Restore Oregon last month honored 10 historic rehabilitation projects in Oregon when it handed out the 2017 DeMuro Awards. They’re named after the late Art DeMuro, a developer recognized for exceptional preservation efforts. The winning projects were chosen for exhibiting extraordinary quality, creative problem-solving, and noteworthy community impact. They also showcase Oregon’s diverse architectural history and culture.

The projects honored in Portland included the Mason Ehrman Annex and Tower seismic strengthening, the Overland Warehouse, the Sovereign Hotel, the Swift Agency and the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Access projects.

Two projects in Lake Oswego were honored: the Belluschi Pavilion and the Iron Company Worker’s Cottage.

Other honorees were: Leever Motor Co./Monarch Building (Medford); Oregon Supreme Court exterior rehabilitation (Salem); and the Oregon City Public Library (Oregon City).

More information about each project is available at .

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Seven historic preservation projects, including six designed by Portland architects, received a DeMuro Award last month. Restore Oregon hands out the awards to recognize outstanding examples of preservation and adaptive reuse.

The awards are named for late architect and historic preservation leader Art DeMuro, Restore Oregon executive director Peggy Moretti said.

“Art truly set a standard for his ability to envision the potential for a run-down historic place,” she said. “He could envision what it could be, and we honor him with his example and leadership as a board member of Restore Oregon.”

Portland-sited projects that received the DeMuro Award were: the Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Center for Art and Design at the Pacific Northwest College of Art, the Erickson Fritz Apartments and Washington High School.

Out-of-town projects that received the award were: the Block House Café in Dayton, the Julian Hotel Apartments in Corvallis, the Old Salty beach house in Seaside and the Sparta Building in Medford.

The Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Center for Art and Design project was developed by Gerding Edlen, designed by Allied Works Architecture and built by Howard S. Wright Construction. The center, , “was brought back to its historic glory and expanded into a world-class educational facility.”

To create the Erickson Fritz Apartments on Northwest Second Avenue, two long-neglected buildings – the Erickson Saloon and the Fritz Hotel – were “restored and converted into much-needed mixed-income housing,” according to Restore Oregon. Innovative Housing Inc. was the developer, LRS Architects and ORANGEWALLstudios provided the design and Silco Commercial Construction served as the general contractor.

The Washington High School restoration was developed by Venerable Properties and Pacific Realty Associates, designed by SERA Architects and built by Bremik Construction. After standing vacant for more than 20 years, the school now holds retail and creative office space. The former auditorium is now Revolution Hall, a performing arts venue.

The Block House Café in Dayton had been a long-empty historic church that Restore Oregon said was “respectfully repurposed” and became an anchor destination in downtown Dayton. The developer was Twin Towers LLC of Tualatin, the designer was Paul M. Falsetto Architect and the general contractor was Fackler Construction of McMinnville.

Before being renovated, the Julian Hotel Apartments building, constructed in 1892, was run-down and used for Section 8 housing. It’s still used for low-income housing, but restoration brought it to “a state of grace and dignity for its residents and neighbors, demonstrating that preservation can serve the under-served,” Restore Oregon stated. The developer was Northwest Housing Alternatives, the designer was by Carleton Hart Architecture and the general contractor was Walsh Construction Co.

In Seaside, Old Salty is a 1910 beach house that was “saved, restored on a budget and furnished with salvage and garage sale treasures,” according to Restore Oregon. Reconstruction was designed by Emerick Architects. Hazen & Johnson Inc. of Seaside was the general contractor.

The Sparta Building in Medford was constructed in 1911 in the American Renaissance style. The restored structure is bringing “new life” to downtown Medford, according to Restore Oregon. Tater Rental LLC of Oregon City developed the project, Kramer & Co. of Ashland designed it and Norway Construction of Oregon City served as the general contractor.

The honored projects demonstrate what is possible through preservation, Moretti said.

“The DeMuro Award is for projects that represent a particularly exceptional standard for preservation and adaptive reuse and for challenging or creative preservation projects,” she said. “They set an example for historic preservation and reuse.”

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Restore Oregon next week will host in Portland its annual Restoration Celebration to honor historic preservation.

The dinner and awards presentation will take place Nov. 5, starting at 5:30 p.m., at the Sentinel Hotel, at 614 S.W. 11th Ave. The keynote speaker, Oregon State Treasurer Ted Wheeler, will discuss Oregon’s historic assets.

