Downtown Portland News - Page 24

mcbaby · #**461** Posted **Feb 26, 2007, 11:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by zilfondel

Speaking of the strand, have you guys seen the terrible above-ground (we're talking 4' tall) planter boxes for the trees? It really detracts from the design, I think.

do you have any pics?

der Reisender · #**462** Posted **Feb 27, 2007, 2:17 AM**

i will work on the pearl buildings, but those will take longer to do b/c google earth has nothing north of lovejoy up, so there's some filling in to be done...

as for austin, well, i don't know enough about it and there are no 3d buildings there right now, so that'd be a much bigger undertaking that i just don't have time for

zilfondel · #**463** Posted **Feb 27, 2007, 6:38 AM**

If I had a functioning camera, I would. =(

zilfondel · #**464** Posted **Feb 27, 2007, 6:47 AM**

My favorite building in Portland. If anyone ever so much as touches it (except for a renovation), they're gonna end up in the bottom of the Columbia in little tiny pieces.

pdxman · #**465** Posted **Feb 27, 2007, 6:58 AM**

That is a great building...there are a couple of those types of buildings in DT that i love. Very new yorkish...it would be nice if they could redo that one tho. Make it into sweet studios. Is there a name for those types of buildings? The design?

65MAX · #**466** Posted **Feb 27, 2007, 9:27 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by zilfondel

My favorite building in Portland. If anyone ever so much as touches it (except for a renovation), they're gonna end up in the bottom of the Columbia in little tiny pieces.

Chill, Z.... the Studio Bldg is safe. In fact, a remodel is probably not too far off once the new park opens.

65MAX · #**467** Posted **Feb 27, 2007, 9:29 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdxman

That is a great building...there are a couple of those types of buildings in DT that i love. Very new yorkish...it would be nice if they could redo that one tho. Make it into sweet studios. Is there a name for those types of buildings? The design?

With the mansard roof, kind of French Chateau-ish. I could visualize something like this on the banks of the Loire River.

rialb · #**468** Posted **Feb 27, 2007, 5:17 PM**

I walked by the site today, railings are going on, Curtainwall has now started on the ground floor, I think the might be gettign close.

I think the elevator is coming down soon as some gates are already removed on the top floors.

pdxtraveler · #**469** Posted **Feb 27, 2007, 7:29 PM**

Glad to hear the Studio building is safe. It is one of my favorites as well. And now one of my favorite restaurants is opening there in April! Love Pastini!

urbanlife · #**470** Posted **Feb 27, 2007, 8:11 PM**

I love the Cornelius Hotel, so I for one am happy to see the midtown blocks be safe and can't wait for that building to be renovated back into a hotel, I am guessing that is the plan.

Dougall5505 · #**471** Posted **Feb 27, 2007, 11:24 PM**

nice pics asher! The eliot has a lot of retail space. But does the benson tower have any? or does the water feature take up the whole ground floor? I've haven't heard anything about retail at the benson. have you guys?

brandonpdx · #**472** Posted **Feb 27, 2007, 11:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dougall5505

nice pics asher! The eliot has a lot of retail space. But does the benson tower have any? or does the water feature take up the whole ground floor? I've haven't heard anything about retail at the benson. have you guys?

there isn't any. Just the water feature.

65MAX · #**473** Posted **Feb 28, 2007, 12:52 AM**

^^^^ Yep, that's the plan.

Drmyeyes · #**474** Posted **Feb 28, 2007, 6:16 AM**

Another Park Blocks design presentation meeting tonight. Design's coming along o.k., except that at present, they're wanting to locate the restaurant/restroom hard up against the southwest corner of the block, aparrently about at a point that would meet where the sidewalk is now. People didn't like that. Design team said they'd re-examine options that would allow correcting this.

Down at PB2, (obryant), aparrently they've concluded that the thing to do in order to create an overall grade that would meet the sidewalk/street around the entire perimeter of the block/park, is to eliminate the parking entrance on the north side as well as the parking it leads to. Didn't raise the question there, but doesn't seem like a good idea to me. Wondered if they explored working out a deal connecting the parking garage with that of the Bank of Cali garage to the east, in a configuration similar to Moyer's up at PB5.

Somebody that sounds like they should know, got up and said another underground parking garage is going in on an adjacent block...logically, that would be the parking lot to the southwest.

