Historic residence halls deemed worthless
Portland State University hasn't said how it intends to replace the old buildings
Historic buildings can look grand in photographs, but seeing them inside and out leaves a more lasting impression. That was the feeling of a diverse group of historic preservationists who toured Montgomery Court and Blackstone Hall, two residence halls Portland State University plans to demolish with no plans for what might replace them.
Graduate student Aurora Miner was moving out of her one-bedroom apartment in Blackstone Hall on Saturday when the tour group, led by Architectural Heritage Center AHC Director Heather Flint Chatto, met Miner and accepted her invitation to go inside.
The five-story, 1930 building designed by Portland architect Elmer Feig has a quality of design and materials not reproducible today. One architect and builder on the tour estimated that it could be brought up to date for perhaps one-fifth of the cost of new construction.
Chatto said that a new building might have more efficient heating and cooling, the long-term environmental costs of demolition and construction would be far more detrimental in carbon impact.
The tour also inspected the 1917 Montgomery Court, designed by perhaps Portland’s most famous architect, A.E. Doyle. Its grand public rooms, staircases and courtyard are lavish. Originally called the Martha Washington House, it also played a historic role as a home for single women coming to work in the city during the Civil War and through much of the 20th century.
Because neither building is designated as a historic landmark, the city has no apparent legal power to block the demolition of these buildings.