During the event, the preservation advocacy nonprofit will announce the winners of the 2014 DeMuro Awards. Named in honor of late Portland developer and preservationist Art DeMuro, the awards recognize commercial, residential and public projects in Oregon that serve as extraordinary examples of historic preservation, adaptive reuse and community revitalization, Restore Oregon Executive Director Peggy Moretti said.

At the event, the organization will also reveal its latest Oregon’s Most Endangered Places List. The 2015 list will include seven properties nominated for the designation of being irreplaceable historic assets at risk of being lost, Moretti said. A committee reviews the nominations and compiles the list based on the urgency to preserve each property, historic significance, community support and long-term viability for preservation and reuse, she said. The properties that make the list will receive assistance and grants from Restore Oregon.

“We will be actively working to save these places,” Moretti said.

Tickets for the event are $100 for Restore Oregon members and $125 for nonmembers. Proceeds will benefit the organization’s efforts to preserve and restore the state’s historic places.

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Erica Ceder, an associate with Portland-based FFA Architecture and Interiors, has learned that embracing the unknown is part of work with any historic building. Rehabilitation of a 120-year-old building on Southeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard is no exception.

“It’s definitely quirky,” Ceder said. “There have been several times where we’ve cut through what we thought was a brick wall and found steel and beams. Construction on these older buildings is 90 percent reacting to unforeseen conditions.”

R&H Construction crews this spring started work on a $2.3 million renovation of the Industrial Home building to house Seattle-based outdoor retailer Evo, some smaller retailers and creative office users.

FFA has been working since 2011 on plans to renovate the 26,000-square-foot building, first for Portland-based Venerable Properties and now for current owner and developer Edmonds, Wash.-based First Western Development Services. Seattle-based Heliotrope Architects designed the tenant improvement for Evo’s first Portland store, which is scheduled to open this fall.

The three-story Industrial Home building was constructed as a hay and seed facility. It was later occupied by the Salvation Army for 100 years and used as a retail store, a shelter and transitional housing. The Industrial Home name refers to a former men’s shelter where residents learned industrial trade skills.

After the Salvation Army moved out in 2010, Venerable Properties purchased the building with plans for a $7 million renovation. After the firm’s president, Art DeMuro, died in 2012, Venerable put the property up for sale. Then First Western Development Services purchased it this past fall.

FFA’s project design will preserve the building’s historic character, including the original brick and stucco facade with cast stone Salvation Army medallions, Ceder said. Windows that were installed in the 1970s will be replaced with ones that more closely match the originals.

Also, workers will perform a full seismic upgrade and replace all mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. A new elevator and stair core and a small, second-floor roof deck will be added. Windows will be cut into the south-facing facade.

Evo will occupy portions of the building’s first and second floors and basement. Part of the second floor will be cut out to open up space for the retailer.

A mix between old and new is the goal, Evo founder and CEO Bryce Phillips said. Evo’s flagship store in Seattle occupies an older building called the Fremont Collective. It was renovated to accommodate Evo, two restaurants and an indoor skate park. Phillips said he’s hoping for a similar vibe in the Industrial Home building.

“We love the blend of that rich, soulful, historic building with the new, fresh life we can breathe into it,” he said. “One of the core elements of Evo is to give back. The fact that (the Industrial Home building) was a Salvation Army … it’s a really cool common thread.”

The Portland store will have many elements its Seattle counterpart does, Heliotrope Architects principal Mike Mora said.

“We don’t hide the cracks and wrinkles of the existing building,” he said. “We play off them.”

One of the challenges designing the Industrial Home renovation, Ceder said, is that it isn’t the first one for the building. An addition in the 1930s included an entire facade replacement.

“It’s a very strange building,” she said. “Since the face was put in in the ’30s, it doesn’t really relate to the inside.”

Research to include the Industrial Home building in the East Portland Grand Avenue Historic District helped inform the design of the renovation, but some interesting surprises have arisen during construction, Ceder said. For instance, a wall was opened and plumbing was found with deteriorating, 1930s-era newspapers shoved inside.

Work also has exposed a painting of the Salvation Army logo on what used to be the building’s outer wall. This will be preserved as part of the Evo store, Ceder said.

“It’s kind of fitting for an outdoor action store because (the Salvation Army) motto is ‘blood and fire,’ ” she said.

Industrial Home building rehabilitation

Location: 200 S.E. Martin Luther King Blvd., Portland

Cost: $2.3 million

Construction start date: March 2014

Anticipated construction completion date: September 2014

Owner/developer: First Western Development Services

Architects: FFA Architecture and Interiors, Heliotrope Architects

Engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers

General contractor: R&H Construction

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As renovation of Washington High School continues, the Southeast Portland historic landmark is sharing plenty of surprises.