Both squares will have water features. I've got views on all that stuff, but leaving off with just the above.

Free cookies and coffee too!

65MAX · #**475** Posted **Feb 28, 2007, 6:37 AM**

O'Bryant is Park Block 1.......... Park Block 2 is the quartet of historic buildings including the Woodlark and the Cornelius to the south. The adjacent block they're talking about (that would be redeveloped with underground parking) is the odd-shaped block due north of O'Bryant. The idea is to connect these two blocks underground so there's one contiguous garage below, like with Fox and PB5.

The parking lot to the SW of O'Bryant is also primed for development (that's the block north of the Galleria), but it won't be connected to O'Bryant underground. Also, the block NW of O'Bryant is Harsch's new Fed Reserve Tower, so O'Bryant definitely has a much brighter future.

Drmyeyes · #**476** Posted **Feb 28, 2007, 6:55 AM**

Oh, there I go again...keeping you hoppin to the rescue max.... Maybe you've got the straight scoop on the parking beneath O'Bryant. The existing entrance definitely seems to be going. Nobody had a chance to ask about the actual parking, and the team didn't clarify tonight in the presentation, but I suppose it wouldn't make sense that they would fill it in.

I hope you're right about that. It just seems funny that they wouldn't mention that existing parking would be connected with new underground parking to be eventually built in the block north. I seem to distinctly remember hearing them say: "We thought about and decided....no, the parking has to go."

65MAX · #**477** Posted **Feb 28, 2007, 7:32 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drmyeyes

Oh, there I go again...keeping you hoppin to the rescue max.... Maybe you've got the straight scoop on the parking beneath O'Bryant. The existing entrance definitely seems to be going. Nobody had a chance to ask about the actual parking, and the team didn't clarify tonight in the presentation, but I suppose it wouldn't make sense that they would fill it in.

I hope you're right about that. It just seems funny that they wouldn't mention that existing parking would be connected with new underground parking to be eventually built in the block north. I seem to distinctly remember hearing them say: "We thought about and decided....no, the parking has to go."

Yes, the existing parking has to go. It comes down to timing. If O'Bryant is renovated before the block to the north is redeveloped, then there won't be any new parking going below O'Bryant. The two would need to be done simultaneously, so it depends on how long they can delay O'Bryant's renovation.

Drmyeyes · #**478** Posted **Feb 28, 2007, 8:37 AM**

Interesting. Just checked portlandparks.org website. It accomodates 90 cars. Based on this:

"PROJECT OVERVIEW
Design and construct a park (over a parking garage) at South Park Block 5, and evaluate renovation options for O’Bryant Square and Ankeny Park. O’Bryant Square may or may not proceed to construction based on evaluation of the future of the parking garage beneath it; the available funding is insufficient to cover the demolition or renovation of the garage structure. Funding for Ankeny Park is limited to the production of a schematic design."

....and their presentation tonight, it sounds kind of like a done deal. But, things can change.

Re; PB5, people generally liked most features, but in addition to the SW corner restroom/restaurant situation, had some reservations about the pergola.

If at all similar to that of preliminary sketchups, which aren't clear in my memory, this pergola is a kind of covered canopy leading from near the restaurant complex north. The cover has a complicated ribbing, and more or less angles downward at center and east as it goes north. Confusing to describe. Idea is to allow water to fall on an arrangement of rocks that are part of a circular pool on the plaza surface. The canopy seems high...20' or so, nicely suspended by arched supports. It's function is twofold; to offer some shelter to cafe patrons below, and to direct a supply of water, partly of natural origin to a point near the west edge of the circular water feature where it will fall and splash upon some assembly of rocks not yet decided upon. Some people had doubts about the overall effect of the canopy/pergola, but Olin himself said they're still formulating what it will finally be, in order to really get it right.

Thanks to Steeping Razor for getting the renderings below. There were renderings of other angles of both parks at the presentation, but those provided give some sense of where the design team is at now.

You can get a form and mail in comments up through Monday, March 5th, 5pm. Also, comment online www.portlandparks.org

Stepping Razor · #**479** Posted **Feb 28, 2007, 9:18 AM**

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think these are the newest renderings:

PB5:

O'Bryant Square:

mcbaby · #**480** Posted **Feb 28, 2007, 10:17 AM**

do i see a boardwalk in those renderings?