The Casey | Complete

[dkealoha]

I don't know if anyone has a better picture of this, but the Casey's stained glass lit up at night is awesome. I took this with my cell phone so sorry for the bad quality. The double lights toward the top are a reflection on the glass windows, not two lights.

[Sioux612]

That's awesome! I don't think I've ever seen that on a tower before.

[ScizzoTX]

Here's a shot of it from my apartment. I think the lighting looks great, but it appears as though it shines directly into the units... Does anyone know if the residents will be able to turn the lighting on and off? Hopefully not, I think it adds a lot to the building.

[Sioux612]

I absolutely love that stained glass feature!!

[dkealoha]

Looks like someone lives in the Louisa... From what I could tell from the street, it looks like that part of the unit the light is next to is the living room so maybe it wouldn't be a big deal to have it on all night. How do they get away with using all that electricity for the lights and not hurt their chances at a LEED Platinum rating?

Originally Posted by ScizzoTX

Here's a shot of it from my apartment. I think the lighting looks great, but it appears as though it shines directly into the units... Does anyone know if the residents will be able to turn the lighting on and off? Hopefully not, I think it adds a lot to the building.

[Dougall5505]

^It might be LED lights, they take up almost no electricity

[zilfondel]

nice shot of W+K

[pdx2m2]

I like the inclusion of artist and the use of bullseye glass in the architecture.

I don't love the solution. I agree with others that the illuminated pieces seem like they create light inside the residential units which I think would get old fast. I also think the small modular size of these glass pieces feels fragmented and doesn't help the overall building....it reminds me of the Rocket's art/shutters...more visual clutter than real power or beauty.

[Castillonis]

The 1st-5th floors have been completed and cleaned. The other floors are almost complete. There is some kind of partial move in date around 14Dec07 where condo loans will be complete and people will start moving in.

[tworivers]

^^^Do you know what percentage have been sold?

[Castillonis]

I have no idea how many units have been sold. I know that someone joined two units on the eighth floor by having a hole cut in the wall between them though.

[WestCoast]

I saw some patio chairs out on a few of the balconies. Building is still in finishing mode, but it sure looks like people are moving in.

[tworivers]

I wouldn't exactly call it "skinny".

Saturday, December 08, 2007
Oregonian

Moving day arrives where condos average $1 million The Casey -- one of Portland's fanciest condo towers -- is taking in its first residents. On a tour this week, broker Todd Prendergast at Realty Trust and project manager Jill Sherman at Gerding Edlen Development showed off the tower's features. The average -- yes, average -- price of the 61 condos is about $1 million. That's because the units lean to the big side at 2,000 square feet apiece. The average price per square foot hits $525.

The skinny tower is Gerding Edlen's extension of the Brewery Blocks to Northwest 12th Avenue and Everett Street. It has the same sleek modern design that's popping up with Gerding Edlen's recent work and covers a smaller than normal 10,000-square-foot footprint. That means there are five or so condos per floor.

So what makes it so nice?

"The finish package is nicer than anything on the market," Prendergast said. The base package includes a Sub-Zero fridge and Miele oven. If you haven't heard of Miele, you're not alone. The German brand supplied appliances for some kind of Porsche-designed kitchen. That should tell you all you need to know. The penthouse decks are big enough you could play two-on-two basketball.

The move-ins come at a bad time. The market is in the tank. Gerding Edlen did limited marketing in Portland Monthly and Winged M -- the Mac Club's publication. And the showroom isn't at street level.

Prendergast says there are closed deals or pre-sales on 43 of 61 units. That's not great but not horrible given the state of the market. One of those deals includes a sizable 16th-story pad for the man who built the thing, Mark Edlen, managing principal of Gerding Edlen Development.

[WestCoast]

43 of 61 seems decent, but this thing was available for pre-sale before the housing slum thing, so a little surprised it isn't all filled.

anywho, the store at the street level looked like it was open today, there were lots of people in and around it. Looks cool.

[zilfondel]

It's not sleek or skinny.

It's kid of bumpy and stubby. And its pretty sad when the only thing a developer can say about such a modern design like this is the fucking FRIDGE?!

C'mon... give me a break. Hello? Views? Weird lit glass artsy shit on the side? Huge-ass balconies? Marble bathmats? Etc.



When I design a condo tower (50 years from now?) it's going to have see-through toilets that stick out of the side of the building so you can see people's shit slide down a plexi tube to the sidewalk.

[dkealoha]

^ Lol!!!!

[PDX City-State]

Call me crazy. I really like this building. I wasn't sure about the panels when they started to appear, but they contrast nicely with the white. I would love to live there.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by zilfondel

It's not sleek or skinny.

It's kid of bumpy and stubby. And its pretty sad when the only thing a developer can say about such a modern design like this is the fucking FRIDGE?!

C'mon... give me a break. Hello? Views? Weird lit glass artsy shit on the side? Huge-ass balconies? Marble bathmats? Etc.

I have to agree with you, I was over at Fuller's having breakfast with a friend, and I couldn't help but think how disappoint I was with that tower. For a quarter block building, they sure went out of their way to make it look squat and overbearing. The Benson Tower this is not. The color of the stone work is just horrible, it stands out like a sore thumb and not the kind of sore thumb that you are proud of because of some cool trick you did when it happened.

It would be nice to see actual innovative architecture going up in the city that is pushing the lines of design. I figure if we are going to act like a European city, we should at least try and look like one too.

[tworivers]

It came out too blocky for my tastes -- I wish it were taller. But I LOVE the terra cotta panels, and love seeing the color in contrast with the city as a whole. The panels alone (plus the stained glass) bring my overall feeling about the building into the positive zone. Don't even get me started on Portland's architectural sore thumbs! IMO this is not one of them.

I do agree, urbanpdx, with the sentiment of the last two sentences in your post. It drives me nuts, but I also think those days might be on the way as Portland matures as a city. I'll take bside6 as a start.

Zilfondel, you mean down a plexi tube into the giant composting toilet? I'll buy one, assuming I'm not broke and trying to survive off of what's left of Social Security.

[PDX City-State]

The Benson Tower this is not.

And thank God for that. The Benson Tower is a visual abortion. It looks like a giant boat. Don't get me wrong, I love skinny buildings, but the Casey certainly has a higher level of detail than perhaps any new building in Portland other than the Metropolitan. Unlike the the West End, its builders didn't have the luxury of building 26 stories; the height limit is 175 feet. If you think this building is squat, don't blame GBD; Blame the antiquated height restrictions. LRS designed the Benson and are teaming with Weston for his next wave of towers. LRS, IMHO, is one of the most terrible firms in Portland design-wise.