buildings in need of re-cladding

[Sioux612]

I could come up with a huge list of buildings that could use a new skin. The building that erks me the most has to be the Benjamin Franklin Plaza building. This building is in a prime location and it's literally a red brick box. The Wells Fargo tower exterior is also blah.

[MarkDaMan]

what's the deal with the Fed building between second and third? I thought it was going to get recladded but I've been hearing about that for years now.

...Portland Building...

[rsbear]

Originally Posted by Sioux612

I could come up with a huge list of buildings that could use a new skin. The building that erks me the most has to be the Benjamin Franklin Plaza building. This building is in a prime location and it's literally a red brick box. The Wells Fargo tower exterior is also blah.

It's great that we have a shared interest in Portland and also cool that we have different views - I think Ben Franklin is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city - and I have for over 30 years.

The Federal Building is horrible and I'd love to have that thing gone or at least reskinned. And while we're dreaming, please demo the Marriott. What a piece.

[Sekkle]

Am I the only one that thinks the KOIN tower is hideous? Is that blasphemy or something? I know it's kind of a signature tower on the Portland skyline, but man is that thing fugly. I'm not talking about the cladding - just don't like the building in general (sorry, I know that's a little off-topic, but rsbear's post made me think of it).

[philopdx]

The Standard Center building (white pebbles, c'mon!), Portlandia, UBOC tower on Broadway, Hilton Tower (the old one), pretty much any condo tower close to the west hills built before 1980.

[RED_PDXer]

I think we all have different tastes.. I would first remodel the Portlandia Building.. including removing the parking garage entrance facing the Park. I happen to like the Standard Insurance building

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by MarkDaMan

what's the deal with the Fed building between second and third? I thought it was going to get recladded but I've been hearing about that for years now.

...Portland Building...

The Federal building is up for a recladding, but the problem is there is no money. So basically it is on a long list of GSA projects that has no money. So we should expect that to happen sometime in the next hundred years.


And I too like the Standard building. I dont care for the base on the backside though, along 4th, I think that should be redone to connect with the building better.

[pdxman]

I too like the standard building. The building seems a lot taller than it really is when you stand next to it, plus i like the front of it as well. It has a "big city" feel to it even tho its not a tall building.

[Sioux612]

The Marriot needs more than re-cladding, it needs a miracle.

[westsider]

^ Its the sorest sore thumb on naito.

[pdxdash]

The Marriott on Naito Parkway is atrocious...my solution would be to paint it pink and play up its Miami/Honolulu hotel look...a row of shrubbery atop its portico roofline would also help soften the design.

I heard somewhere that the Ben Franklin building was the last large building to use that particular type of red brick...its source is exhausted.

Lastly, the old Hilton Hotel tower was beautiful before they painted it beige back around 1990. It's facade was composed of small individual pebbles that called to mind a river bed, and was particularly striking when wet. Management painted over it and changed the green Hilton rooftop sign to red in order to conform to corporate image.

Another downtown building that I like when wet is the grey World Trade Centers. It changes color like a giant rock soaking up the rain.

[rsbear]

Not sure if it's technically possible given the design, but I would love to see something done to One Main Place. Perhaps just painted a different color? OMP is one of the most blah buildings in the city. Thank goodness Two Main Place (same design concept, different shape) was never built. First and Main is a much, much better design.

[MarkDaMan]

^yeah, I have to agree, not much can be done in OMP. The new owners REEF came in a year or so ago, they've done some substantial interior upgrades. Just last month we got a fitness room. They are also updating common areas, elevator lobbies, bathrooms and such.

Before the previous owner sold it they did a lot of landscaping work, and street level improvements. The building is solid though, and they aren't going to mess with the exterior that I know of.

[Sioux612]

It really sticks out like a sore thumb between the Fox Tower and the (soon to be) Park Avenue West tower.

[hossboss85]

Originally Posted by philopdx

The Standard Center building (white pebbles, c'mon!), Portlandia, UBOC tower on Broadway, Hilton Tower (the old one), pretty much any condo tower close to the west hills built before 1980.

I kind of like the UBOC tower. It's slim, dark...seems like something out of that crummy movie Equilibrium. It took a while, but this one grew on me.

Portlandia, on the other hand...

[smendesPDX]

I would love to see the red brick removed from Nordstroms and replaced with either white brick or some light color cladding that mades an architectural statement. Maybe some dramatic lighting too...

[pdxman]

My dream for the nordstroms building is get rid of that brick and replace it with glass and steel lattice construction. Tho that probably won't happen something must be done to rehab the building, it just blends to well in to the sidewalk.

[pdxskyline]

My top 10 in need of dire re-cladding and/or some sort of massive remodeling (in no particular order):

PSU's Ondine Hall- ugly commie block that's partially painted in PSU's schoool colors
Nordstrom's downtown "fort"
The Federal Building
The ugly, squat building attached to Big Pink
Keller Auditorium (the north, south, and east sides)
Ugly 50's(?) building and parking garage at 2nd and Yamhill across the BofA tower-Tear this thing down or remodel this eyesore!
Portland Hilton Main Hotel structure- Update the tower to be more congruent with the base
Qwest Building bordered by W Burnside, SW Park, SW Oak, and SW 9th: Does anyone know where the heck the entrance to this building is? Ever see anyone go into it?
Downtown Fire station at Skidmore Fountain- If we're keeping this thing there, let's make it pretty!
American Plaza Complex (Grant, Lincoln, and Jefferson Towers): Ugly concrete commie-block looking things. The paint on the towers is peeling off so bad... What a pitty these things are right near the waterfront and their tennents are complaining about raising height limits at RiverPlace. what about their ugly POS Buildings?? Give 'em the Harrison Condos treatment and some TLC for God's sake!

Just my 2 cents if it matters... There are plenty more in dire need of some love, but I can't remember their names.

I sort of have a cool idea of what would look neat if I were to re-clad the Federal Building. Want to see? It'll take some time to whip some renders up, but I do have a 3d recreation of it that I made for Sim City 4 on my HD. I'd need some time, but I can "reclad" my model!

[NJD]

I'd rather raze the lowrise (phase 1) part of Big Pink, and replace it than reclad it. So much potential to open up that whole area be reconnecting Ankeny and Pine with a small triangular plaza between them and a new tower on the remaining (oak,5th,pine,6th) block. The mall inside the lowrise is a waste and never became much anyway, the odd triangular plaza existing on the end never really is used, and I always felt it was a mistake closing off Ankeny like they did (having to go through the lobby). Maybe someone at the city can give a special FAR bonus incentive to rebuild the 1 1/2+ block area.

oh, and add just about every building in the Lloyd District (including the yet-to-be-built 100 Multnomah) to this list of reclads.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by NJD

I'd rather raze the lowrise (phase 1) part of Big Pink, and replace it than reclad it. So much potential to open up that whole area be reconnecting Ankeny and Pine with a small triangular plaza between them and a new tower on the remaining (oak,5th,pine,6th) block. The mall inside the lowrise is a waste and never became much anyway, the odd triangular plaza existing on the end never really is used, and I always felt it was a mistake closing off Ankeny like they did (having to go through the lobby). Maybe someone at the city can give a special FAR bonus incentive to rebuild the 1 1/2+ block area.

oh, and add just about every building in the Lloyd District (including the yet-to-be-built 100 Multnomah) to this list of reclads.

Actually that triangle plaza that is there now will be redone. SERA will be redesigning it, it has something to do with connecting the new hotel going in there to the light rail to Big Pink, gateway kind of thing. I have seen no drawings for it yet, so don't get any hopes up.