 8. $15.
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, March 9. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
Green Dreams: Seeding Portland's Next Parks Movement (Part 1)
New leadership is coming to the City of Portland's Parks & Recreation bureau, which is currently at work on a new 2035 parks plan, as well as to Metro, which will be issuing its third major green spaces bond the November 2019 ballot. Activists are greening the city in innovative new ways. Everyone believes Portland needs a parks system worthy of the bigger city it is becoming. The Portland Parks Foundation and its new director, former Oregonian critic, Portland Spaces editor and John Yeon Center director Randy Gragg, have curated three evenings of corresponding discussion. The first installment, "Green Dreams: State of the Union," features PP&R director Adena Long, Metro president Lynn Peterson and Metro parks and nature director Jon Blasher discussing their vision for our city and its parks and open spaces. Portland Center Stage at The Armory, 128 NW 11th Avenue. 6:30PM Monday, March 11. $20 for "Patron" admission, $10 general admission ($5 for those on a fixed income).
Pioneers to Postmodern Downtown Tour
Taking a whirlwind tour of Portland's architectural history via this downtown Architectural Heritage Center tour, attendees will learn about the first wooden structures near the river as well as the elaborate cast iron, stone and terracotta 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 meetup location to be announced. 10AM Tuesday, March 12. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
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