[edirp]

The Eliot Tower website is finally up.

Pretty bland website, compared to some of the developer's other sites (edgelofts.com, elizabethlofts.com), although there is a webcam where you can watch the construction of this 18-story condominiuim.

www.eliottower.com

http://www.eliottower.com/images/eliot-tower-rendering-hm.jpg

[PacificNW]

Here is a map of the area. I hope the Eliot is shaped like the rendering on the map....it is not quite so boxy...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/PacificNW/Portland2/TheEliot.jpg

[mSeattle]

Is there a height limit in Portland?

[cab]

The drawings of this project doesn't do this building justice. You have to see the models at the show room. It looks fantastic.

[PacificNW]

Fantastic! Can someone take pics of the models and post?

[GregNYC]

If Portland has only added 300 net jobs this year, what's its economy running on that supports these developments.

I suppose they're speculative, and I love Portland, but I just don't see where the customers are coming from.

[pdxstreetcar]

People are coming from all over the country and others are empty nesters moving downtown. Portland is attracting a lot in the 18-34 year old demographic. The Portland region has its own economic style in a way since it has only one fortune 500 company (Nike). I guess you could say its economy is more locally based made up of small companies. Some of the industries that are big in oregon are high tech, manufacturing and timber (all of which arent exactly the strongest right now).

[pdxstreetcar]

According to todays portland tribune, one million people are supposed to move to the metro region in the next 5 years.

^
actually that appears to be a typo in the tribune, seemed a little too high, its actually 25 years (as was published in the Oregonian)

[mSeattle]

streetcar, I love your sigs.

[pdxstreetcar]

^
thanx. I keep adding more and more and now they seem to be taking over my posts. :)

[Chicago3rd]

If Portland has only added 300 net jobs this year, what's its economy running on that supports these developments.

I suppose they're speculative, and I love Portland, but I just don't see where the customers are coming from.

I don't think many people really understand the huge effect that baby boomers...empty nesters and how their growing older, kids moving out ...more disposable income and equity in the homes they live now in the suburbs is effecting all of this growth in Portland...and many other U.S. cities. They aren't speculative. They are real...exist and are making lifestyle changes.

[urbanlife]

I am loving this building. I went by and saw the model of it a month or so ago and fell in love. It looks like 4 buildings in one and will look completely different for different angles.

[PacificNW]

Fantastic!

[pdxstreetcar]

i am taking pictures of it every few months plus i have pictures from all over portland, i would post them on here but i dont have a website yet and the space in the ssp gallery is too small.

[PacificNW]

You can use my site at Photobucket. Contact me and I will give you my Username and password. You can create your own folder is you desire. I have plenty of space and would like to see you pics. It is a very easy site to use. Have you taken any pics of the Eliot models?

dencoa@comcast.net

[pdxstreetcar]

^
Thanks, I set up an account at photobucket. Now I can share a lot more pictures.
I dont have any pics of the Eliot model but I took this in late November...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v628/pdxstreetcar/eliot1.jpg

[PacificNW]

Great! Are you the guy who sent me the info regarding the Meriweather and Burnside Bridgehead? Do you want them scanned? I think the rendering and articles have all ready been posted... Thanks!

[pdxstreetcar]

No that wasnt me.:)

[PacificNW]

Sorry....maybe it was edirp....

[MitchE]

Took some shots of the model today. I was talking to the sales rep and he said the model cost $80,000. I guess the guy who did it spared no detail...even the window panes are exactly how they will be built.

http://www.sinecosine.org/forums/Eliotmodel1.jpg
http://www.sinecosine.org/forums/Eliotmodel4.jpg
http://www.sinecosine.org/forums/Eliotmodel3.jpg
http://www.sinecosine.org/forums/Eliotmodel2.jpg
http://www.sinecosine.org/forums/Eliotmodel5.jpg

[PacificNW]

Very nice! Thanks for taking those pics!

[edirp]

Thanks for posting pics of the model, Mitch-e.

The Eliot Tower and The Edge and The Elizabeth (same developer) are Portland's best new residential high-rises. That is, until the elipitcal John Ross...

I'm reserving judgment on The Pinnacle, until it's done and I see what all the fuss is RE: the exterior "lighting" package.
It BETTER be good.... :o)

The Meriwether looks ho-hum, at least in the model format.

