[edirp]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/edirp/Metropolitan.jpg

With The Metropolitan, Hoyt Street Properties will establish a new benchmark for buildings in Portland’s Pearl District, one of the nation’s most successful new urban neighborhoods. At a mid point in their development of the area, Hoyt Street Properties envisions the 380,000-square-foot project as an icon in the city, becoming Portland’s most luxurious urban condominium building. The Metropolitan will be one of the city’s first truly mixed use projects—121 large, luxury units in a 19-story tower will be paired with a 4-story, 20,000-square-foot boutique live/work building. These two sections will be joined by over 20,000 square feet of retail space at the street level and two floors of underground parking.

At 225 feet tall, the Metropolitan will be the tallest building in the Pearl District offering sweeping views of the neighborhood, Tanner Springs Park, Jamison Square, Willamette River, mountain peaks, downtown, and the west hills. The unique design of the condominium tower allows a majority of the units to be exclusive corner units, maximizing views and daylight for unit owners.

Additional amenities are incorporated throughout the building: concierge service, a club with individual wine storage and a wine bar, an exercise room, conference facilities, guest suites, and a second floor roof garden. The building will convey the sense of luxury within—the exterior will be clad in roman travertine and a custom glass curtain wall system. Furthermore, a balance between luxury and sustainability will be promoted in the project—high performance mechanical systems, a rainwater retention and reuse system, and the incorporation of durable, low-maintenance materials will help The Metropolitan achieve LEED Silver Certification.

[urbanlife]

wow, that will look stunning, the white look will really stand out over there.

[crowdedhouse]

i like that

[MarkDaMan]

That's gonna look pretty when coming over the Broadway Bridge (what an entrance to the Pearl if they'd light the bridge up at night).

I thought I heard they were going to use some high end materials for the skin. Something about using materials that are similiar to the Meier and Frank and 5th Ave Suites buildings...maybe that was something else?

[PDX City-State]

Units will start at $500 per square foot. What's happening to our town?

[crowdedhouse]

Units will start at $500 per square foot. What's happening to our town? 2 mil for 2000sq ft JEEEEBUSSSSS:???:

[MarkDaMan]

nice building but the price disgusts me....

http://pearldistrict.com/communities/TheMetropo_140_pic_4027.jpg
Modern and sleek tower sure to turn eyes skyward as it rises in the Pearl
- Designer high-rise
Monday, September 19, 2005
FRED LEESON

Construction will begin soon on the tallest building yet in the fast-blooming Pearl District, a slender 19-story condominium to be flanked by two shorter wings for retail, townhouses and possibly office space.

The full-block project, between Northwest Lovejoy and Marshall Streets and 10th and 11th avenues, is intended to be a gateway for buildings yet to come on former railroad yards north of Lovejoy.

Planning and design for The Metropolitan, as it will be called, has taken more than a year. The Portland Design Commission approved the plan last week.

"It's a substantial and dynamic piece of architecture," said Tim Eddy, a design commission member. "It's a step in the right direction."

The developer, Hoyt Street Properties, has done several other Pearl projects such as the Streetcar Lofts, Tanner Place, The Pinnacle and the Lexis.

"It's a departure from what we've done in the past," said Tiffany Sweitzer, Hoyt Street president. "It's more contemporary than what's around it. It's more modern and has more glass. I think it's the start of what you'll see more of north of Lovejoy."

The tower will sit on the southeast quadrant of the block, reaching 225 feet. Although tall by Pearl standards, it is 100 feet shorter than the John Ross tower under construction in the South Waterfront District where city height regulations are different.

John Meadows, a principal with BOORA Architects, said The Metropolitan will be the first "slender tower" in the district with floor areas less than 10,000 square feet, or about one-quarter of the mass of buildings that occupy a full block.

Each floor will contain four condominiums, each a corner unit. With the lower townhouse wing, the project will include 136 residential units. Marketing has not yet begun for the units, but Sweitzer said the average price should fall in the $800,000 range.

No tax subsidies are in the financing plan, Sweitzer said. The city offers tax abatements for new apartment projects but not for condominiums.
Meadows, the architect, said he hopes to achieve a lighter, more crystalline feel with the tower compared with shorter, boxier buildings with brick facades nearby. The tower's exterior will include white metal panels and silver and gray trim around the windows.

Shorter wings of seven and four stories will abut Marshall Street, immediately south of the new Tanner Springs Park. Michael McCulloch, design commission chairman, said he thinks the project was planned "in sympathy" with the park.

Overall, the project offers up to 17,100 square feet of retail space, with as much as 10,000 to 15,000 available for a single retailer. Meadows said the project hopes to attract more than just boutiques.

Exterior surfaces at street level will be glass and travertine. "I think it's a human-scale building, more so than many others in the area," said Jeff Stuhr, a design commission member. "I think it bodes well for other development in the area."

Some townhouses have been designed as possible live-work spaces extending to the ground floor. Meadows said there is no proven market for offices in the area.

"It's kind of a test for us to see if it will be offices or retail," Sweitzer said.

Sweitzer said designers met with representatives of the Pearl District Neighborhood Association over the past year. There was no opposition to the development plan at the design commission's final session.

Fred Leeson: 503-294-5946; fredleeson@news.oregonian.com

[CouvScott]

And you thought winning $340 million was enough to get you a place at the Metropolitan...


