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Jeff Arthur is disappointed that deconstruction apparently is imminent for the 124-year-old Ancient Order of United Workmen Temple in downtown Portland. Arthur, a principal with Third & Taylor Development, said restoring the six-story building simply isn’t financially feasible.

鈥淭he intention was always to keep it, and we looked at a combination of adding onto it or building around it and keeping the fa莽ade,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut because of the height of the walls it was more difficult than some options and we finally came to the determination we may have to look at disassembling it.鈥�

Yet if the state and city offered financial incentives for historic restoration, Arthur believes that such assistance would allow a different fate for the United Workmen Temple.

鈥淭he short answer is yes,鈥� Arthur said when asked whether incentives would enable restoration of the building. He qualified his answer though, and said a restoration always is risky because of hidden costs.

鈥淢ore government incentives and assistance would certainly make (preservation of) more of these (historic) properties more feasible,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd with some 鈥� new codes being talked about we will be more of a conversation.鈥�

That conversation is becoming more prevalent. Portland’s hot real estate market has placed targets on many of its older buildings. And when developers weigh restoration against new construction, they must consider that the former is always more expensive.

Potential loss could be repeated

Both the United Workmen Temple and the 110-year-old Hotel Albion nearby are slated 鈥� but not yet officially scheduled 鈥� for deconstruction. T & T Development’s plans call for replacing the United Workmen Temple with a 10-story creative office building and replacing the Hotel Albion with a 20-story hotel.

Loss of the United Workmen Temple would be tragic for Portland, Restore Oregon Executive Director Peggy Moretti said, because it’s one of those beautiful old buildings that gives the city its special ambiance.

鈥淲e really do believe they create livable places,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t’s about place-making and seeing those places as creating quality of life and walkability and character. And they embody energy. They’re already green; they’re already built.鈥�

But unless financial advantages are provided for historic restoration efforts, more buildings like the United Workmen Temple are at risk of demolition, Architectural Resources Group principal Matt Davis said. Something must be done, he said, or Portland will lose its character.

鈥淭his is the first among many,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s more money is coming in, driven by the boom and profits, it’s made everyone sit up and take notice.鈥�

More governmental support sought

More conversations at the local level are in the works as the city places a greater emphasis on historic preservation. Brandon Spencer-Hartle, former programs manager for Restore Oregon, recently was hired as historic resources program manager for the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability.

Joe Zehnder, chief planner with BPS, said the city’s historic preservation staff had been cut in recent years.

鈥淒ue to years of budget cuts we were down to one staff person who maintained our basic functions,鈥� he said. 鈥淲ith hiring Brandon we are trying to rebuild this as a more complete program, and we had the mayor’s office support.鈥�

Moretti is eager to see action taken by Portland officials. Although the city does provide historic restoration projects some advantages through its zoning code, the lack of financial incentives discourages developers from putting those benefits to work to leverage federal preservation dollars, she said.

Also, Portland’s Historic Resources Inventory hasn’t been updated in decades, Moretti noted.

鈥淲e can’t protect what we can’t measure,鈥� she said.

An update of the Historic Resources Inventory is indeed planned by the city, Zehnder said. But first, the 20-year Comprehensive Plan must be updated.

鈥淭hen we can build more incentives into the code for historic preservation,鈥� he said.

Meanwhile, at the state level, Moretti said Restore Oregon in the next legislative session will push for a state rehabilitation tax credit. She said a bid to create such a tax credit (available in 35 other states) failed in the previous session because of belt-tightening measures taken by lawmakers.

Moretti also wants to see Oregon’s unique owner consent law repealed. The law states that a structure can’t be placed on a historic register without the owner’s permission. Owners can also summarily remove their property from the Historic Resources Inventory, which is what happened with the United Workmen Temple and the Hotel Albion. Only buildings listed on the national register are protected from owners’ decisions.

Market-driven projects pose threats

Historic buildings don’t just remind us of our past, but also help ensure our future, according to Moretti. Those properties provide a sense of place, and when they are dismantled a city can lose its reputation as one that cherishes its past, she said. Portland also will lose money if historic structures are taken down, she added.

鈥淲e see them as economic assets and one of the reasons that Portland is so popular, because it’s so hip and attractive,鈥� she said.

Arthur said he and Jack Onder, another T & T Development principal, want to save the United Workmen Temple. But restoration is not possible because of issues tied to seismic deficiencies and a lack of maintenance over the years.

However, T & T Development has delayed deconstruction plans 鈥� and Moretti hasn’t given up hope that the United Workmen Temple can be preserved.

鈥淚 think we are at this pivotal moment because of all the activity in the market and the decisions we’re making now are going to change the entire character of the city for better or worse,鈥� she said.

Architect Brian Emerick, former chairman of Portland’s Historic Landmarks Commission, said the pressure to develop in the current boom has had some good outcomes, such as renovations of historic properties in Old Town and Chinatown.

Unfortunately, he said, tearing down the United Workmen Temple makes financial sense.

鈥淲hen you look at the Workmen Temple 鈥� it’s probably 75 feet tall and the site will probably allow 150 feet or more 鈥� no matter how awesome that building is, it’s a small footprint,鈥� he said. 鈥淣o matter how nice it is it doesn’t make financial sense because they could build something twice as tall.鈥�

But Emerick still doesn’t want to see it go.

鈥淲e’re not going to save every single old building 鈥� that’s not practical for a lot of reasons,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut we should not be losing the Workmen Temple. It’s an irreplaceable asset and (losing it is) way beyond what we should accept as a community.鈥