[bvpcvm]

those models look awesome. as with the meriwether, i thought the eliot looked pretty ho-hum until the models.

all this construction is awesome. but what i really can't wait for is for all the baby boomers now buying urban condos to start transitioning to nursing homes, leaving, i hope, a surplus (read: affordable prices) to those of us now in our 30's!

[MitchE]

Hey edirp, I'm just curious, are you an architect?

[edirp]

Mitch-e,

Architect - nope.

Achitecture buff - yep.

:o)

[cab]

Wider structures OK’d
Developers who want the buildings they’re constructing on the South Waterfront to go a little wider may soon get more leeway.
The Planning Commission agreed Tuesday to give the city’s development guidelines some flexibility. The City Council will have final say Jan. 26.
The change arose after the developers of the 325-foot-tall John Ross condominium asked for some design latitude to reinforce the slender tower against wind and earthquakes. City guidelines limit the area of a building that tall to 10,000 square feet, but Gerding/Edlen Development Co. wants a 12,000-square-foot “footprint” for the planned 31-story building. That would make the building’s base several feet wider.
Neighbors just west of the South Waterfront are outraged, saying that the tall buildings there could become even heftier under more flexible guidelines.
“Why should we, every time a building comes up, go down and fight the issue?” asked Jerry Ward, who represents the Corbett/Terwilliger/Lair Hill Neighborhood Association.
The stakes are high for the John Ross developers.
“Our alternative, if this doesn’t fly, is simply to drop back to a 250-foot building and do a slab building such as you see here in the Pearl,” developer Mark Edlen said of the elliptical-style structure.

[designpdx]

I say let them widen the base if it means keeping the current design for the building. I sure would like to see this district with more inventive buildings than are currently going up in the Pearl district.

[pdxstreetcar]

I think the big concern about it is from the Lair Hill area who has been screwed over time and time again.

First the neighborhood got torn apart for Ross Island ramps, South Auditorium Urban Renewal, I-5, Barbur Blvd and Naito/Front Ave. Then they had to put up with high rise towers blocking their views. Then the tram over their heads. And now wider towers.

I want to see a great South Waterfront neighborhood and the tram but at the same time I kind of feel for the Lair Hill neighborhood which has gotten really shafted.

[brandonpdx]

only 14 units left or 93% sold
the cheapest unit left is $499,200

[edgepdx]

$80K for a model! Sheeze that's like a cost $500/Unit. I hope the home owners assoc. gets to keep it in the lobby of something afterwards!

However, Mr. Caroll does indeed seem to have a golden touch. I think the Eliot will be the best in Portland unless the John Ross lives up to the hype. However the Elizabeth looked better as a model than in reality. It looks quite massive during the day, almost gothic and grim.

Benson tower looks like a cool building, but disappointing details. 8' ceilings in a "luxury" condo ? With all the delays and long nonbinding reservation period my guess is the developer may not have as solid of financial backing as some of the others.

I think the current Lair Hill anger is probably a result of being screwed in the past by the freeways and South Auditorium project. In the end I think south waterfront and the tram will end up being good for their neighborhood. Given the history I definately understand their skepticism.

[bvpcvm]

I read long ago that van Dorninck (sp?) intended the Benson Tower to be more accessible to the middle class, thus the 8' (actually isn't it 8.5'?) ceilings, etc.

[wilson]

Interesting comments about how great the building is. What about the inside of the units? It looks like 50% are the "one bedroom" units, they are 18' wide and 45 to 50' deep with one window at the end. The "bedroom" is not enclosed it is a sleeping area or kind of like a hotel room with a strip kitchen? Is this great design? Only half the buildings units have out door space?

[pdxskyline]

Wow, those model shots are cool, thanks for taking them.

I thought the Elliott would be a lot skinnier, but I only had the ubiquitous rendering of it from the south that they spam out all over the place. The angles on it look great! I don't know why they didn't show off the east profile more.

BTW, they're about 3-4 stories up now!!

Now if they'd get the crane up for the Benson Tower...

[MarkDaMan]

This is to be built on a small parcel next to where the Eliot tower is being built on.

http://chatterbox.typepad.com/portlandarchitecture/images/madison_3.jpg

http://chatterbox.typepad.com/portlandarchitecture/images/madison_1.jpg

[crowdedhouse]

Seems like error on the part of the developer?

[MarkDaMan]

error?

[edirp]

crowdedhouse,

Those renderings are for "The Madison" offices being built next to Eliot Tower. They are not part of the Eliot Tower project.