October 2005
The Metropolitan Grand Preview Opening
See, Select and Enter!

Dear Scott,

You are cordially invited to the GRAND PREVIEW
PARTY for Portland's MOST prestigious
new condominiums.

Thursday, November 3rd, 4
PM to 9 PM

Hoyt Realty Group: 1130 N.W. 10th
Ave.

Join us for the unveiling of floor plans and pricing for
the Pearl District's tallest, most exciting new
condominium tower...The Metropolitan. See model
rooms, architect's renderings, and interior color
palettes and finishes. Choose your dream living
space. Then put your "name in the hat", for the
opportunity to own a Metropolitan unit. (See
lottery rules below)

Celebration Party 6 PM to 9 PM

Celebrate the Grand Preview in style with a party
next door at the Pinnacle Building. A festive evening
of delicious edibles, cocktails, and live music from the
Mel Brown Quintet featuring Carolyn Joyce.

Due to the strong interest in The Metropolitan the
sellers have decided to use a lottery based selling
system that will allow all interested buyers to enter a
drawing for an opportunity to purchase a
condominium. Read Lottery Entry and Selection
Rules below.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lottery Entry and Selection Rules...
The Metropolitan

1. Guests who attend the Grand Preview on
Thursday, November 3 will be able to enter a drawing
for the opportunity to purchase one of the
condominiums available in The Metropolitan. Most
of the 136 luxury homes will be available and offered
through the drawing.

2. Prospective buyers who are not able to
attend the Grand Preview may visit Hoyt Realty
Group on
Friday, November 4 or Saturday, November 5, 12:00-
5:00 pm to enter the drawing. Deadline for
entries is 5 pm on November 5, 2005.

3. Only one entry per prospective buyer will
be allowed. “Prospective buyers” are defined as the
person(s)
or entity whose name(s) will appear on a sales
agreement and subsequent deed at closing. The
entry
form will allow a choice of 5 unit(s), ranking them by
preference. Multiple entries by any person(s)
or entity will void all entries for that person(s) or
entity.

4. A prospective buyer’s agent (co-op
agent) may submit an entry for a client. However,
the client’s
full name and contact information must be on the
lottery form for the entry to be valid. Agent
information must also be included on the form,
however the prospective buyer, not the agent,
will be the person notified if their name is drawn.

5. A third-party witnessed drawing will take
place Sunday, November 6th. Two hundred entries
will
be drawn and assigned a number 1 through 200. The
first 20 names drawn will be drawn from
entries by current owners of projects previously
developed by Hoyt Street Properties.

6. Prospective buyers whose names have
been drawn will be contacted by phone within 1
week to
schedule an appointment to meet with a salesperson.

7. If the person(s) whose name is drawn
cannot be reached by phone, or is unavailable to
meet with
a salesperson and/or is unprepared to enter into a
sales agreement within two weeks of phone
notification, they will be disqualified. A 5% earnest
money deposit (5% of the sales price) is due
at the time of entering into the sales agreement.

8. Buyer’s lottery positions are not
transferable to any other party, including family
members.

9. The seller has stipulated that sales
agreements will only be accepted for owner-occupied
units and
buyers will be required to attest to this on the sales
agreement.

10. The seller reserves the right to control
all aspects of the marketing effort for the
Metropolitan at
its sole discretion.

11. For more information about the Grand
Preview event or drawing, contact Hoyt Realty
Group, at 503.227.2000.

We hope to see you at the Metropolitan Preview
Opening Celebration!

[MarkDaMan]

oh, I'm sure if you dropped a few million of that jackpot their way, they'd find a way to bump you up that lottery list. Hell, they just might even throw in a personal elevator up to your penthouse...Money seems to speak pretty loudly to our Pearly developers, especially when they are selling their condos at over $500 a square foot...ouch!

[edgepdx]

These lottery things are just a marketing scheme to make the project seem "exclusive" allowing the developer to inflate the sales prices.

Hoyt Street: "Oooo, you can't have one unless you're a lucky winner."

Buyer: "Wow, everyone must want one and I'll be left out unless I buy right now! They'll never build another one like this!"

[MarkDaMan]

I heard the lottery system was created because people were actually breaking out into fights, cramming the sales office, and shouting profanities at the agents while waiting to reserve their condos at the Lexis. Stupid people, I'm glad I'm not moving in there!

[pdxstreetcar]

the lottery sounds like choosing a dorm room, but wow thats crazy about the fights over condos, must be some pretty nice condos then. Maybe because its one of the last great locations in the Pearl.

[cab]

I believe this is common in Vancouver BC. The demand is just that strong.

[MarkDaMan]

actually they were fighting over condos in the Lexis...which I found really strange as that isn't a particularly flashy building.

[InlandEmpire]

As crazy as fighting over condos is (and while I don't condone it haha) this HAS to speak well for the success that subsequent condo towers in Portland will have! The skyline is going to be really impressive within the next few years for sure.

[edgepdx]

I heard the "fight" excuse from Hoyt Street as well. I think the Lexis was quite a bit cheaper than the other buildings (wood construction) and so speculators were fighting over the best units.

It's funny how things have changed in the condo market. When I bought my place a few years ago I got to take several months to choose a unit and even put a "courtesy hold" on a couple that I liked before deciding.