“Always in historic renovations there are surprises,” said Craig Kelly, president of Venerable Properties. “Fortunately, most of these surprises have been positive. The fun part is finding little nuggets of treasure as we proceed.”

Washington High School, which replaced a school that burned in 1922, was built entirely of concrete and red brick. When it was completed in 1924, it featured a large auditorium at its center, wide corridors and light-filled stairwells.

The building, vacant since the 1980s, drew the attention of Venerable Properties, which specializes in historic renovations and adaptive reuse. Founder Art DeMuro and Kelly began planning for its revitalization in 2009. First, though, they had to buy the property from Portland Public Schools and obtain approvals to transform the historic school into a mix of office, retail and community space.

“The bureaucratic process of the transaction was very lengthy and sometimes difficult in the time it took to proceed,” Kelly said. “We had a lot of hoops to jump through for the city and the Historic Landmarks Commission. We were successful, but it took a lot of time, money and resources.”

When DeMuro died in 2012, Kelly was determined to carry the project forward. He gained the support and financial backing of PacTrust and, last October, finalized the purchase agreement with Portland Public Schools.

“I’ve always known the project was going to be successful; I just needed someone like Art who had the confidence in me and could see the forest through the trees,” Kelly said. “I was very fortunate to find a great partner in PacTrust to step in where I needed the help and kind of fill that void that Art left. For that, I’m very grateful.”

This November, the building will offer 20,000 square feet of retail space and 55,000 square feet of office space. The renovation also includes new heating and cooling, plumbing and electrical systems, as well as a new freight elevator. The building will be fully ADA accessible.

The historic auditorium is designated for community use, most likely for performances and corporate events. In addition, the 2,600-square-foot roof deck – with views of downtown Portland – will be available for tenant use and event rentals.

“It’s a fun project and we’re thrilled that we’re bringing this 90-plus-year-old community asset back to life,” Kelly said.

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Portland has lost a champion of historic preservation.

Developer Art DeMuro, president of , died on Saturday after a brief battle with a rare and fast-moving form of cancer. Craig Kelly, vice president of Venerable, said DeMuro in June was diagnosed with Cushing’s disease and adrenal gland cancer.

DeMuro, 57, was an enthusiastic and charismatic proponent of historic preservation. He helped save numerous landmarks throughout the state and sparked a culture of architectural conservation.

Kelly remembered a persistent DeMuro contacting him in 1992 about a property that Kelly, a broker at the time, was listing. A friendship was forged and DeMuro ultimately convinced Kelly to work with him.

“He was a great man, and is a great man,” Kelly said. “I prefer to talk in the present because he’s still here and that was why we named Venerable ‘Venerable’ – because we knew our buildings and our projects and some of our work would last beyond us, and our children and our grandchildren can say, ‘Hey, grandpa did this.’ ”

DeMuro’s career stemmed from a deep passion for history. In the 1980s, he was working for a real estate company in Phoenix when he began working on redevelopment of a historic automobile showroom.

“That’s when I realized it’s what I wanted to specialize in,” DeMuro said during a 2006 interview with the 91��Ƶ. “Because my two degrees are in history, it’s always been the field that I enjoy, and I got occupationally channeled into real estate. So, here was this opportunity to merge both interests into one location.”

In 1991, DeMuro moved to Portland because of its large inventory of historic buildings. He created Venerable Properties, a real estate management and development firm specializing in historic preservation. Over the next 20 years, the company oversaw restoration of buildings like the Minnesota Hotel, the Skidmore Fountain Building, the Ladd Carriage House and the White Stag Block.

“You would never find anybody more genuine and honest than Art DeMuro,” said Mike Greenslade, vice president of , the general contractor for the White Stag project as well as many other Venerable projects. “Art was certainly a visionary. He’s the guy that would take on a project that most people – most developers – would turn and run from. And he would pour his heart and soul into it and come out the other end.”

Redevelopment of Southwest Portland’s White Stag Block, completed in 2008 for the University of Oregon, was one such project. Three century-old buildings were combined into one property lot, and the restoration uncovered original brick and cast-iron facades that had been covered by renovations.

The project was difficult because the property’s appraised value was far less than the $37 million spent to purchase and renovate the three buildings. Greenslade added that site access was challenging because both Naito Parkway and the Burnside Bridgehead were under construction at the time.