The two buildings will share a plaza between 11th and 10th Avenue.

[edirp]

Madison Office Condominiums, Portland, OR.

This boutique commercial building will offer four floors of office space for sale above ground floor retail. The project sits on a 6,500 square foot site with access from SW 11th Avenue to the west and a vibrant, new pedestrian plaza to the south. The design takes a bold and refreshing approach using a palette of primary colors. Blue metal panels will wrap most of the building and the steel structural beams, exposed at the base and cap of the building, will be painted a bright yellow. Glass roll-up doors on the south facade will open the retail space (expected to be a restaurant) onto the new pedestrian plaza. The building will feature extensive glazing, operable windows, high ceilings and many sustainable design elements, including bio-planters to capture and filter rainwater from the roof, high efficiency mechanical systems, dual-flush toilets, low VOC products, use of recycled and recyclable materials, and more. The Madison Office Condominiums is the final piece of the three-block redevelopment project referred to as Museum Place, which includes the St. Francis Apartments, Museum Place Lofts & Townhouses, YWCA Downtown Center, and the Eliot Tower condominiums.

[MarkDaMan]

Oh, I didn't realize it was to be built across the street. I thought it was in between the YWCA and the tower. Actually, I haven't even been over there to see what it looks like in quite some time...

[edirp]

Hi Mark,

It'll be across the plaza from the Eliot Tower's rowhouses (not across the street).

It touches the YMCA on one side, and the St. Francis Apartments on the other.

check this out:

http://www.sojpdx.com/madison.pdf

[MarkDaMan]

Thanks edirp!

I would have never figured that out had you not posted the link.:nuts:

[dkealoha]

Not too many units left in the Eliot Tower! This is what they sent me:



Residential Pricelist
December 28, 2005

Typical Units

------Unit-----Bd/Ba---SF------Price
E----1503----1/1------846----$449,000
W---1407----2/2------1,338--$633,000
SW--506-----2/2------1,574--$668,950
SW--806-----2/2------1,574--$679,000
NW--1113---2/2------1,496---$719,000
NE---401-----2/2.5---2,054---$885,000
SE---905-----2/2.5---2,145---$933,000
SE---1105---2/2.5----2,163---$970,000

Penthouses

W---1705----2/2------1,517---$873,810
W---1805----2/2------1,517---$889,660
W---1606----2/2------1,587---$912,340
NW-1707----2/2.5----2,348---$1,332,950
SE--1703----2/2.5----2,608---$1,490,060
SW-1604----3/3------2,977----$1,570,255
SW-1704----3/3------2,977----$1,592,795

[awg]

These are mostly the same skinny shotgun units / no bedroom John Carroll built in the Pearl aren't they? Hard to imagine paying half a million dollars for one of them.

[edgepdx]

As a resident of one of Mr. Carroll's shotgun units I can testify that the floor plans aren't as bad as everyone thinks. They feel quite spacious. Now paying $500K for one ... I'm not sure they're worth that much.

[awg]

Wasn't a knock on the shotgun unit per se, so much as surprise at the cost. I have felt that $200,000 - $300,000 is an amount of money a young(ish) single person or new couple could come up with, but much more than that and it seems to require the dual income, 40+ demographic. And I figured that demographic looks for the more traditional one bedroom unit. If it sells, I've got no problem with it--the more in the city, the better.

[edirp]

$449,000 for 846 square feet?!

Absolutely crazy!


Out of 223 units, only 15 remain available, with 7 of those being penthouses.


The floorplans can be viewed on The Eliot Tower website.

[edgepdx]

I agree $449,000 is nuts. I think this is why we're seeing lots of wealthy boomers using these units as weekend crash pads when they're in town. That's not healthy for downtown.

[bvpcvm]

Oh BTW, speaking of the Eliot Tower...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/bvpcvm/IMG_3700.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/bvpcvm/IMG_3703.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/bvpcvm/IMG_3705.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/bvpcvm/IMG_3708.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/bvpcvm/IMG_3709.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/bvpcvm/IMG_3710.jpg

Those are all from a couple months ago.

[awg]

I'm not so sure that the fly in for the weekend, throw a party, out in the morning is a bad deal for downtown. Doesn't seem like a good way to make the sidewalk any nicer, but two nights a week in downtown probably means two nights of eating fancy dinners, shopping, and watching a show at the schnitz. Probably helps the commercial side of downtown quite a bit.