[bvpcvm]

This isn't re: Portland, but it shows just how ridiculous things can get:

HOUSE & HOME/STYLE DESK


Condo Fever Turns Buyers Into Early Birds

By MOTOKO RICH (NYT) 1829 words
Published: February 3, 2005

ANGELINA UMANSKY, a 39-year-old spa owner from San Francisco, was visiting a friend in Miami two weeks ago when she heard about a new condo development downtown. Hoping to find a vacation home, but worried that others were interested, too, Ms. Umansky arrived at the sales office at 8 a.m. the day after seeing some model units.
About 50 other buyers were already in line. Two hours later, a sales agent summoned her and said she had four minutes to decide which unit to buy. She acted fast, offering $350,000 for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit.


Ms. Umansky thinks she got a bargain; when she called on behalf of a friend less than eight hours later, she was told the asking price on a unit like hers had climbed to $380,000, a nearly 9 percent price increase.

Just when it seemed as if the real estate market couldn't get any barmier, it has. With inventories lagging behind demand and prices for new homes rising seemingly by the hour in destination cities like New York and second-home markets like Miami and Orlando, home buyers are camping out overnight in front of sales offices, pestering brokers and developers and scooping up multiple units in the real estate version of scalping.''This is a perfect storm for a frenzied housing market,'' said Susan Wachter, a professor of real estate at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. ''The economy is strengthening, the restrictions on development are increasing and long-term mortgage rates are still historically low.'' Ms. Wachter added that as interest rates start to creep up, more buyers tend to pile into the market, trying to lock in good rates.

Across the country, according to the National Association of Home Builders, the number of new condos sold jumped 32 percent to an estimated 115,000 in 2004 compared with a year earlier. And in New York the number of condo sales in the three months through December 2004 increased 8.2 percent over the same period a year earlier, and average condo prices were up 11.1 percent to $1.29 million, according to Miller Samuel, a New York real estate appraiser.

The gold rush mentality has some economists concerned. Some buyers of new condos and houses are behaving like day-traders before the dot-com crash, said John Vogel Jr., a real estate professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.

In some cases, developers are actually creating the frenzy. In central Florida, Transeastern Homes, which builds subdivisions, asks prospective buyers to put down a refundable deposit of $500 to $5,000 to reserve a time slot to buy a house that has yet to be built, sometimes without knowing more than the general location of the subdivision and a price range.

Buyers review floor plans and maps first at a Web site or in a brochure. When they arrive at the sales ''event,'' typically at a hotel or a convention center, they spend five minutes looking at a map and choosing a home before the next buyer moves to the front of the line. Price increases -- up to 16 a day-- are announced over loudspeakers.

''People get excited and get caught up in it,'' said Joel Lazar, a Transeastern vice president. ''Even if they weren't planning on buying a home, they convince themselves to buy a home.''

Last Sunday, Jeanette Gomez, a banquet server at a resort hotel, drove her mother, Maria Gomez, to her 11:12 a.m. appointment at a hotel in west Orlando. Although the senior Ms. Gomez wasn't planning to buy, she ended up making an $18,500 down payment on a two-bedroom town house. ''I pushed her,'' her daughter said. ''I said 'Just do it.' I think it's a good buy because the sales agent told us the price already went up $20,000 since yesterday.''

What's lost in the giddiness is a sense of history. ''People have a belief that's not true: that you can't lose money in real estate,'' said Joseph Gyourko, a real estate professor at Wharton. ''We know from the late 80's and early 90's that you can.''

In New York, for example, median sales prices -- the exact middle of all sales prices -- peaked at $375,000 in 1987 before plunging 45 percent to a low of $205,000 in 1995. Median prices did not climb back up to their 1980's levels again until 2000, according to Miller Samuel. In the Northeast, the National Association of Realtors said median sales prices fell 11 percent from 1988 to 1989, and did not return to 1988 levels until 2001.

That doesn't stop some buyers from making impulsive down payments on condos that don't yet exist. In October, AnneMarie Alexander, then a broker with Prudential Douglas Elliman, took some brochures and parked her BMW 740 in front of a hole in the ground on 17th Street in Chelsea. She proceeded to sell five luxury condos -- at prices above $1 million each -- from the back seat of her car. ''I showed them the site through a hole in the fence,'' Ms. Alexander said.

Last summer, arguments erupted when 50 prospective buyers spent the night in front of a 16-unit building in Park Slope, Brooklyn, before an open house. As a result, the Corcoran Group, which marketed the property, now sells new condos only by appointment, said Jay Schippers, head of new development for Corcoran in Brooklyn.

Now buyers and their brokers are quarreling over viewing dates. Security guards at 56 Pine Street, a 90-unit condo in Manhattan, called the police to escort two brokers out of a sales office last month. ''They said they were not leaving until they got an appointment,'' said Andy Gerringer, a managing director of Prudential Douglas Elliman, which is helping to sell the condos.

If all else fails, some buyers try bribery. When 3,600 people showed up for a party showcasing a 419-unit condo project in Arlington, Va., last September, the developers booked appointments through the end of January. Afterward, those who had missed out were ''offering us lunch and tickets to baseball games,'' said David Klimas, a broker with McWilliams/Ballard, which was marketing the development. (Mr. Klimas said the buyers' tactics did not work.)

Hoping to beat out the crowds vying last fall for apartments in the Toy Factory Lofts, a new condominium in downtown Brooklyn, Jason Lynn showed up at 11 p.m. -- 14 hours before the sales office opened. He was carrying a fold-up chair, his iPod, some tennis balls (for pick-up handball) and a book. Before long there were enough other early birds to start a card game.

