Preservation and Sustainability – 2 Wonderful Examples

Postcard of the Morgan Building from the Bosco-Milligan Foundation collections

Recently, the Morgan Building at SW Broadway and Washington was granted LEED certification for Existing Building, Operations and Maintenance. According to the Daily Journal of Commerce, this is the first Portland building listed in the National Register of Historic Places, to achieve such certification, but it certainly should not be the only one. This is the latest Portland example of how historic preservation can lead (and LEED) when it comes to sustainable development practices. We hope you’ll take note in the DJC article, how the A.E. Doyle designed building accommodates natural light and ventilation, something that the architects of many older and historic buildings took into consideration.

Meanwhile, this weekend is also the Portland Build it Green! Tour. One of the homes on this year’s tour is an amazing 1880s Queen Anne in Northeast Portland that has been painstakingly renovated over the years. More recently, through the Clean Energy Works program the home has become an exemplar of how older and historic homes can be made more energy efficient. For lovers of older homes who fret over the prospects of potentially sacrificing character for comfort (i.e., in the form of energy efficient upgrades), this home is a must see. You can have your cake and eat it too!

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Arlington Club Listed in the National Register of Historic Places

The 100 year old Arlington Club building on SW Salmon Street was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Arlington was nominated as a distinctive representation of the work of notable Portland architects Whidden & Lewis – think Portland Hotel, City Hall, and the marvelous Kenneth Mackenzie House (aka the William Temple House). It also is representative of the tremendous growth in Portland during the first decade of the 20th century.  This is a fantastic downtown building connected to one of Portland’s premiere architecture firm of the 1890s-1910s. Ion Lewis even lived in the club until his death in 1933, having outlived his partner, William Whidden, and his prize pupil, A.E. Doyle.

If you want to learn more about the Arlington Club, you can download a PDF of the National Register nomination here.

Demolition Delay Requests on N. Missouri Avenue and N. Brandon Avenue

The owner of a circa 1880s house at 3804 N. Missouri Avenue has filed a demolition request with the City. The house is considered a contributing structure in the Mississippi Avenue Conservation District, so a 120 day delay period has begun.  You can download the Demolition Delay information here.

Meanwhile, another  demolition delay is underway for a contributing structure in the Kenton Conservation District. The owners of a 1912 bungalow at 7642 N. Brandon Avenue have decided to tear it down. That information can be downloaded here.

When we talk about neighborhood character and historic fabric these modest homes are the very thing we speak of. It is certainly our hope that alternatives to demolition will be found.

Historic Preservation and Our Own Mortality – Interesting Discussion by the Green Preservationist

A new blog post by the Green Preservationist, is a thought provoking discussion drawing connections between building preservation and the preservation of our own lives. Check it out here. What do you think?

Cast Iron Portland – AHC Unveils New Online Exhibit

Fechheimer and White Building - Photograph from the Bosco-Milligan Foundation's George McMath Slide Collection

Thanks to the hard work of Beth Fischer, the first ever William J. Hawkins III FAIA intern, the Architectural Heritage Center has just published a new online exhibit Cast Iron Portland. This exciting new exhibit tells the story of how Portland became home to one of the largest collections of cast iron-fronted buildings in the United States. It also describes future possibilities for Portland’s Skidmore-Old Town Historic District and the myriad surface parking lots where amazing Italianate buildings once stood. This area was the birthplace of Portland and deserves to be better appreciated.