[NorskyGirl]

Now those are some nice views. Thanks for the photos, bvpcvm!

[MitchE]

contd from http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=77755&page=2

I agree that most of the 11th Ave side looks like the back of a building, much like the library on 11th. However, I like how the Eliot gets narrower for the top 3 "penthouse" floors. I also like the fishbowl units where the Eliot only rises a few floors on 11th & jefferson. What do you guys think about those units?

I'm torn on how the townhouses look. They look good materials wise (especially that stone work) but the way they are oriented again reinforces the idea that the building's back is facing 11th Ave. I wish the front doors to those units were placed perpendicular to the street.

I hadn't really noticed the penthouses. It does get a little bit narrower up there doesn't it.

[MarkDaMan]

taken 2/11, sorry about the date stamp, still trying to get rid of it.
http://static.flickr.com/19/100164234_e4126c7c95_m.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/27/100165768_a11439bd48_m.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/34/100164235_8a8f5cd1fa_m.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/34/100165769_ae932f94f4_m.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/31/100165770_7d32057242_m.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/31/100165771_8a3415f718_m.jpg

[Method101]

beautfiul building, still hope to visit portland one day, other than just drive by it on I-5 lol

[awg]

Images from the model unit

Elliot Living Room

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e309/awg5/ElliotLiving.jpg

Elliot Kitchen

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e309/awg5/ElliotKitchen.jpg

Elliot Dining

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e309/awg5/ElliotDining.jpg

Elliot Bedroom

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e309/awg5/ElliotBedroom.jpg

[subterranean]

I want to move to Portland and I've never even been there.

Is the weather as crappy as Seattle's?

[saeternes]

The weather is pretty similar to Seattle's.

[awg]

Trying out some new photo software and made these photo-collages with trial software (so forgive the propietary stamp all over the images--haven't decided whether to purchase it or not).

View of the Northeast corner of the Elliot
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e309/awg5/elliotpanoramaNE.jpg

View of the Southwest corner of the Elliot
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e309/awg5/elliotpanoramaSW.jpg

[awg]

One more.

View of the Northwest corner of the Elliot
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e309/awg5/elliotpanoramaNW.jpg

[zilfondel]

No, Seattle gets 100 more days of rain than Portland does. I've lived in both places, but I get seasonal depression in both cities... even tho I'm a native. =P

[zilfondel]

Awg - try using the freeware autostitch program. Doesn't put any watermarks on your photos.

Also, photoshop version 7+ has an autostitch capability under the File --> Automate section.

Nice pics, tho. I ride the streetcar by that building twice everyday...

[awg]

Can you point me in the direction of the freeware autostitch program you're familiar with? I looked around a bit yesterday and this trial version was the best I could do (it seems to me to be really good and easy to use, but for the damned watermark).

I also couldn't quite figure out the photoshop photostitch command. None of the sub-commands from the Automate command seem to be photostitch commands. But I could be missing something...

[zilfondel]

http://www.cs.ubc.ca/~mbrown/autostitch/autostitch.html

I downloaded it a few weeks ago, no watermark.

[awg]

Thanks. I downloaded that program. Easy to use, okay for match lines (I had to manually rotate all the images to get a good result), but the end product--at least with this set of images is not that hot. I didn't spend a lot of time manipulating the image, but its a bit distorted and not that flattering for architecture. Having a hard time envisioning ZGF or Ankrom real enthusiastic about this shot. Doesn't cost a thing though ;)

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e309/awg5/elliotpanoramaNEnew.jpg

[pdxstreetcar]

autostitch is great for panaramas too

[MarkDaMan]

autostitch is great for panaramas too

I've never taken photography lessons before so I hope this isn't a really dumb question, but what is autostitch?

[Fulham]

I've never taken photography lessons before so I hope this isn't a really dumb question, but what is autostitch?

Its a mode digital cameras have that locks the focus, zoom and aperture. You can then take an exposure, pan the camera horzontally (or vertically i guess) and take another, and so on. Then once the images are downloaded to your desktop you use software that stiches the multiple photgraphs into one. Especially useful for shots that need a wide angle lens, but you don't have one.

[MarkDaMan]

^Thanks...I've been meaning to take an elective photography course. Hopefully this fall.

[zilfondel]

building almost looks a bit like an aquarium, doesn't it? ...a big, tall, expensive aquarium...


