Hennebery Eddy Architects, a Portland-based firm, is known for designing sustainable, people-centered spaces across the Pacific Northwest. The firm’s projects prioritize environmental responsibility, historic preservation, and long-term functionality, establishing it as a standout in the industry.

With a diverse portfolio spanning civic, educational, and commercial architecture, Hennebery Eddy blends innovative design with practicality. The firm’s work often includes revitalizing historic buildings while creating modern, energy-efficient structures that serve today’s needs and prepare for the future. Notable projects include the Oregon Supreme Court Building, which combines seismic retrofitting with historic preservation, and the KEX Hostel, a vibrant, energy-efficient renovation of a 1911 building. Similarly, the Astoria Public Library renovation showcases the firm’s ability to blend modern design with historic character.

As a JUST-certified organization, Hennebery Eddy emphasizes equity, transparency, and social responsibility. The firm is also committed to mentorship, pro bono projects, and supporting the next generation of architects. This community-driven approach has shaped spaces that foster creativity, connection, and long-term impact.

Hennebery Eddy continues to demonstrate that thoughtful design can create spaces that inspire and serve the needs of both today and the future.

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A historic, three-story building near the Burnside Bridge‘s east end has a long history. It was constructed in 1912 as the Alco Apartments, joining the trend of offering ground-floor commercial spaces below workforce housing units.

The building’s name later was changed to the Vivian Apartments, and then it eventually closed slightly more than five years ago.

In 2016, the building at 110 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Two years later, it was purchased for $2.3 million by Kristinn Vilbergsson, founder and CEO of KEX Hostel – a business based in Reykjavik, Iceland. Vilbergsson announced his intention to transform the run-down building into the first KEX Hostel in North America. A restaurant, bar and rooftop patio bar also are planned.

Green Light Development is guiding the renovation, which is now in the final stages. In fact, R&H Construction already formally delivered the project; however, some scopes of work were transferred to the owners so distinctive finishes and décor could be added.

Of course, the project’s designer, Hennebery Eddy Architects, first had to address the building’s unreinforced masonry. DCI Engineers contributed to that portion of the work.

“It’s a full-on seismic upgrade,” said Tim Eddy, founding principal of Hennebery Eddy Architects. “The building didn’t have an elevator; it had one stair and we added a second means of egress. The building has a lot of charm, and the existing scale is indicative of many parts of Portland at the turn of the century and well into the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s. So from a historic perspective, it’s an important building.”

Over the past year, crews gutted the building’s interior in order to construct a new concrete core with a pair of elevators. This addition allowed a host of new glulam beams to be extended outward from the core and tied new into structural steel brace framing around the perimeter.

“The elevator core and other shear walls on the exterior and the brace frames establish the lateral system for the building,” Eddy said. “And those are connected into floor diaphragm and then at the roof, and that ties the building together.”

The project has essentially provided a new structure wrapped in a historic shell, said Evan Charpentier, a senior project manager with R&H Construction.

“We built a concrete box that goes all the way from the basement to the roof,” he said. “And there is a ton of timber to create some rigidity, and this gives you the structural core that everything can come off of. And these (steel) braces, perpendicular to one another, give you shear.”

The brace frames, Charpentier explained, sit on a solid concrete shear panel that starts in the basement. This panel was poured onto a massive footing containing a “very elaborate cage of iron,” he said. A rigid, perpendicular moment frame was created, and then repeated throughout the building to create significant rigidity that did not exist previously.

Plainly evident is the refreshment that transformed old apartments into vibrant guest rooms with bathrooms. However, a largely hidden but significant addition is a false ceiling on the ground floor to create roughly four feet of buffer between guest rooms and the bar/restaurant space below.

“It’s a complete acoustic separation between this public space and the rest of the hotel,” Charpentier said.

Because the building is listed on the national register, Eddy noted, its hallways, original entry and exterior features had to be preserved.

“It’s a combination of a contemporary program use and a historic building that really works well together,” he said. “That building is ready for its next 100 years.”

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