Mr. Lynn says he was happy to stay up all night. He landed a 700-square-foot loft for $314,000 -- 15 percent more than he would have paid at an open house two days earlier.

''There is always a frenzy at the beginning of a development because the prices are lower,'' said David Behin, an executive vice president at the Developers Group, which handled sales at the Toy Factory.

Some excited buyers aim to get a jump on property before it is advertised. Kenneth Horn, president of Alchemy Properties, which is developing a 67-unit condo on 19th Street in Chelsea, said he already has more than 200 individuals and more than 300 brokers on a waiting list for the development, which has yet to receive approval from the attorney general's office, which regulates new real estate.

Brokers field calls from people poised to sign a contract the minute one is available. Some check in three times a day, said Michael Klein, an agent with Liberty Realty in Hoboken, N.J. A couple of times last year, he said, he called clients at 11 p.m. to share floor plans fresh from the printer. The buyers signed deals the same night.

Hoping to manage the crush, the developers of Maxwell Place, a luxury condominium project in a renovated coffee plant on the Hoboken waterfront, told interested buyers in November that they would need appointments, available only to 77 people and only by calling an 800 number at exactly 1 p.m. on a Tuesday. Within an hour, all 77 appointments were taken.

Mr. Vogel, the real estate professor, said the sales hysteria has troubling parallels. ''We've now moved past the stage of people saying we've got to get in before it's too late,'' said Mr. Vogel. ''Now we're at the speculator stage.''

Indeed, Harold Gallo, director for marketing of the Related Group, a developer in Miami with a 1,000-unit condo that sold out in 36 hours last spring, said that about 50 percent of the buyers were investors -- in other words, people who will never live in the apartments and often sell them before anyone moves in. Mr. Vogel said that the frantic buying was characteristic of the tech bubble before it collapsed, adding, ''It speeded up.''

The biggest threat to the housing boom is a sharp increase in mortgage rates. ''That will quickly knock the wind out of these housing markets and the psychology will reverse as quickly as it appeared,'' said Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Economy.com, a private research group. For now, interest rates are expected to rise modestly throughout the year.

None of the naysaying bothers Kathleen Gillman, an interior designer, and her son Patrick, a real estate agent, who bought a $200,000 town house in Orlando at a Transeastern sales event last Saturday. Four months ago Mr. Gillman bought another house nearby, his mother said, adding that it is now worth $50,000 more. ''It is interesting how many different viewpoints are out there about whether it's going to level off now, go on for 10 more years or one more year,'' she said. ''Right now we're going to take the viewpoint that it's certainly not over yet.''




Photos: TAKE A NUMBER -- At a high-pressure sales event in Orlando, Fla., last week, home buyers made reservations to bid. (Photo by Gregg Matthews for The New York Times)(pg. F1); THE BUYING GAME -- Hopeful shoppers lined up last fall to see new condos in Brooklyn, left; two days later, an early bird, Jason Lynn, camped in the lobby and landed a place, right. (Photographs by Lori Berkowitz for The New York Times); CABIN FEVER -- As developers fan the frenzy at sales events like this one, held last week by Transeastern Homes in Orlando, Fla., buyers vie for houses before they are built. (Photo by Gregg Matthews for The New York Times)(pg. F10)

[MarkDaMan]

surprise surprise...

Demand Out Distances Housing Supply
11/10/2005

On Thursday November 3rd The Metropolitan sales were kicked off with a three-day buyers’ preview of the 136-unit condominium community. At the end of the preview, 500 buyers had indicated their interest in purchasing one of the homes.



“We had a sense that we would have more buyers interested than we had homes to sell,” said Tiffany Sweitzer, President of Hoyt Street Properties (HSP). “Prior to the launch more than 4,600 inquiries had been received regarding the project.”



Faced with this enviable problem, HSP and Hoyt Realty Group designed a lottery system that gave everyone an equal chance at purchasing a home. On Sunday November 6th two hundred names were drawn and the process of informing the winners began the following day.



As the developer of a 30-block neighborhood in the Pearl District, Hoyt Street Properties is accustomed to a high level of interest in its projects. For example, the 124 unit Park Place condominium, overlooking Jamison Park, sold out just 8 months after it opened in May 2004. A year later the Pinnacle Condominium’s 176 homes were sold before its doors opened.



“We believe this increased level of interest is directly related to the progress we are making in transforming a former railroad yard into a unique mixed-use community,” speculated Sweitzer. “After 10 years of effort people are now able to feel and visualize the distinctive nature of our urban neighborhood with its own lively character and personality.”

[InlandEmpire]

Wow, that turnout is very impressive! This can only speak very well for future projects and the scope of interest people have in living in urban Portland.

[dkealoha]

I didn't see anyone post this link yet...

http://metropolitanpearl.com/

[sirsimon]

Thank god - finally a condo website that doesn't beat you to death with Flash content! :)

[pdxstreetcar]

^
so true!!!

[pdxtraveler]

The crane is going up on this as I write.

[MarkDaMan]

new rendering
http://www.tndwest.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/metropolitan.jpg

[PDX City-State]

The demand was so strong for this building, they had to do a lottery. Consider this already sold out.