“So it was a nightmare,” he said. “But that’s Art – role up your sleeves, put our heads together and figure it out … it’s a terrible loss for the city of Portland.”

Cathy Galbraith, executive director of the , said DeMuro saw opportunities that others didn’t, regardless of the challenge.

“Art truly believed, as the rest of us do, that historic preservation made great economic sense,” she said. “He was not the guy to approach saving a building for the sake of saving it. Projects had to pencil out for him. But he also always said if you want a project to work, you have to approach it with the goal of making it work. If you approach it with the belief that it’s too expensive (and) not going to pencil out, then it won’t.”

DeMuro also was a former chairman of the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission, a member of the board of directors of the Historic Preservation League of Oregon and an executive committee member at large for the Board of Visitors at the University of Oregon’s School of Architecture and Allied Arts.

Galbraith first met DeMuro in the early 1990s while looking for warehouse space to rent. They began working together in preservation circles, and she said he made a lasting impact in Portland.

“He took the landmarks commission to another level at the city after some years of rather benign neglect on the part of the city,” Galbraith said.

DeMuro also spoke up about the threat that urban renewal can pose to historic preservation, and advocated for using the urban growth boundary to contain sprawl.

The Portland Development Commission on Monday canceled a tour of the Centennial Mills property that was to include the developer. Venerable Properties and Harsch Investment Properties were part of a group vying to develop the old Portland waterfront mill site. The other competitor was Daniels Real Estate of Seattle.

Kelly said that Centennial Mills redevelopment would be Venerable’s most complicated and intense project to date and that, before moving forward, he would need to consult with the company’s partners.

DeMuro had his sights on the mill long ago.

“Portland had a working waterfront; that’s part of its history,” he said in 2006. “It had multiple mills on the riverfront. And I know that the mill is in decrepit condition, as many historic buildings are, but it would be a terrible loss to lose a structure of that stature. It’s number one on my list.”

DeMuro was working with Bremik Construction on redevelopment of Washington High School. Kelly said Venerable is under contract to acquire the property from Portland Public Schools. The company has finished schematic designs and is conducting initial pricing for various concepts.

DeMuro also left one final gift before his death: a $2.8 million donation in January to the University of Oregon. The money will help support the university’s historic preservation program.

“It’s wonderful that it’s part of our culture – our appreciation for the past,” DeMuro said in 2006. “It’s one of the things that make Portland a soulful city.”

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and Portland developer Art DeMuro have reached a tentative agreement for the sale of long-vacant Washington High School in inner-Southeast Portland.

If the school board were to agree at its next meeting, on April 23, to sell the historic building to for $2 million, DeMuro, the company’s president, would move ahead with plans to convert the high school into multifamily housing.

DeMuro and people who live near the school building are generally thrilled that it may finally be reused. But the latest agreement comes after several failed redevelopment attempts, tempering the excitement until the deal becomes final.

“It’s been a long process, but I understand that the school district has had more urgent issues to deal with,” DeMuro said. “As a citizen and as a PPS parent, I accept that. As a developer, I’ve been antsy. But I know my place in the queue.”

DeMuro became interested in the property in 2008 as the building, constructed in 1924, revealed increasing deterioration. At that time, however, he wasn’t looking to purchase the property; he described those early investigations as the work of a “concerned preservationist.”

But Venerable Properties eventually began working on a plan to create market-rate housing on the four-story building’s upper floors and a community center on the ground floor. That deal fell through when Portland Parks and Recreation announced in 2010 that it would not pursue a bond measure, which would have been a primary source of funding for the project.

Prior to the collapse of that deal, proposed a housing plan for Washington High, but was unable to make the project pencil out.

PPS interviewed four developers in January 2011, and decided to begin negotiations with Venerable Properties the next month.

“We are very excited to bring that building back to life; it’s time to get some people in there,” said Susan Lindsay, president of the . “But first things first – we’re looking to the (school board) to approve this sale. They’re very much in need of cash and facing the possibility of closing more schools and cutting teachers, so I think it’s an excellent time to move forward now.”

After shuttering Washington High in 1981, PPS used it for administrative purposes until about a decade ago. The property at Southeast Stark Street and 11th Avenue has since received little attention except from skateboarders, dog walkers and the , which has used the space for temporary art installations.

“The neighborhood is really excited that something is going to finally happen with the building after 30 years,” said Tim Askin, a Buckman resident and a consultant to the .

