91视频

The Portland Design Commission has approved design review of plans to replace the existing Ida B. Wells High School with a new 289,500-square-foot building on the south edge of the 35-acre site. The school is located at 1151 SW Vermont St., Portland.

The design review was approved last week with a conditional of approval that requires four public access easements, two press box options (a one-story and two-story alternative) and two options of either a textured or smooth thin brick for the building’s exterior.

Bora Architecture & Interiors designed the project for Portland Public Schools. The project team also includes Access Architecture of Vancouver, Washington (associate architect, Walker Macy (landscape architect), KPFF (civil and structural engineering), PAE Engineers (MEP), and general contractor Hoffman Construction.

There were three design advice request hearings on the proposal since 2024, with the last held last February.

The new high school building is proposed to be three stories with a fourth level on the west side, as the building form steps down the sloping site, the staff report states.

The new building will be built on the south edge of the site along Vermont Street. It will be constructed while the existing building remains open for students. The project will be developed in phases and some of the features of the site, such as a practice field, baseball field and tennis courts, will be relocated. A new track and field will be developed in the same space as the existing field.

An existing community swimming pool, operated by Portland Parks & Recreation, will remain open on the site. Becca Cavell, associate principal at Bora Architecture & Interiors, said the project will provide a new pool support building because facilities, such as locker rooms and showers, are currently in the existing Ida B. Wells High School. Portland Public Schools plans to coordinate with Portland Parks & Recreation for athletes to use the facilities when the pool is not open.

The final design of the new high school includes a thin brick combined with glass fiber reinforced concrete with both textured and non-textured options. The design team is pursuing the textured brick and keeping the smooth brick as a backup option.

鈥淚 think I’ve been convinced about the rough textured brick,鈥� Commissioner Brian McCarter said. 鈥淚t looks really, really promising in the renderings.鈥�

Chelsea McCann, Walker Macy’s managing principal, said there will be two main outdoor spaces: at the main entry and a student courtyard and terrace on the west side.

鈥淚 think the part of the building with the main entry connecting visually and physically to the student terrace beyond is really compelling,鈥� Commissioner Sarah Vaz said.

Pedestrian connections across the site will be improved and will include three north/south connections, including a sidewalk on the east side of the west parking lot between Rieke Elementary and the high school, a mid-campus connection between the football field and the pool facility and a third connection at the far eastern side of the campus.

There will be two crosswalks south of the main entry on each side of the intersection.

On the Rieke side, the design has provided some community access for bicyclists and pedestrians, while keeping safety in mind. Vehicles will not be able to use the Rieke driveway as a cut-through during school hours. For bicycles, there is a bike route around Rieke Elementary School. Outside of school hours, cyclists can either continue to use that route or share the roadway.

鈥淚 really appreciate the attention to public realm,鈥� Vice chair Joe Swank said. 鈥淎nd I think the design team’s done a really good job of solving for Rieke Road in particular.鈥�

On the north campus entry, there will be a raised, widened pedestrian crosswalk. There will also be some improvements to the back of the stadium, such as adding seating and signage.

Cavell said the design does not include a cover to the grandstands, due to cost, but is planning for a possible future roof, which would be part of a future land use review process.

There was some concern from Commissioner Sarah Vaz regarding screening of mechanical equipment on the roof and that the equipment might be visible in faraway views. Commissioners Swank and Chair Chandra Robinson felt that the equipment would not be visible.

Up next for the project is a Type III conditional use hearing that is for July 22 by the city’s hearings officer, as the project requires both design review and conditional use review.

Construction is estimated to start in December, with the new building being complete in summer 2029 and the athletic fields in fall 2030, according to Portland Public Schools’ website.