[edirp]

Out of 480 lottery entrant hopefuls, 200 names were drawn and contacted about purchasing residences in the 136-unit multiuse building. The process resulted in 52 fully executed sales agreements and 46 pending agreements.

This means that 22 units remain available in The Metropolitan.

[MarkDaMan]

http://static.flickr.com/29/100189040_6ae353b029.jpg?v=0
Metropolitan crane over Park Place
http://static.flickr.com/25/100189042_ec3882e710.jpg?v=1140039414

[edirp]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/edirp/metropolitan1.jpg

[MarkDaMan]

^WoW, how'd you score that pic?

[CouvScott]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e214/couvttocs/MVC-878F.jpg

[CouvScott]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e214/couvttocs/photo_207_0002.jpg

[MarkDaMan]

^the Pearl is looking really dense in that pic!

[pdxstreetcar]

nice pics, couvscott
is that second one from up in the pinnacle


the view from fremont bridge of the pearl is awesome and also very dense looking, i highly recommend being a passenger in a car going over the bridge with a camera and driving in the most-right lane (afternoon is a pretty good time and slow traffic is best). also the bridge pedal in august goes over the fremont bridge and you can get off your bike and stand by the bridge railings and take pictures of the pearl.

[cab]

Ride the Providence Bridge Petal in Aug. You get the entire Fremont Bridge Upper deck without cars. Awesome for pictures!

[CouvScott]

nice pics, couvscott
is that second one from up in the pinnacle


Thanks, but I can only take credit for the first one. The second one is from the Metropolitan website.

I drive across the Freemont top deck each morning and find myself looking over at the pearl as the freeway isn't too crowded at 5:30am. I might have to try the bridge pedal again to get some pictures.

[tworivers]

The Met, rising rapidly, from the south:

http://static.flickr.com/52/181267803_9569560752.jpg?v=0

and from the north, the edge of the Pearl:

http://static.flickr.com/49/181271433_d02a5f1b48.jpg?v=0

You can see the Benson if you look closely:

http://static.flickr.com/55/181271434_eedad71d2a.jpg?v=0

[Dougall5505]

cool great pictures i was going to go take some pics of this area today but it looks like you have it covered

[MarkDaMan]

I don't think this rendering has been seen on here before. I like it from this angle even better!

http://www.boora.com/portfolio/hoyt_street/block_9/hoyt_street_02.jpg

[edgepdx]

Nice massing from that angle. They broke up the full block well.

[tworivers]

Yeah, that is really well done.

[asher519]

From Friday's Business Journal:

The art of the Pearl

One of Portland's largest developers is seeking a Northwest artist to create a unique work for its latest project.

And there is a $25,000 commission at stake for the winner of a design competition sponsored by Hoyt Street Properties. The winning artist will create a one-of-a-kind work for The Metropolitan, which will be the tallest building in the Pearl District when it is completed in the fall of 2007.

The project includes condominiums, townhomes designed to serve as work spaces as well as residences, and retail space. Hoyt Street used a similar competition approach to select an architect for The Metropolitan, with Portland-based Boora Architects being the ultimate winner.

Hoyt Street is looking for artists based in Washington or Oregon. Judges representing the community and local galleries will select the final candidate.

[MarkDaMan]

I wonder if this will be placed in some central courtyard for everyone to see, or if it will be in the lobby?

[Dougall5505]

hopefully in the courtyard for those picture-happy tourists

[65MAX]

And there is a $25,000 commission at stake for the winner of a design competition sponsored by Hoyt Street Properties. The winning artist will create a one-of-a-kind work for The Metropolitan, which will be the tallest building in the Pearl District when it is completed in the fall of 2007.

Hmmm, how much did Portlandia cost? :shuffle:

[Dougall5505]

if anyone is interested they are starting to put cladding on the metropolitan it looks nice so far sorry no pics

[alexjon]

Dude, the pearl needs its icon. A big gorgeous renaissance fountain! Or something.

[CouvScott]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e214/couvttocs/MVC-023F.jpg
and a steel structure going up on the SW corner...
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e214/couvttocs/MVC-024F.jpg

[Dougall5505]

ha i told you about the cladding anyway nice pics

[CouvScott]

ha i told you about the cladding anyway nice pics
That's the reason I stopped by to take pics. :)

[Dougall5505]

from the bridge pedal
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC06702.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC06699.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC06698.jpg

[asher519]

I love how that last pic makes the neighborhood look so dense. Nice work!

I walked past it earlier today on the Lovejoy side, and really like the "feel" the emerging structure gives to the area. Hopefully, that "certain something" will remain when the building is completed.

[MarkDaMan]

that's hawt!

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC06698.jpg

[AwnPhyer]

The pearl white color of the Metropolitan is really going to look sweet against the other buildings there in the pearl. A little tease of what's coming in that pic.

[sirsimon]

A quick snappy-snap I took while waiting at the traffic light.

http://www.secure-digital.net/SoWa/metro_pdx_005.jpg

[Dougall5505]

some pics from today
its hard to tell from this angle but i counted they are fourteen floors up
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC02509.jpg

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC02510.jpg

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC02511.jpg

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC02512.jpg

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC02513.jpg

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC02514.jpg

[MarkDaMan]

Is the Metro sold out? I noticed this weekend all their fencing had huge pics of the Encore and contact info but nothing for the Metropolitan.

[pdx2m2]

I think there are a couple of units left ...only a few if any...maybe some of the live work units in the 4 story building.

