Project name: The Spot

Location: Madras

Completion: November 2024

Size: 3,150 square feet

Owner/Developer: J and C 5^th Street LLC

Architect: Open Concept Architecture

Engineers: Eclipse Engineering, H.A. McCoy Engineering & Surveying, Solera MEP Design Services

General Contractor: O’Brien & Company

Submitting Company: O’Brien & Company

Other Key Participants: City of Madras, Madras Redevelopment Commission

Subcontractors: Bend Heating and Sheet Metal, Benham Falls Asphalt, Central Oregon Concrete, Central Oregon Garage Door, Elite Construction Contracting, Elite Electric, G.W. Paulson Co. dba Baptista Design, Gale Contractor Services, Johnson Resources, Joshua Hittlet Drywall, JR Fire, KYA Painting, Oleachea’s Fine Finish Cabinetry, Pearl Plumbing, Rain Water Diversions dba BR Continuous Guttering, Rock Solid Roofing, Solid Fab Works, Storjohann Inc. dba Bend Fencing

A first-of-its-kind community hub is breathing new life into downtown Madras, offering residents and travelers alike a place to connect over food, drinks and entertainment.

The Spot features a taphouse with a second-story covered balcony, food carts and a heated outdoor patio. It represents owner Andre Jackson’s vision for economic revitalization in this Central Oregon community. The project, built by O’Brien & Company, was intentionally developed to stimulate local economic growth while providing a flexible, year-round gathering place.

The building’s innovative design blends indoor and outdoor spaces with overhead garage-style doors with glass inserts. When fully opened, these doors connect the building to the patio, creating a bright atmosphere filled with natural light. The venue’s warm wood and clean modern details create a lively space designed for year-round enjoyment regardless of weather conditions.

Despite challenges from the site’s condensed nature and proximity to the highway, the design-build approach allowed for real-time adjustments to construction plans. Advanced building materials, including ZIP System Insulated R-sheathing, were incorporated to enhance efficiency and durability. The project also prioritized high-performance audio and internet infrastructure to support live entertainment.

The Madras Redevelopment Commission provided crucial financial backing for the project. The City of Madras and its building department guided construction to ensure compliance with zoning and safety codes.

Jackson, who relocated from Portland to invest in Madras’ future, has already purchased an adjacent lot to expand the community’s event space.

The Spot hosts live music, trivia nights and student performances, fostering cultural engagement and providing a platform for local artists. Middle and high school students are actively invited to perform, promoting youth engagement in the arts. Regular community events including bingo, karaoke and sports viewing parties transform The Spot into an interactive gathering space rather than just a dining destination.

By drawing foot traffic to local businesses and serving as an economic hub in an area largely influenced by highway traffic, The Spot strengthens downtown Madras’ ecosystem while encouraging walkability.

“The Spot is all about connection, both within the Madras community, and as a regional hub,” Jeremy Cogdill, Open Concept Architecture managing principal, said in the project submission form. “It’s a ‘living room’ at an important intersection between the east and west sides of the mountains, that aims to bring people together through food, music, and conversations around a fire pit.”

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Project name: Columbia County – John Gumm Building Adaptive Reuse

Location: St. Helens

Completion: September 2024

Size: 28,400 square feet

Cost: $10,589,883

Owner/Developer: Columbia County

Architect: Emerick Architects

Engineers: Shutte Consulting Engineers, Lower Columbia Engineering, System Design Consultants

General Contractor: Bremik Construction

Submitting Company: Bremik Construction

Other Associates/Key Consultants: Ameresco, Mike DeRoia (building inspector), Meritus Consulting, Columbia Economic Team, Columbia-Pacific Economic Development District, Columbia County Small Business Development Center, Columbia County Historical Society and Museum

Subcontractors: A-Line Concrete Cutting, All In One Mobility, Authority Dock & Door, B & B Tile Masonry, Brandsen Hardwood Floors, Brightservice Cleaning, Building Material Specialties, Cedar Landscape, Chosen Wood Window Maintenance, COSCO Fire Protection, Culver Glass, Custom Source Woodworking, District Painting, Duke Construction and Excavation, Eagle Striping Services, Elite Steel Products, Floor Factors, Huntco Supply, Interior Technology, IRS Environmental of Portland, MB Structures, McDonald & Wetle, Northwest Masonry Restoration, OEG, Pioneer Sheetmetal, Portland Millwork, RC Building Specialties, Scaffold Erectors, Sign Wizards, Stewart Mechanical, T.F.T. Construction, Western Partitions, Zavala

After sitting vacant for more than two decades, the historic John Gumm Building has been transformed into a vibrant community hub through an ambitious 16-month restoration project.

Originally built in 1919 as St. Helens Elementary School, the nearly century-old structure required extensive work to address unique structural challenges. The building was discovered to be sitting directly on a bedrock shelf with no footing, a common condition for buildings of that era. However, it was constructed on two different shelf levels, creating a 2-foot elevation difference in the basement floor. One of the most unusual conditions was the retaining wall footing at the back of the building. When excavation hit a bedrock shelf, preventing the footing from reaching correct elevation, contractors had to epoxy 204 dowels into the bedrock to anchor the new footing – a rare and complex engineering solution that required significant planning and collaboration.

