The Eliot

the eliot portland oregon

Sometimes, the initial thoughts and notions about a place matter. The buildings context is so important regarding it’s role in a larger theatrical experience and it’s contribution to a wider environment where it’s presence emerges.

the eliot portland oregon

view from south park blocks towards museum and our future building

Bonuses were developed for both FAR and height.FAR bonuses included bonuses for below grade parking,affordable housing (below 800 sf) and large units.

Height bonuses included a one for one square foot increasefor floor to ceiling heights above 8’.

These bonuses were created in addition to the existing menu that include bike parking, daycare, green roofs etc.

FAR and height bonus

The bigger picture was something familiar. We had completed the West End Master Plan in the late nineties, so connectivity, centers, edges and public transit was evident in it’s success or opportunity. We are currently building two mid-rises in the West End (red dots). Our work was integral to the implementa-tion of zoning changes that provided incentives for increased density and housing through bonus height and FAR.

the eliot portland oregon

The site was prominent as a result as it’s adjacency to the Portland Art Museum and it’s sculpture gar-den. We inherited a super block and immediately restored the mid-block crossing (Madison St.) as a pedestrian way that connects the central downtown to the park blocks, sculpture garden, and two new streetcar stops. (northbound on sw 10th and southbound on sw 11th) It also gave us the opportunity to develop town homes on the lower base of the tower.

the eliot portland oregon

The streetcar was integral to the development of the West End as it cemented confidence in the real estate market and spurred the development of all the mid-rise towers that are rising today. Our work on streetcar in the early nineties encompassed meeting with neighborhoods and the city to assist in locat-ing alignments and identifying districts with the most development potential. It was also important to link the institutional buildings like universities, hospitals and libraries with existing and emerging residential populations. Finally, it wasn’t easy to get the Portland Dept. of Transportation to “buy off” on the multi-color scheme, but now that they are here, everyone loves them. A broad palette of 8 colors allows each streetcar to enliven the “theater” of the street in a rich and diverse manner.

the eliot portland oregon

The introduction of increased density and larger towers presented a challenge withregards to a proper fit into an existing context of lower rise institutional buldings. The tower is set back from the base atop a recessed third floor that creates a street scale from the pedestrian level sympathetic to the museum and other low rise institiional buildings along the South Park Blocks.

building base and scale

This diagram shows the basic organization of the base below the mid-rise tower. The lobby is located on the most important intersection facing the Museum’s Sculpture Garden. Retail is located adjacent to the lobby (lavender) along the primary street of SW 10th. The town homes line the landscaped Madison Terrace (green) and also form a courtyard and secondary entrance off of SW 11th as shown in the line drawing.

the eliot portland oregon

sw 10th

sw 11th

The base of the tower comprises of two story town homes along Madison Terrace (mid-block cross-ing) and the remainder that form the west court. The earliest sketches emphasized transparency as opposed to “punched openings” and we were able to carry that through in a modern vocabulary. We developed a palette of materials that included the travertine, metal panel, vision glass and shadow boxes. “Sandwiched” perforated metal panels were used for privacy and energy code require-ments.

the eliot portland oregon

The building faces the backside of the Museum and fronts the primary street of SW 11th. The largest potential leasable space stretches along the west edge and has the simple wall of Pietro Belluschi’s Portland Art Museum as it’s backdrop. It becomes a “hub” as a result of the streetcar stop at the inter-section of Madison Terrace and the Museum’s sculpture Garden as a major transit destination.

the eliot portland oregon