The association has worked for years to nominate a portion of the neighborhood for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Such a listing would help DeMuro secure tax credits for redevelopment, but he will nevertheless pursue an individual listing for Washington High School in order to protect against potential demolition, as well as access special assessments and historic tax credits tied to the designation.

“On this project, we need every financial incentive we can get to make it feasible,” DeMuro said.

He has neither started work on any architectural plans nor pinned down details for the housing.

“Everything has been in the freezer,” he said. “We’ve limited the investment of time until we’re under contract; once that is approved, I’ll get to work on it.”

Just to get the building up and running, the project team must address decades of deferred maintenance, complete overdue seismic upgrades and adhere to historic guidelines. Then the team will need to decide how to transform the building – which is laid out with classrooms around a large, central auditorium – into attractive living spaces.

But the community members who have been most involved in past plans for the building are confident that now is the right time and that Venerable Properties is the right developer to take on the challenge.

Lindsay, who led the Washington High Community Center advisory committee through the last redevelopment attempt, hopes that DeMuro’s personal commitment to the project will help overcome the biggest challenges.

“It’s going to take a lot of passion to bring Washington High back online,” she said. “(DeMuro) has the most experience and the heart needed to understand and to get passionate about this project. It’s going to be a big job, but I have faith that he’s got what it takes.”

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The today announced five new members who will serve on its board of directors. In an effort to revitalize the 35-year-old nonprofit, three new seats were added to the board, which now has 12 members.

“The new folks are all influential people in Portland and around the state,” said HPLO Board President, Matthew Roman. “They’ve been in the trenches fighting for historic preservation issues for years, and in my opinion they’re visionaries. All of them have proven track records and can help us move forward with the next chapter of the preservation movement.”

The new board members are:

Hal Ayotte, recently retired founding partner of , whose projects range from Crater Lake Lodge to the White Stag Block

Liz Carter, preservation consultant with particular expertise on Oregon’s Settlement Era properties, and adjunct faculty at the University of Oregon in Eugene

Art DeMuro, principle of , which specializes in redevelopment of historic buildings, and former chair of the Portland Landmarks Commission

Roy Fox, chief human capital officer for , with a background in strategic planning, asset management, and risk management

Jeff Joslin, principal with , specializing in urban planning and land use, and former Portland city planner

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Target is finalizing its lease agreement to open a store in downtown Portland, according to sources close to the deal.

The Historic Landmarks Commission on Oct. 10 unanimously approved alterations to the Galleria Building, which occupies the entire city block bounded by Southwest Morrison and Alder streets and Southwest Ninth and 10th avenues. Because the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, approval for the exterior alterations was the last major hurdle related to city requirements.

The 101-year-old building, initially home to the Olds, Wortman & King department store, needs several significant modifications in order to accommodate Target. Even though the building has been altered many times over the years, the addition of loading bays for supply trucks was a tough sell to some preservationists. But the building’s owner, the , and architecture firm in May requested design advice from the Historic Landmarks Commission as they moved forward with the development.

Renderings and documents submitted to the city confirm Target’s involvement, although neither the owner nor the architect could identify the incoming tenant on the record.

“The city is getting the preservation and maintenance of an important building in the downtown core, and also getting use out of it,” said Carrie Richter, chairwoman of the Historic Landmarks Commission.

The entrance of a national big-box retailer into the historic building required some compromises from both sides, but people involved with the project seem satisfied with the approved plans.

“I’m pleased that a resolution was reached,” said Art DeMuro, who was the chairman of the Historic Landmarks Commission when the request for design advice was submitted, but whose term ended last month. “I know there was a lot of excitement about accommodating that particular user and it’s great that there was a resolution not only to accommodate them, but to actually improve the historic integrity of this very significant building.”

DeMuro, who reviewed all alterations made to the building over the years in response to the request for design advice, suggested historic refurbishments that would make the next remodel a “net gain” for the building. Adherence to the commission’s design advice was critical, according to project architect Phil Chubb.

“We took the feedback to heart,” he said, “and the Naito Company was willing to do the things that would help clean up some of the conditions at the Galleria that the landmarks commission was interested in doing.”

One of the most significant changes to the historic facade will be the addition of loading dock doors so that Target trucks can enter and exit the building from Southwest Alder Street. But the design team came up with an innovative solution.

“Those doors will be one-of-a-kind – totally custom,” Chubb said. “We’re spending quite a bit of money to make the loading dock doors as invisible as we possibly can – and that was really important to the landmarks commission and to us, but it’s not an easy thing to do.”

A state-of-the-art seismic upgrade also is planned.

