Comments on: Retro eastside buildings face wrecking ball

By: Terry

Terry — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 17:47:15 +0000

Eliminating off-street parking is an inherently green action. That alone should have won this demolition/construction project approval.

By: Joy Sears

Joy Sears — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 07:15:49 +0000

We have land use laws, zoning and building codes so even though it is a free country but there are always going to some limits. Would you want your neighbor to put in an outhouse next to your house? Of course not.

With Oregon and mostly Portland leading the way to be green, we still have a long way to go. The demolition of almost any existing building to just clear the lot to build a big hunk of pitiful box that won’t last 20 years is a crime to our society.

If you don’t think old buildings need to be saved, then why has the Skidmore/OldTown historic district generated so much investment and rehabilitation over the last few years? Mercy Corps new headquarters, the White Stag Complex, Musolf Manor, soon the Globe Hotel will be the new home of the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine and others in the works. Does hundreds of millions dollars invested in Portland mean nothing?

By: NativePDX

NativePDX — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 16:45:53 +0000

If you want to preserve any building, you need to buy it. In a free country we should not be telling property owners, how they must use their property.

By: Khris Soden

Khris Soden — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 17:52:53 +0000

To "A Perspective": I was one of the few people that wrote to the BDS to oppose the demolition of this building. If you would like, you can read my letter to them, which I posted on my blog at: http://khrissoden.blogspot.com/2011/01/opposing-demolition-of-galaxy.html. I think you would consider me a "preservationist", but I am also pro-business and pro-development. My issue with the demolition of this building is that the structure that is intended to replace it is actually a step down from the current structure in terms of design, and does little to improve upon the utility of the building that is currently there. They are proposing to tear down a one-story karaoke bar in order to build a one-story karaoke bar. The proposed plans, if you have taken any time to look at them, are an example of exceptionally bad architecture. Disregarding aesthetics, the proposed structure will also eliminate the 10 surface parking spaces on the current lot, necessitating patrons to use street parking, which is already difficult to find in the neighborhood. Furthermore, it seems spectacularly short-sighted to me that you would want to build a one-story single-use structure in a neighborhood that is seeing high demand for mixed-use buildings and increased density. Regarding your question of the "benefit to society to maintain empty buildings either empty or underutilized", I think you must be speaking to your general feelings about preservation rather than this proposed development. The Galaxy is not empty, and it is utilized. I would certainly agree with you that it is being under-utilized, but I would argue that it is because of poor management and vision on the part of the owners, not because of the current structure. In closing to my extremely long comment: yes, what Kent Mathews said.

By: Kent Mathews

Kent Mathews — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 00:44:27 +0000

All the owners have to do is look across the street to the amazing Doug Fir Lounge to see a similar building beautifully re-imagined into a vibrant successful restaurant space (Jeff Kovel-Skylab Architecture). These examples of googie style architecture are part of America’s ‘roadside’ culture. Not all should be saved but this building lends itself to the texture of LoBu neighborhood and will be missed.

By: A Perspective

A Perspective — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 21:15:27 +0000

If the preservationists had their way we would be sitting in the 18th century. When will the ‘save the old’ merely because it is old move out of the way?

The mere fact the discussion is about demolition ought to speak volumes to those whose hearing seems impaired. In general a building has use only if it is used. What benefit to society to maintain empty buildings either empty or underutilized?

Come take a tour through Old Town for the empty and underutilized buildings whose fate rests only in the saving brought about by an earthquake. These are buildings that cannot economically be redeveloped and offer, except to the preservation hobbyists, no value to property owners or local governments.

It is also interesting that in almost every case of the laments over demolition of old buildings is that the preservationists never have a solution for development that is practical or economical. They are content if it just sits – they have done their job.

A Perspective