Interestingly, I was waiting for the streetcar next to the art museum, and was able to see into one of the townhouse-like units facing 10th. Except it wasn't like a townhouse: very skinny - 15' wide? And deep. very deep. Man, talk about no privacy - just a big glass wall at one end, and dark at in the back.

Not for my taste... I would much prefer light coming in from all areas, like the Standpoint project for Portland's eastside that kinda died.

[SeattleHusky82]

No, Seattle gets 100 more days of rain than Portland does. I've lived in both places, but I get seasonal depression in both cities... even tho I'm a native. =P

That's not true, Seattle has slightly more rainy days than Portland but not 100 days worth, maybe 5-7 days. I think average total annual rainfall in Portland is actually a little higher than Seattle actually. I've lived in both cities as well and the weather is almost identical except Portland is warmer in the summer.

[zilfondel]

Well, perhaps it was overcast/cloudiness. I seem to recall reading something comparing the two places, and Seattle is right on the coast, whereas Portland gets a lot of wind blowing from the east, which pushes the clouds out of the way.

[Fulham]

Well, perhaps it was overcast/cloudiness. I seem to recall reading something comparing the two places, and Seattle is right on the coast, whereas Portland gets a lot of wind blowing from the east, which pushes the clouds out of the way.

eh? the coast is roughly 100 mi and a mountain range away. seattle *is* right on puget sound, but that's not the coast. seattle *is* often right on the convergence zone (http://www.komotv.com/weather/faq/convergence_zone.asp) which makes clouds and rain.

but yeah, portland is often cooler in winter and warmer in the summer. and less cloudy lots of the time due to the gorge.

my dad always calls the sound the ocean... damn portlanders :)

[PacificNW]

Curious...does the city have to be concerned if what the experts are saying about global warming turns out to be true? Isn't there an excellent chance of much of downtown being under water? Maybe this question should become a new thread in City Discussions.

[zilfondel]

lol... guess you're right. But, you know, it IS salt water... =P

[zilfondel]

They're saying 18-20 ft increase in sea level over the next 180-200 years.

So yea, the east coast will be gone, but Seattle, Portland and San Fran should be relatively fine, since Porltand is WAY uprive (200' higher than sea level) and San Fran/Seattle's topography dramatically rises due to their situated on hills.

Places like NY, Florida, and such will be in trouble. Amsterdam, too.

[saeternes]

Zil, that is an interesting comment you made about the long shotgun condo in the Eliot. I don't really understand why these things work in a gray overcast city like Portland, but some people say they provide more light than it appears from the outside. Comments?

[zilfondel]

Hmm.

Well, you'd get this 'light at the end of the tunnel' effect. Since the end IS practically one big piece of glass, it IS going to let a lot of light in. However, its obviously imbalanced... which is why they usually put the bathrooms & closets at the other end of the apartment.

You can also put divider partition walls to separate the bedroom from the dining/kitchen area, and leave the rest of the apartment fairly open... gives it a loft kind of feeling, allowing light to spill into the bedroom over the top of the wall. That would be one possibility.

These units were all sheetrocked & plastered white, and I was able to see some sort of bulge in the ceiling, probably for the air vent/heating/cooling system.

Basically, it would be a real challenge to make habitable. Much rather deal with units in the Mosaic - although cramped, you get interesting floor plans, at least.

I guess the bottom line is some people will just settle for less.. and you could do some really interesting cutting edge design work in there if you wanted to.

[Leo]

Zil, that is an interesting comment you made about the long shotgun condo in the Eliot. I don't really understand why these things work in a gray overcast city like Portland, but some people say they provide more light than it appears from the outside. Comments?

I don't think they build them this way because they work well. They build them this way because they're cheap (maximized square footage for each unit). If they didn't call them lofts, they would even be illegal because the "bedroom" does not have a window.

This developer in particular uses this floorplan ubiquitously. Most of the units in The Gregory, The Edge, The Elizabeth, and the Eliott have this type of floorplan. As you can tell, I'm personally not a big fan. I like all four of these buildings, but the shotgun floorplans disappointed me every time the units came up for sale.

[saeternes]

I see what you mean. I have seen ads for lofts on craigslist where the owner makes a point os saying he or she has gone to great expense to build a real bedroom not only with walls but also with a true ceiling, which must indicate that at least some people don't like them. I thought there was some kind of urban chic associated with these plans but maybe it is just because it is cheaper.

[brandonpdx]

^However, the shot gun units on the corners are pretty sweet. 2 walls of glass!

