08/11/13 12:25 portlands living room | places over time

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portlands living room
March 17, 2013 by places over time in architecture, portland, redevelopment, sense of place, the bench, urban design.
(http://placesovertime.les.wordpress.com/2013/03/cityofportland_pioneersquare_parkinglot.jpg)
Prior to becoming Pioneer Courthouse Square, the full city block had been a public school house, a luxury hotel, and more
recently a parking garage for local department store Meier & Frank (image city of portland via vintage portland)
Pioneer Courthouse Square, often called Portlands living room, has been the metaphorical and physical heart of the city
since it opened in 1984. If I ask anyone where the center of town is, they always pick the square as its centerpiece. In fact, its
hard to remember anything else being there as the world-renowned plaza feels like its been there for ages. Perhaps its the
design, reminiscent of the Renaissance Italian piazzas (http://www.ultimateitaly.com/piazzas-italy) and the ancient Greek
amphitheaters, that makes the open space feel older than it is, or perhaps its the lack of any overall impression of the parking
garage that came before it (pictured above). Pioneer Square, as the locals call it omitting the namesake courthouse across the
street, has received a lot of international attention, and the plaza has even received design awards
(http://www.thesquarepdx.org/awards.htm) like the American Planning Associations Great Public Spaces in 2008 and the
#4 Worlds Best Squares and Plazas in 2004. The square is so popular now, that the park managers are turning away events so
that the square can actually be enjoyed as is from time to time.
(http://placesovertime.les.wordpress.com/2013/03/portlandhotel_circa1900.jpg)
A postcard of the Portland Hotel (image city of portland)
Ive often wondered about how things could have been different. Prior to the Meier & Frank parking lot, the block had been
the site of the grandiose Portland Hotel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Hotel) until 1951. The hotel was built in the
1880!s designed by the local architectural rm Whidden & Lewis with Beaux-Arts masters McKim, Mead, & White
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McKim,_Mead,_and_White). If this hotel were there today, how would downtown feel?
Would it have a centerpiece? It was a grand structure and would have been an amazing asset for modern Portland, but how
would Portlanders feel about their city without ever knowing its living room. Could a different block have the same effect
as this one if the public square had been built elsewhere? Perhaps Waterfront Park
08/11/13 12:25 portlands living room | places over time
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(http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/nder/index.cfm?PropertyID=156&action=ViewPark) could have been the heart,
or perhaps a park block like Director Park (http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/nder/index.cfm?
PropertyID=1335&action=ViewPark).
Unfortunately, just as the fate of other McKim, Mead, & White masterpieces, like New Yorks Penn Station
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Station_%28New_York_City%29), the Portland Hotel met with the wrecking
ball in the name of post-war progress. After the dust settled, the block became a dual level parking lot for suburban drivers to
shop downtown. Meier & Frank, the owners, proposed building a massive new 800-stall parking garage in 1969, but the idea
was shot down by the city after a good deal of public outcry. I cannot even imagine how a parking structure taller than
Jackson Tower (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Tower) could have changed Portland forever. Had the garage been
built, would the downtown renaissance ever occurred? More than likely, but perhaps we would have a dead zone created by
the shadows and unfriendliness of the parking structure as it probably would be still standing today. After years of
negotiating and power plays, the city gained control and put out a design competition for a new public space. The
competition came down to ve nalists who all had vastly different ideas of what Portland needed:
(http://placesovertime.les.wordpress.com/2013/03/lawrencehalprin_charlesmoore_sf_la.jpg)
Lawrence Halprin (designer of Portlands Lovejoy and Keller Fountains) and Charles Moore proposed a large water feature,
a clock tower, and other elements of a disneycation style small town (image portland spaces)
(http://placesovertime.les.wordpress.com/2013/03/petereisenman_jaquelintrobertson_nyc.jpg)
Peter Eisenman and Jaquelin T Robertsons proposal called for two crystal palace like structures amid a plaza and terraced
gardens (image portland spaces)
08/11/13 12:25 portlands living room | places over time
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(http://placesovertime.les.wordpress.com/2013/03/robertgeddes_michaelakihn_philadelphia.jpg)
Robert Geddes and Michael A Kihns proposal was mostly meant for nighttime with a large amphitheater, multiple covered
areas, and a garden wall up against Broadway that all were to be well lit at night (image portland spaces)
(http://placesovertime.les.wordpress.com/2013/03/rodolfomachado_jorgesilvetti_warrenschwartz_robertsilver_boston.jpg)
Rodolfo Machado and Jorge Silvetti (with Warren Schwartz and Robert Silver) proposed a large civic meeting hall/
marketplace designed to imitate the courthouse with a wide open plaza frontage (image portland spaces)
(http://placesovertime.les.wordpress.com/2013/03/martin_macy_kelly_odonnell_gill_reynolds_pdx.jpg)
The winning proposal by Willard Martin (with Macy, Kelly, ODonnell, Gill and Reynolds) featured a sprawling Italian plaza
with amphitheater seating, a water fountain, a perimeter colonnade, and two built-in retail spaces (image portland spaces)
The winner was Willard Martins design, which altered very little from proposal to construction. The main difference being
that there was to be two glass tea houses instead of the single Starbucks we know today. Overall, I am pleased with the
design competition judges decision to go with a more timeless design than the other proposals. The Halprin design
disappoints, for he had designed the well-loved Keller Fountain and the other South Auditorium District fountains, and his
08/11/13 12:25 portlands living room | places over time
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proposal looked like The Jetsons version of Disneylands Main Street USA. The Halprin design would not have aged well,
and would have cemented Portland as a post-modern cityscape especially with Michael Graves Portland Building being
completed in 1982. The Eisenman and Robertson proposal was interesting, but I fear it wasnt interesting enough to be a great
gathering place, and looked to be less functional than the Martin design with the two glass enclosures and micro gardens.
The Geddes and Kihn proposal had some nice elements: covered areas for vending and events, lighting elements for night
usage, and a sense of focus toward the center with a large amphitheater for gatherings. The obtrusive green wall against
Broadway is a no-go for me, and the design lacked transparency on the North and South sides as well. The Machado and
Silvetti design reminds me too much of a church and church plaza, which would be great if the public space was only to be
used as a gathering place for speeches. The North and South street sides are lined afterthoughts, and the plaza is wide and
square, devoid of sitting space and interesting topography.
I am thankful that Willard Martins proposal won the competition, mostly because his design is, in my opinion, as timeless as
the old European plazas he gave credit to. I have to say that I like Pioneer Courthouse Square more than most of the
European squares I have personally experienced. Just as Frederick Law Olmsted perfected the civic park and Daniel
Burnham perfected urban design during the City Beautiful Movement, Martin perfected the American civic square.
(http://placesovertime.les.wordpress.com/2013/03/pioneersquareplan.jpg)
The winning proposal, designed by Willard Martin (image portland spaces)
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Tags: city beautiful, pioneer square, portland, sense of place, urban design
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