“Never mind the exterior improvements to the look of the building; the bones being reinforced are critical – that’s a huge step to the building’s historic integrity,” said Tim Heron, city planner for the Bureau of Development Services. “It won’t fall down if we get a shake, which we all know we’ll get sooner or later.”

The Nines Hotel and Portland State University’s Lincoln Hall are the only two buildings in Portland to feature the braced-frame technology planned for the Galleria. The so-called viscous dampers were adopted from a device used on military cannons to absorb recoil shock. Unlike a more conventional bracing system, the dampers don’t need to be stacked throughout the building or installed along its perimeter.

“The Galleria is full of existing tenants, each with peculiar needs, and this allows the flexibility to place lateral frames at positions that work for everyone instead of being this invasive thing,” Chubb said.

The design also includes a custom replica of the historic entry canopy on 10th Avenue.

Costs related to the marquee, seismic upgrade and custom loading dock made some of the other suggested improvements untenable. Some minor changes made in the 1970s, when the building was turned into the Galleria Mall, will remain as is, according to Chubb.

Target will lease approximately 100,000 square feet of the Galleria Building, which presently houses Brooks Brothers and other tenants. The retail space will be split between 40,000 square feet on each of the second and third floors; a ground-floor lobby and the loading dock facility will account for the remaining 20,000 square feet.

The main entrance to the Galleria will remain on 10th Avenue, but Target will have its own entry off of Morrison Street, near 10th Avenue, leading to its ground-floor lobby.

“It’s really just a nice return of that building to a full retail sort of facility, and it just happens to be a building that takes up a whole city block and can provide that kind of floor space for downtown retail use,” Chubb said. “It’s a nice marriage of modern retailing and a downtown site like that.”

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After ending years of negotiations with Lab Holdings in late June, the Portland Development Commission has identified three other firms interested in potentially redeveloping the Centennial Mills site in Northwest Portland.

Renewable energy company and developers and all turned in proposals that focused on job creation, rather than food – as Lab Holdings had pitched.

The PDC had selected Lab Holdings after an extensive request for proposals process, but they reached an impasse over the type of development that should occur at Centennial Mills. Shaheen Sadeghi, Lab Holdings’ president, wasn’t willing to alter his firm’s proposal to accommodate PDC’s request that at least half of the development foster job creation.

A 16-page document submitted by Art DeMuro‘s team from Portland-based Venerable Properties offered more detail than two-page proposals submitted by Humboldt Bay Energy and Intrinsic Ventures. Venerable Properties’ plan would preserve the central core of the Centennial Mills site and construct two new buildings around it. The buildings would hold a mix of employment, living, retail and restaurant space, according to the letter.

The letter of intent is extensive, DeMuro said, because he borrowed heavily from his Centennial Mills redevelopment proposal that he submitted in 2007, when the PDC handed development rights to Lab Holdings. According to DeMuro, this time the proposal includes less retail and no maritime museum component.

Venerable Properties plans to team with , a local firm with a portfolio of more than 130 million square feet of commercial space.

“Venerable is Portland’s only commercial development firm specializing in historic redevelopment, and we are drawn to the task of salvaging and rehabilitating Portland’s most valuable and threatened historic resources,” Venerable Properties said in its proposal. “Centennial Mills is the finest vestige of Portland’s yesteryear of commercial milling and maritime commerce.”

Intrinsic Ventures, owned by Michael Tevis, is based in Northern California, but the firm has experience working in Portland.  It owns and operates the 125,000-square-foot Ford Building at Southeast 11th Avenue and Division Street.

In its Centennial Mills proposal, Intrinsic Ventures said it would pair up with Portland-based to create affordable work spaces designed to attract startup companies, artists and creative businesses – a mix similar to that in the Ford Building.

In its proposal, Eureka, Calif.-based Humboldt Bay Energy – which focuses on solar energy, solar thermal energy systems, wind energy systems and energy storage systems – proposed using the Centennial Mills site as a showroom of sorts.

“We are interested in moving our global corporate headquarters to the World Trade Center in downtown Portland with the intent of potentially using the Centennial Mills site as a mass-production assembly and distribution center, business center and showroom center,” said Garison Russo, founder of Humboldt Bay Energy.

Russo added that he would be working with his group of multibillion-dollar private equity investors to help a viable project pencil out.

The letters of intent express initial interest. PDC spokesman Shawn Uhlman said PDC staffers will bring the letters to the leadership team and determine the next steps. While there is no definitive timeline, Uhlman added that staffers expect to move the project forward quickly.

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