[MarkDaMan]

I was thinking KGW should move their news studio into the corner unit by Safeway. It would be like our own 'Today Show' or 'TRL' and the people of Portland could stand around and wave banners at the anchors back, or protest as that seems the popular thing to do around here, and be on TV.

[PacificNW]

Sound like a great idea, Mark. If not there maybe get naming rights to a new office tower downtown if they relocated. Their present site should be redeveloped for high rise residential.

[brandonpdx]

Carroll's newest project: The Ladd Tower. He is partnering with Opus.
SW Park & Jefferson. From the rendering it looks to be about 21 or 22 stories.
First 3 floors are stone with glass above.
The show room will take over the Eliot's show room on 723 SW Salmon.
if I can find an easy way to post the rendering I will, unless someone else can post it.
there's a website, but nothing is really there yet: www.laddtower.com

[bvpcvm]

do you mean this (http://www.opusnw.com/-ProjectDetail/index.html|id:4318)?

[urbanlife]

I can't remember, are they still moving the Ladd Carriage house or is that now going to stay at that site? I heard something about tearing down the apartment building and the church's annex instead for the tower, but not sure if that is right.

[Brandon_cole]

The Carriage House will move to 10th/Columbia sometime between June and August and will be on that site for 18ish months until they move it back (the temporary move is needed so that underground parking can be built). The "Ladd Tower" will take up the Northern 1/2 of the block replacing the 1910 Rose Friends (*sigh*) and the 1950s Church Annex. Retail will be on the bottom of the new tower at the corners of Park/Jefferson and Broadway/Jefferson, and the enterance to the below-grade parking will be on Jefferson half way down the block.

[brandonpdx]

do you mean this (http://www.opusnw.com/-ProjectDetail/index.html|id:4318)?

that's it, but the latest redering looks different. they took away the curved roof, which I liked, and the glass is greenish.

[bvpcvm]

that's it, but the latest redering looks different. they took away the curved roof, which I liked, and the glass is greenish.

ok, i'm confused: where's this rendering you speak of?

[der Reisender]

does anyone know when they are breaking ground on this?

[urbanlife]

at the end of summer at the earliest. Everyone has to be out of the apartment building by July, I know someone who lives there.

[MarkDaMan]

I'm confused, Opus still has their hand drawn "napkin" rendering on their website and when I searched for Ladd Tower it pulled up 1300 Park Ave...

where did you get this latest info cause the website has nothing?

[brandonpdx]

people are starting to move into the 4th floor!

[MarkDaMan]

latest rendering
http://www.opuscorp.com/assets/img/projects/BP_1300ParkAve_R2_L.jpg

High on the South Park Blocks
Development - Another construction crane is soon to rise on the central skyline, this time for the 21-story Ladd Tower condos
Thursday, May 18, 2006
DYLAN RIVERA
The Oregonian

A forthcoming building will bring the first substantial new housing to the South Park Blocks since the late 1980s.

But unlike the thick midrise apartment buildings of the '80s, the early 21st century is bringing . . .

What else? High-rise condominiums.

Construction will start this fall on the Ladd Tower, a 21-story condo building rising above Southwest Jefferson Street and Park Avenue.

It will be among at least 16 high-rise condominium towers planned or being built in and near downtown, including four in the South Waterfront development.

Distinguishing the Ladd Tower project are its location -- where it will soar above the park blocks' elm trees -- and its focus on historic preservation. The Ladd Carriage House and the First Christian Church building on the block will survive, even as the development adds 20,000 square feet of space for church activities and four floors of parking.

The Ladd Carriage House, built in 1883, is considered one of the most important historic buildings downtown. It's the last remnant of the mansion of William S. Ladd, Portland's fourth mayor and one of the city's foremost businessmen and philanthropists.

"Of all the things that I've been involved with, the fact that I'm participating in a project like the Ladd Carriage House preservation, I get real tripped up about that," said John Carroll, one of two developers on the project.

The Ladd Tower is the latest example of developers leveraging private projects that serve public goals with robust condominium demand. In a complex venture next to PGE Park, the Housing Authority of Portland sold land for a condo tower to Gerding/Edlen Development Co., generating proceeds to build an affordable housing complex on the authority's remaining adjacent land.

The Ladd Tower will realize some of the city's longstanding aims of providing more housing downtown and along the string of parks. The tower will contain about 190 condos.

