Pietro Belluschi, 1958 (LIFE Magazine)
BY BRIAN LIBBY
Pietro Belluschi’s Modernism in Portland (With Special Guest Tour Guides)
Perhaps no other architect had a greater impact on Portland in the 20th century than Pietro Belluschi, whose early projects, like 1931's Portland Art Museum and the world-renowned Equitable Building from 1948 took an otherwise architecturally-conservative city in a new direction that brought together modernism with regional materials and style. Along with John Yeon, Belluschi was also the forefront of this Northwest Regional style of modernist houses, beginning in the 1930s. After spending two decades in academia and architectural consulting, Belluschi returned to Portland in 1973 and continued his design work in the city, with an emphasis on churches. His Belluschi’s involvement in projects like 1983's U.S. Bancorp Tower (as a consultant to Skidmore, Owings and Merrill) and 1986's Chapel of Christ the Teacher at the University of Portland capped a brilliant career. This birthday tour from the Architectural Heritage Center visits some of Belluschi’s greatest modernist buildings in Portland and includes access inside a few. The tour will led by special guests architect Anthony Belluschi, architectural historian Eric Wheeler, and author-architect Pierluigi Serraino, author of 2016's The Creative Architect. Tour meetup location revealed with ticket purchase. 10AM Saturday, August 17. $25 ($15 for AHC members).
Boise Neighborhood and Mississippi Avenue Tour
The dramatic redevelopment occurring along Mississippi Avenue today is merely the latest chapter in the remarkable and unique history of this neighborhood. From an electric streetcar line to racially discriminatory real estate redlining, this tour explores the cultural and economic changes that have shaped Boise's built environment. Tour-goers will see examples of late-19th century working-class homes built primarily by Scandinavian, German, and Polish immigrants, not to mention a forgotten dance hall that once housed a temple of the Nation of Islam. 10AM Saturday, August 17. $20 ($12 for AHC Members).
Rooftop Crawfish Boil
As part of the Architecture Foundation of Oregon's Dine & Design fundraiser series, which features events in significant architectural spaces, join GBD Architects atop The Carson, the tallest building in Northwest Portland’s Slabtown. Good food, relaxing vibes and uninterrupted views from the West Hills to the downtown skyline make for a unique afternoon of fun, pleasure, and crawfish. The Carson Apartments, 2121 NW Savier Street. 12PM Saturday, August 17. $100.
In The Mind of an Architect: On the Inner Workings of Pietro Belluschi’s Creative Process
In celebration of the 120th birthday of iconic Oregon architect Pietro Belluschi, the Oregon Historical Society will host author, architect and educator Pierluigi Serraino for a public talk on the inner workings of Belluschi's architecture through his participation to the 1958 Study on Creativity at UC Berkeley (subject of Serraino's 2016 book The Creative Architect), alongside some of the starchitects of his time. Serraino, whose other books include Modernism Rediscovered (2001), NorCalMod: Icons of Northern California Modernism (2006), and the forthcoming Ezra Stoller: A Photographic History of Modern American Architecture (Phaidon, 2019), will also co-lead (with Belluschi's son, architect Anthony Belluschi) a tour of key Belluschi houses the day prior. His lecture is also tied to the debut of the Pietro Belluschi Architectural Resource Center, in the OHS library, which will provide a focal point for the study of architecture and a well-equipped meeting space for instruction and collaboration. Oregon Historical Society, 1200 SW Park Avenue. 2PM Sunday, August 18. Free.
Oregonian Building Tour
As part of the multi-event 120th birthday celebration for the late great Portland architect Pietro Belluschi comes this DoCoMoMo Oregon-led tour of Belluschi's Oregonian building, completed in 1947 (the same year as his most internationally-significant work, the Equitable Building). The longtime home of the then-daily Oregonian newspaper, now, the building's large windows along Sixth Avenue once allowed passers by to view the paper's 600-ton printing presses in action. The influence of the International Style on Belluschi's designs is on display in the Oregonian building's elegant, ordered, and streamline exterior. In 2014 the building was purchased by Urban Renaissance Group, with renovations designed by Allied Works Architecture completed in 2016, restoring much of Belluschi's original vision after decades of drop ceilings and a boarded-up lobby mezzanine. Tour begins at SRG Partnership, 621 SW Columbia Street. 5PM Monday, August 19. $10 ($5 for students, free for DoCoMoMo members).
International Japanese Garden Training Center: Professional Intensive Courses
This October, Portland Japanese Garden’s International Japanese Garden Training Center offers a new educational opportunity for design professionals: Professional Intensive Courses. Aimed at meeting learning needs of architects, landscape architects, and other design professionals, these two to three-day courses are taught by Portland Japanese Garden staff and focus on a single topic. The first three-day course, taking place October 22 – 24, “With an Eye Towards Nature: A Japanese Garden Design Intensive,” provides 25 hours of theoretical and hands-on training in the Japanese approach to designing with nature and its modern use and application. Portland Japanese Garden, 611 SW Kingston Avenue. Application deadline Tuesday, August 20. $1350.