Fitting a new elevator into the existing structure also posed a major challenge. The historical layout did not accommodate ADA and headroom clearance requirements, necessitating precise adjustments while preserving structural stability.

The renovation team, led by Bremik Construction, focused on preserving key historical elements while implementing modern upgrades. Original wood casement windows were repaired, the front entry door and relights were reused, and the auditorium was restored to its original state by removing an added balcony and repositioning the stage.

Seismic retrofitting was a critical component, incorporating steel braces, shear walls and reinforced concrete foundations to ensure the building could withstand seismic activity without compromising its architectural character.

The project also faced challenges integrating modern systems into the historic framework. In one instance, the project team had to install a large HVAC unit in the basement through a concrete wall with only half-inch clearance on each side, then maneuver it over a 4-foot-deep pit and lower it into place using approved shoring and support systems.

The newly revitalized building now serves multiple community functions. The first floor features a 1,700-square-foot auditorium for public meetings, a catering kitchen, office space for economic organizations and a new 1,400-square-foot museum. The basement and upper floors house Columbia County departments.

By balancing preservation with modernization, the John Gumm Building has been successfully transformed into a functional, accessible space while preserving its historical essence for future generations, once again standing as a cornerstone of the St. Helens community.

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Project name: City of Happy Valley Library Expansion

Location: Happy Valley

Completion: August 2024

Size: 10,700 square feet

Cost: $9,348,302

Owner/Developer: City of Happy Valley

Architect: Scott Edwards Architecture

Engineers: Harper Houf Peterson Righellis, Interface Engineering

General Contractor: Bremik Construction

Submitting Company: Bremik Construction

Other Associates/Key Consultants: ABD Engineering and Design, Reyes Engineering, Vertex Technology Design and Consulting

Subcontractors: Anderson Specialties, Architectural Metalcrafters, Authority Dock & Door, B & T Striping and Curbing, BASCO, Bell Hardware, Bryker Enterprises, Building Material Specialties, Cascade Acoustics, D & H Flagging, Dallas Glass, Diamond Concrete Products, Duke Construction & Excavation, Eastside Paving, Elementary Energy, Fire Systems West, Hercon Rebar & Post Tension, Hilltop Commercial Supply, Insulation Contractors, Integrity Industries dba Cement Elegance, Interior Technology, Longhorn Geomatics, MB Structures, McDonald & Wetle, Northwest Masonry Restoration, Pacific Window Tinting, Paulson’s Floor Coverings, Piper Mechanical, Portland Electrical Construction, RedBuilt, Rich Holland Painting, Skyline Sheet Metal, Spectrum Custom Interiors, Superior Interiors, Ultra Quiet Floors, Van Lom Concrete, Vaughn Environmental, Wallace Steel, Wright Manufacturing, Zeeland

The City of Happy Valley’s 10,700-square-foot library expansion transformed an existing space into an enhanced community hub for the city’s 55,000 residents.

Designed around the concept of “The Community’s Living Room,” the expansion includes a 300-person community room that can be divided into smaller spaces, private study rooms for both individual and group use, and improved accessibility features.

The architectural design bridges old and new, with the existing library structure inspired by book spines while the expansion draws from book binding imagery. This concept appears throughout the project, from the zigzag facade addressing the steep slope to matching acoustic treatments inside. The triangular, sloped site required an intentional floorplan that maximized every square foot: even niches and nooks have purpose.

The expansion maintains a single public-facing level for accessibility despite challenging terrain, with a staff-only lower level housing mechanical equipment and storage. The design orients the community room toward an adjacent nature reserve, maximizing visitors’ connection with the natural surroundings.

Interior spaces feature wood tones echoing the exterior’s vertical slats, exposed structural glulams in the community room, and neutral, durable materials that support various activities and easy maintenance.

Construction presented multiple challenges, including proximity to a habitat conservation area, maintaining library operations throughout the project, and winter weather delays that extended completion by three days.

The expansion outperforms Oregon Energy Code requirements by 30 percent, incorporating sustainable elements including a 33-kilowatt solar photovoltaic array, installed by Portland Electrical Construction in partnership with Elementary Energy; all-electric HVAC systems for energy-efficient climate control; and advanced insulation techniques to improve thermal performance. A robust stormwater management system mitigates runoff and protects the adjacent habitat conservation area.

Though not required by contract, the project team prioritized community engagement by partnering with several local businesses.

The collaboration among Bremik Construction, Scott Edwards Architecture, and multiple engineering firms ensured the project addressed technical complexities such as aligning new HVAC systems with existing infrastructure and coordinating sophisticated utility networks.

“The Happy Valley Library Expansion has been an overnight transformation for our community living room,” said Ben Bryant, Happy Valley assistant city manager, in the project nomination form. “Our typical programs such as story times more than doubled in average attendance within the first weeks of opening. Moreover, the project was delivered on-time, under-budget, and with zero workplace injuries.”

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