More high-rise development could be forthcoming if Tom Moyer decides to build condos on a former gas station site at Southwest Broadway and Columbia Street.

Even as the Ladd Tower project protects two historic structures, its architecture has met with some resistance from city planners, who had hoped for more historically authentic design.

The First Christian Church owns the entire block, bounded by Jefferson, Columbia, Broadway and Park. It hired Minneapolis-based Opus Northwest to help build parking spaces for its bustling congregation.

For about a year, the church expected to demolish or relocate the Ladd Carriage House, which houses offices, to make way for new office space and underground parking. One relocation bid, to the Lair Hill neighborhood, fell apart when developers realized the move would require temporarily cutting power lines along more than 20 city blocks and severing the Portland Streetcar line .

Partner's suggestion

Opus partnered with Carroll, of Portland, who suggested keeping the carriage house on-site and installing church facilities in a three-story pedestal at the base of the new building. The carriage house will be relocated to a parking lot at Southwest 10th and Columbia for the first phase of construction before being returned to its original site.

Carroll said he wants the pedestal to help the 240-foot tower fit in with the historic buildings on the block. So he had Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects of Portland design a historic-looking stone structure that would serve as a muscular base for the tall glassy tower.

The construction of a building that looks old strikes some in the architectural field as the wrong way to go.

"Replica buildings can only mimic bygone times and rarely do it as well," said Edward Vaivoda, of Yost Grube Hall Architecture of Portland. "Placing a contemporary building beside an historic structure can be a significant design challenge."

Vaivoda and other critics commended the preservation of the Carriage House, but some lamented the use of an "institutional-looking" base, with arches and thick stones separated by heavy lines of mortar.

Steve Poland, an architect with Ankrom Moisan, said the firm was trying to give the three stories a modern update of a historic look. The design is based in part on the Public Service building, a historic structure best known for first-floor tenant Niketown.

"It's not something that an architect working on their own normally would come up with," Poland said. "We tend to start with trying to keep a consistency of style. The great thing about working with John Carroll is he's very concerned about context, and a lot of modern architects don't give that much prominence in their design."

Say over design

The Portland Design Commission, which has final say over the design and at least one more public meeting this summer, was not entirely happy with a first design draft last month, said commissioner Jeff Stuhr, an architect with Holst Architecture.

"People were underwhelmed with the base as it stood and by the design," Stuhr said. "It was too middle-of-the-road. It needed to be more abstracted or more historical. My own feeling is it was neither one nor the other."

City Planning Director Gil Kelley agreed with the commission. Ladd Tower is an important addition to downtown that will help enliven the park blocks, Kelley said.

But Kelley lamented the loss of the Rosefriend Apartments, a red 1910 building that the developers say must go. Carroll said he is working with Rejuvenation housewares retailer and the Bosco-Milligan Foundation to preserve artifacts in the building, putting some up for sale and preserving the entrance for use in a courtyard on Broadway.

Kelley said the development team should think about mimicking the Rosefriend, rather than the Public Service building, which he said looks like a bank.

"They might want to take some of their design cues from that because it's residential," Kelley said. "There's an urban affinity about that building that doesn't appear in their designs, which is much more monumental architecture."

Dylan Rivera: 503-221-8532; dylanrivera@news.oregonian.com
http://www.oregonlive.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/business/1147922732299210.xml&coll=7

[asher519]

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j131/dylanrivera/LaddNW5-17-06.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j131/dylanrivera/LaddCourtyard.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j131/dylanrivera/LaddCarriage051706.jpg

[Epicurean]

Not too bad...I'm really excited to see something go up there. I'd kill for a condo on the Park Blocks. It's one of the finest urban spaces in North America, and needs more living space and activity (apart from drug activity, that is).

[brandonpdx]

I think it would be a better design if it stepped back from the Park blocks like it does on Broadway. I'm not a fan of the box look and I like the idea of making the base look like the Rosefriend apartments that are there now.

[pdxstreetcar]

i wish it had the curved roof that the earlier design had, the flat roofs are getting boring, but on the whole a pretty nice building

[bvpcvm]

looks pretty bland to me

[cab]

Slab, what a surprise.

[MOPIdaho]

Why not just use some of the exterior walls of the Rosefriend instead of building new walls to look old? I contacted the Bosco-Milligan Foundation a few months ago and they knew nothing of this project. I think it's a very unimaginative building and thats being generous!

[MOPIdaho]

one more rant! The building needs a capitol that can tie in it's heavy base.