The sales office is totally remodeled to become the Encore sales office...I think I heard the Encore sales are open to the public in early October.

[zilfondel]

14 floors up? And its only going to 19? Man, they did a really good job making this building look shorter than it is. Who woulda thunk stepping towers like that - even on the same block - would be so effective?

[pdx2m2]

I agree that the stepping is successful...seems to nestle into the neighborhood of smaller and shorter buildings...and avoided the problems that the ladd and alegro are having...appearing too large...even though this will be one of the largest and tallest buildings in the neighborhood to date.

As the tower gets taller I think it will still feel vertical...the tower floor plate seems to be about 9000 sf so it will feel taller by the time it gets to 225 '.

[MarkDaMan]

I am amazed when I drive over the Broadway Bridge into the Pearl. This building really added something to the neighborhood I didn't think it was missing! With the Safeway and Wyatt, that part of the Pearl is going to feel quite dense.

[CouvScott]

The Metropolitan Condominiums Update
September 2006

A SELECT FEW CONDOS,

A VERY SELECT TIME.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Metropolitan is one of the most watched new
developments in the Pearl District, and the entire
city. Already, feature articles on this land mark
structure have appeared in the Oregon Business
Magazine, the Portland Tribune, and the Oregonian.

Currently 90% of the homes in the Metropolitan
have
been sold.

Premium Condos available: Click here to see pricing... - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=oefuuybab.0.r8bnvybab.wx4n8wbab.3506&ts=S0208&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.goemail.biz%2Fclient_pdfs%2FCurrent+Metropolitan+Pricing.xls

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE...

There is something new to see virtually
every few days...

The 17th floor is now being poured. Construction is
moving very quickly now. For a slide show of the
construction in process
view here (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=oefuuybab.0.kdcybxbab.wx4n8wbab.3506&ts=S0208&p=http%3A%2F%2Fmetropolitanpearl.com%2Fconstruction.html).

[Dougall5505]

the link to construction pics didn't work for me

[CouvScott]

http://metropolitanpearl.com/construction.html

And then hit slide show.

[Dougall5505]

thanks it worked

[pdxman]

I just discovered that one of the retail spots in the the Metro will be an Eddie Bauer. Not amazing, but something.
http://www.urbanworksrealestate.com/listings/TheMetropolitanNW11thLovejoy.htm

[pdxtraveler]

Yeah, I was slightly disappointed my Eddie Bauer my self.

[MarkDaMan]

shoot, I'm not! If these 'big chain' mall stores are building urban, outside of the crappy lifestyle center, stores, we might actually be changing just a little bit of the corporate enthrallment with locating in malls and only in malls. This also proves the Pearl's success. Diesel, PF Changs, Whole Foods on the out of state corporations, Henry's Tavern, Lucy, Mio Gelato for the local businesses. We just need to be aware of the mix and make sure the local retailers are being served...I'm just waiting for a Moonstruck Cafe to open.

[pdx2m2]

I agree that Eddie Bauer is good or the pearl and the metropolitan. I"m not a huge Eddie Bauer fan although think the diversity in the Pearl reflects a maturing and more stable urban environment...and a more diverse one. The small 1,000 sf boutique retail is great although in itself it is incomplete...we need Safeway, clothing, electronic, hardware etc.

[brandonpdx]

I disagree. Having corporations does not define diversity. Corporations define shareholder greed where the bulk of the profits go out of state and all we get in return are minimum wage earners, a cookie cutter homogenized product and a store that you can find in Anywhere, USA.

You want real diversity? Well, that is the locally owned store that is a reflection of that individual’s creativity. These are stores you won’t find anywhere else except for where they’re located and the bulk of the profits remain right here.

[MarkDaMan]

I buy my fruits and veggies at the Farmer's Market, I also purchase them at Freddies. I love Hot Lips pizza, but I have ordered Dominos for delivery. I am a responsible consumer and I enjoy having the diverse choices of a home grown product, and I also understand the need to support them, but there are other times I like to get products I can get in anywhere USA. Such as Nike shoes, and we were all just gloating about how a new NikeTown will be such a boon to the city...even though it is also corporate, and drug Beaverton through the mud recently.

Diversity, just by definition, would include community, individual and corporate interests. Having major corporations decide a market is viable doesn't de-diversify the district unless they are pricing their products below the mom-and-pops so they can run them out of business. I don't think predatory pricing serves the community but I also don't see any of the corporations moving into the Pearl employing Wal-Mart style market grabs.

[zilfondel]

I don't think predatory pricing serves the community but I also don't see any of the corporations moving into the Pearl employing Wal-Mart style market grabs.


The Pearl demographic is probably way outside of the target Wal-Mart demographic, plus there really isn't that large of a population. Interestingly, I just ran across startling news regarding Wal-Marts' jump into urban markets...


Wal-Mart just debuted its new 'urban' styled store in Atlanta:

http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/2006/10/12/1013bizwalmart.html

http://img.coxnewsweb.com/B/04/67/28/image_4828674.jpg

It's got organic clothing, no smiley's, a bakery, gourmet cheese, and still the low wages. This store is also underground. Who knows what the future will hold?

username: spam@spammer.com
pword: 12345

[asher519]

I completely agree with Mark's assessment in post #70. Personally, I've never set foot in an Eddie Bauer, but I have a feeling that those throngs of residents and visitors in the Pearl will be very happy to have one close-at-hand and avoid that trip to the mall.