Pearl District Walking Tour - A Century of Preservation and 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. 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 meetup location revealed with ticket purchase. 10AM Tuesday, August 20. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
Luxury Bathrooms & the Importance of Universal Design
In collaboration with the local chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers, Crosswater London, a manufacturer of bathroom sink fixtures and other items, will offer a presentation focusing on incorporating universal design and aging-in-place concepts into the luxury bathroom. The lecture qualifies for American Institute of Architects, International Interior Design Association and ASID continuing education credits. Chown Hardware, 333 NW 16th Avenue. 5:30PM Tuesday, August 20. $25 (free for ASID members).
Business Development for the A/E/C Industries
Offered by Oregon chapter of the Society for Marketing Professional Services, this interactive workshop will provide tools and techniques necessary to develop and maintain successful business development practices for an architecture, engineering or constructuion firm. By the end of our day-long program, attendees will understand how to define business development and identify trends, generate leads that end in contracts, offer strategies to build profitable business, differentiate between business development and marketing, and manage client relationships. Courtyard by Marriott Convention Center, 435 NE Wasco Street. 8AM Thursday, August 22. $595 (discounted for SMPS members but price undisclosed).
Historic Homes of the Alphabet District Tour (Part I)
Northwest Portland’s Alphabet District owes its existence to Captain John Couch, his family, and in-laws. Development in the area includes everything from fairly modest homes to mansions – not to mention vibrant commercial areas. This is the first of two Architectural Heritage Center tours in which attendees will look at the wonderful historic homes that define a large portion of this National Register Historic District. Tour meetup location revealed with ticket purchase. 6PM Thursday, August 22. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
2019 Young Architect Conference
Join future leaders in the profession of architecture and community to discuss and explore topics of leadership, connection, and service within architecture at the Young Architect Conference, a three-day event with keynotes in the morning, workshops in the afternoon, and parties at night. The conference is an extension of Young Archiect, the organization founded by Michael Riscica to help emerging architects establish their careers and pass registration exams. Speakers include Mariela Bravo, a project architecct at Manuel Bermudez Arquitecto in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Wandile Mthiyane, founder of Ubuntu Design Group in Berrien Springs, Michigan; and Rachel Gresham, a project architect at TM Partners in Nashville. The Redd on Salmon Street, 831 SE Salmon Street. 9AM Friday, August 23. $550.
Sellwood Neighborhood Tour (Part II)
Before it was brought within Portland city limits in 1893, Sellwood was an independent, incorporated town. This tour, second in a series from the Architectural Heritage Center, examines an early boom era in the Sellwood neighborhood that occurred from 1900-1930. The history of the area is filled with interesting stories, including the development of Oaks Park and the Olmsted parks plan, a one-time horseracing track, the construction of churches and a community center, and the rise of the 13th Avenue business district. The tour takes attendees through a section of the original Sellwood tract where one can see a variety of houses and commercial buildings, some dating back to the town’s earliest days. Tour meetup location revealed with ticket purchase. 10AM Saturday, August 24. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
Sullivan's Gulch Neighborhood Tour
When Ralph Lloyd began his 35-year effort to create an east Portland "downtown" in 1926, the site for his project, Holladay's Addition, was one of Portland's grandest neighborhoods. The remaining neighborhood, now known as Sullivan’s Gulch, was heavily impacted by the development of the nearby Lloyd Center mall. But as this Architectural Heritage Center tour demonstrates, the neighborhood still retains some significant historic residential architecture. Tour meetup location revealed with ticket purchase. 10AM Tuesday, August 27. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
Designing for Loss, with Space for Joy
The second of three summer events presented by the Architecure Foundation of Oregon to highlight the positive social impact of architecture in the community features the internationally renowned Dougy Center, with its specialized program of support and the safe spaces created to help facilitate the variety of ways children grieve. Brennan Wood and Donna Schuurman from The Dougy Center will be joined by Sarah Cantine from Scott|Edwards Architecture, the project's designer, to discuss the intricacies of creating a healing space for children dealing with loss. The Dougy Center, 3909 SE 52nd Avenue. 5:30PM Wednesday, August 28. $25.
Old Town 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 meetup location revealed with ticket purchase. 6PM Thursday, August 29. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
Westmoreland - Then and Now
The southeast Portland neighborhood Westmoreland is often confused/combined with the better-known Sellwood located just to the south. First platted in 1909, Westmoreland was a commercial/residential development that extended along the electric streetcar line. Most of the commercial development in Westmoreland dates from the 1920s and can still be seen along Milwaukie Avenue. This Positively Portland walking tour will begin with commercial buildings on Milwaukie Avenue, explore some of the surrounding residential area and have a look at the oldest crematory west of the Mississippi River, the Portland Memorial. Tour begins at Sparrows Coffee, 1625 SE Bybee Boulevard. 10AM Friday, August 30. $15.
Historic Multi-Family Housing of Northwest Portland Tour
Northwest Portland’s Alphabet District is often thought of for its beautiful mansions, when in fact it has a surprising history as a "rental" district. The Couch family built some of the earliest upscale rental units. As attendees on this Architectural Heritage Center tour will learn and see first-hand, in the 1920s, Elmer Feig became well known for his Northwest Portland apartment designs, and a housing crunch during World War II led to the conversion of many classic homes into multi-family units. Tour meetup location revealed with ticket purchase. 10AM Saturday, August 31. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
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