[PacificNW]

Beaverton screwed up, legally speaking, when it attempted to annex Nike the way it did.

[PDX City-State]

Corporations define shareholder greed where the bulk of the profits go out of state and all we get in return are minimum wage earners, a cookie cutter homogenized product and a store that you can find in Anywhere, USA.


This certainly is true with many large companies such as Walmart, but there are many good corporate citizens that pay far more than minimum wage, give generous employee benefits, tuition reimbursements and good quality of life. Take Whole Foods for example. An employee is far better off working for Whole Foods than working for the local grocery co-op. And while it's true that much of Whole Food's profits go to out-of-state shareholders, the company buys and sells local goods and donates money to local charities. The same can be said of Starbucks. I don't go there because I am a Stumptown fan, but the average Starbucks employee is far, far better off working for the coffee giant than working for the average local coffee house. (excluding Stumptown of course which is a notable exception, an anomoly even, that offers fantastic wages and benefits) Starbucks employees are provided with health care, tuitition reimbursement, and a living wage. Safeway and Fred Meyers are also good examples. Both are union and employees have the opportunity to earn a living wage. The list is long.


You want real diversity? Well, that is the locally owned store that is a reflection of that individual’s creativity. These are stores you won’t find anywhere else except for where they’re located and the bulk of the profits remain right here.

This is absolutely true. I support local products as much as I can. But I am college-educated with a professional salary--as are the majority of the forumers. Not everyone is so lucky. And I know for a fact that a lot of people are looking forward to Safeway's entrance into the Pearl.

[pdxstreetcar]

i'm glad to hear a store like eddie bauer is moving in the pearl, we knew a major national retailer was opening there but I personally didnt see EB as a potential tenant because it doesnt fit the typical pearl image but that's why i am happy with them opening here. i wonder if this would be a second central portland store or if they would move from pioneer place.

i have nothing against chains, so long as they dont overly dominate a place. i think the pearl can support a good balance of the two (although preferably favored towards the independents), but i certainly was happy with the officemax and riteaid opening (both of these stores are small anyway).

[CouvScott]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e214/couvttocs/MVC-934F.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e214/couvttocs/MVC-932F.jpg

[pdxtraveler]

I have nothing against Eddie Bauer but I had been hoping for something like
H&M. I know looking back that would have been 'International Clothing Retailer' rather than 'National Clothing Retailer'. I was dreaming anyway they just now hit the west coast.

[MarkDaMan]

usually, clothiers like to cluster. Like at the mall. Just because Eddie Bauer moves in, doesn't mean a GAP wont go in next door. I've never heard of H&M but I'm sure they probably wouldn't be frightened away by a competitor in the area, or several for that matter.

[Dougall5505]

couvscott could you see the encore from there? im interested to see how far along that is. and the waterfront pearl, how far along is that?

[hi123]

Does anybody know how 937 tower in progressing?(sorry could'nt fint the thread for it )

[bvpcvm]

usually, clothiers like to cluster. Like at the mall. Just because Eddie Bauer moves in, doesn't mean a GAP wont go in next door. I've never heard of H&M but I'm sure they probably wouldn't be frightened away by a competitor in the area, or several for that matter.

correct me if i'm wrong: h&m is the ikea of clothes - right?

[zilfondel]

I've never heard of it.

You're telling us they have a 300,000 sq ft warehouse that serves swedish meatballs, and that you have to assemble the clothes yourself?

[pdxtraveler]

They are both from Sweden and they are both cheap. I have shopped at their locations in Vienna, Munich, and the new one in San Francisco. They are extremely cheap but fashionable. The clothes aren't the amazingly best quality, but not bad. You get what you pay for. They look great though.

[pdx2m2]

The contractor had their topping out party yesterday for the metropolitan..just finished pouring concrete for the roof. There is still 1.5 story mechanical penthouse although that must be steel construction.

I heard the travertine stone will arrive in one month and they will start installing stone on the large wall in the 2nd floor roof garden...The wall is framed now and should look pretty great from tanner springs park.

[Dougall5505]

shoot topped out already. i want it to be taller

[zilfondel]

They are both from Sweden and they are both cheap. I have shopped at their locations in Vienna, Munich, and the new one in San Francisco. They are extremely cheap but fashionable. The clothes aren't the amazingly best quality, but not bad. You get what you pay for. They look great though.

No kidding... that is pretty interesting. According to wiki, they are a 'low-end retailer'

[tworivers]

www.hm.com

A Swedish friend of mine swears by the H & M's in Sweden, so I went and checked out the store in DC when I was back there this summer. It's like cheap designer-style clothes in a slick shopping environment with awful Eurodisco pop music on the stereo. I bought two pairs of very well fitted jeans (made in Turkey) for 39.99 each. I wear one or the other pair pretty much every day and they're holding up well. And they have what looks like a decent "social responsibility" emphasis, better than the average corporation anyways.

I thought about writing to Sam Adams and asking if they were on his recruitment radar, seeing as they are obviously in the process of expanding to the west coast, but I haven't gotten around to it yet...

[MOPIdaho]

tworivers, you wouldn't happen to be an H&M shareholder? I don't know what it is exactly but we need one!

[65MAX]

Looks like H&M is in aggressive expansion mode, they already have 16 stores in California within just a couple of years. I'm guessing it won't be much more than a year before they open one in PDX.

[pdx2m2]

Maybe we need a retail or H&M thread...we're getting a bit far afield from the metropolitan.

[CouvScott]

couvscott could you see the encore from there? im interested to see how far along that is. and the waterfront pearl, how far along is that?

The Encore is blocked by the Pinnacle, but neither the Encore or the Waterfront Pearl have made it out of the ground.

[WonderlandPark]

Man it looks a smoggy as LA in those photos ^^^
Can't wait to see the Pearl after being away from PDX for more than 2 years.

[CouvScott]

Man it looks a smoggy as LA in those photos ^^^
Can't wait to see the Pearl after being away from PDX for more than 2 years.

We had some thick fog on Friday. It was still burning off at noon.

[zilfondel]

You should have seen it a few weeks ago, you couldn't see more than a 1/4 mile because of all the smoke from the forest fires!

[WonderlandPark]

You should have seen it a few weeks ago, you couldn't see more than a 1/4 mile because of all the smoke from the forest fires!

Been there, done that, that huge fire burned in the mountains behind Ventura for almost a month.

[pdxman]

They took the crane down today for the metropolitan...as one goes up, another comes down.

[MarkDaMan]

Projecting art
by Alison Ryan
01/24/2007

FOR Seattle artist Ann Gardner, THE competition meant a permanent home for her "Sliver of Light," a slim mosaic of white-swirled shards backed by gold leaf, and a $25,000 commission. For future residents of a Pearl District condominium, the competition will mean a piece of made-for-the-space lobby art.

Gardner was plucked from hundreds of Northwest artists in a competition to create a piece for the Metropolitan, the under-construction Hoyt Street Properties project that will soon be the Pearl District's tallest building.

And the competition may be just the first stroke in new strategies for creative collaboration by Portland's private development companies.

Space set a spark

The lobby of the Metropolitan, with its rich finishes of mahogany and travertine, connects to a series of high-end amenities, including a wine bar and library. But the three-story space, said BOORA Architects principal and Metropolitan project lead John Meadows, was prime for exterior connections, too.

"As we developed the design," he said, "there was a huge wall visible from 10th and Lovejoy that we were always showing art, or a mural, or something on."

Eye-catching space, said Tiffany Sweitzer, president and CEO of developer Hoyt Street Properties, opened the possibilities. Hoyt Street has injected art into its buildings – from an outsized glass piece on the side of the Streetcar Lofts to petite walkway lanterns at Bridgeport Condominiums – from the beginning. But the high-profile lobby, which will be visible to both Portland Streetcar riders and passers-and-drivers-by, created another kind of option.

"I thought, that's a perfect opportunity to really display someone's work," she said.

It was also an opportunity to get the Pearl District art community – as well as future residents – involved in outfitting the space. A seven-member selection panel formed, with Butters Gallery director Kristina Butters, Victoria Frey, executive director of the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, and future Metropolitan residents Martin Bleek, Craig Boretz and Hugh D'Autremont joining Sweitzer and Meadows.

"It was really great to have input from the people living here," Sweitzer said. "It's not just the developer dictating what they think is right for the building."

Artists – 110 in total – submitted credentials and their bodies of work in response to a request for proposals. The number was narrowed to 10, and then three finalists – Gardner, painter Naomi Shigeta of Lake Oswego and glass artist Kelly McLain of Seattle – were picked. And while all three, Meadows said, "were amazing" and "after each interview, there was the sense that this is really great, this could be it," in the end, the mosaics were the unanimous choice.

"There was just this resonance," he said. "The lobby is certainly bold, large and light-filled, but it's pretty quiet at the same time. ... It was a piece that just looked like it belonged there."

Building dedication to art

Just a few blocks away, another creative effort is rising with the Casey Condominiums. Panels of multicolored glass, designed in collaboration by Dustin White of GBD Architects and Bullseye Glass Co., will streak up the 16-story building's exterior.

"With the Casey being next door to Bullseye Gallery, it was sort of a natural fit," said Jill Sherman, development manager at project developer Gerding Edlen Development Co.

The backlit panels, each a little different, will create a series of related but unique patterns – and another piece of built art for the neighborhood. The project, which also includes main lobby and elevator lobby art glass by artist Martha Pfanschmidt, is being showcased in "The Casey Story," a collection of photographs and glass samples that will be on display at the gallery through Feb. 24.

"Gerding Edlen," Sherman said, "is very interested in incorporating art, and in innovative ways."

The Metropolitan competition, Sweitzer said, is Hoyt Street's first in what will be an ongoing effort.

"I want to continue to do this as we go through our property," she said, "whether it's in parks or inside the building."

Meadows said that the competition process – seen often in public projects – is one he hopes will flip to the private side, too.

"Our hope is that we can get Hoyt Street or other developers to do similar things in the future. ... It's a nice way to engage the arts community and keep things open and fresh," he said.
http://www.djc-or.com/viewStory.cfm?recid=28768&userID=1

[tworivers]

Took these yesterday. It's living up to the renderings, I think.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/172/387453997_b0dd451fa7.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/141/387451468_55a3008d58.jpg?v=0

[zilfondel]

The Metro tower seems a bit more flat than I expected - I thought those white verticaly striping elements would stick out, and not be flush with the glazing. =(

[sirsimon]

^ I thought so too. It is pretty "clean" looking though