The $15.9 million restoration of a pair of historic buildings in Old Town/Chinatown is nearly complete, and a grand opening celebration will be held this week. The Erickson Saloon and Fritz Hotel Buildings, located on Southwest 2^nd Avenue and Southwest 3^rd Avenue, respectively, have been combined and turned into the Erickson Fritz Apartments. The mixed-income project features 62 studio and 1-bedroom apartments, which project developer Innovative Housing, Inc. expects to be fully leased by the end of August.

Innovative Housing, Inc. purchased the buildings from the Bill Naito Co. last year and hired LRS Architects to design the Erickson Building remodel, and ORANGEWALLstudios to design the Fritz. The project’s general contractor was Silco Commercial Construction Inc., which subcontracted Djoseland Construction Services for project supervision, framing, and finish work. The grand opening celebration will be held Thursday, July 23^rd from 5-7 pm at 9 N.W. 2^nd Ave.

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Renovations to convert a former saloon in Portland’s Old Town Chinatown neighborhood into workforce housing are nearly complete.

Construction work on the Erickson Saloon building, at Northwest Second Avenue and West Burnside Street, is scheduled to wrap up in time for an unveiling party later this month, said Sarah Stevenson, executive director of Innovative Housing Inc. The nonprofit organization led a $15.9 million project to convert the Erickson building and the adjacent Fritz building into the 62-unit Erickson Fritz Apartments, which include a mix of affordable and market rate housing.

“The finishing touches are still going in,” Stevenson said.

A renovation to create 19 apartments in the smaller Fritz building, which faces Northwest Third Avenue, has already been completed and it’s now fully occupied, she said. Most of the 43 units in the Erickson building are pre-leased and Innovative Housing is awaiting final approval from Portland building officials that will allow those tenants to move in. The entire complex should be completely leased up by the end of August, Stevenson said.

Innovative Housing will host a free public opening celebration on July 23 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the new apartments. The festivities will include food and drink provided by Old Town restaurants, craft beer and spirits, a photo booth and live music. In the complex’s two courtyards, attendees will have a chance to view newly installed art installations inspired by the history of the buildings and that use items found during the renovation project.

Silco Commercial Construction Inc. served as the project’s general contractor with Djoseland Construction Services subcontracted for supervision, framing, and finishing work. The Erickson Building remodel was designed by LRS Architects, while the Fritz was done by Orangewallstudios.

The Erickson’s Saloon or Erickson’s Workingman’s Club was a Portland landmark that opened in the 1880s. The saloon took up most of the block and was known for its 684-foot bar. When the Willamette River rose in 1894, Erickson’s set up a floating bar on a barge at Northwest Second and Burnside.

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A skylight frame built to cover a light well at the Erickson Building in Old Town/Chinatown was assembled and lifted into place last week. Innovative Housing, Inc. is converting the building and the adjacent Fritz Building to a 62-units of workforce housing.

A total of four skylight-covered light wells have been cut into the buildings to provide natural light for interior units and ground-floor atrium space. Concrete shear walls have been poured in the light wells to provide seismic support.

The skylight frame was fabricated and erected by Buffalo Welding, and lifted into place by Axis Crane. The project’s general contractor is Silco Commercial Construction Inc., with Djoseland Construction Services subcontracted for supervision, framing, and finishing work. The Erickson Building remodel was designed by LRS Architects, while the Fritz was done by Orangewallstudios.

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­A pair of historic Old Town/Chinatown buildings are undergoing a major overhaul to become a mixed-income housing development. The Erickson Building on Northwest 2^nd Avenue and the Fritz Building on Northwest 3^rd Avenue abut at the center, and are being connected to form a 62-unit apartment building.

The project’s developer, Innovative Housing Inc., purchased the buildings from the Bill Naito Co. earlier this year and hired two firms to design the remodel. LRS Architects is working on the Erickson Building, while Orangewallstudios is handling design work for the Fritz. The project’s general contractor is Silco Commercial Construction Inc., and Djoseland Construction Services is subcontracted for supervision, framing and finish work.

Work on the Fritz Building is scheduled for completion this December, and the Erickson is slated to wrap in May 2015.

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Innovative Housing Inc. has closed on its purchase of the historic Erickson and Fritz buildings in Old Town Chinatown, and moved a step closer to its $15.5 million renovation.

The nonprofit affordable housing developer bought the two adjacent buildings (which front Northwest Second and Third avenues, between Couch and Burnside streets) from Bill Naito Co. for $2.2 million. Innovative Housing plans to turn the combined 51,381-square-foot space into workforce housing.

Both buildings have colorful stories beyond their decorative brick facades and elaborate cornices. The Erickson opened in the 1880s as Erickson’s Saloon – a roughneck haunt named for patron August Erickson. The Fritz was named for Fred Fritz, who operated a saloon and cabaret theater during the same time period.

Innovative Housing will preserve the exteriors while converting the interiors into 62 workforce apartment units. Ten units will be market-rate, but most will be for individuals earning 50 to 60 percent of the area’s median family income.

A full seismic upgrade will be required; however, instead of reinforcing the exterior frame, Innovative Housing will create an interior courtyard with concrete shear walls that run from the foundation to the roofline, Executive Director Sarah Stevenson said. The approach preserves the historic appearance, which is critical to project financing.

Innovative Housing is raising equity for the project through the sale of federal historic tax credits and a federal low-income tax credit. The Portland Housing Bureau also awarded the developer an approximately $6.3 million cash grant, which is tied to a commitment to provide affordable housing for 60 years.

Stevenson said she hopes to close soon on a construction financing package with Wells Fargo so that work can start in June. Silco Commercial Construction Inc. is the general contractor. LRS Architects is handling design for the Erickson building; ORANGEWALLstudios is handling it for the Fritz.

Robert Black, senior vice president for NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson, brokered the purchase for Innovative Housing. He said the project will follow in the footsteps of the Modern Rich Apartments – a nearby historic building Innovative Housing converted to workforce housing in 2012 – and add to the vitality of Old Town Chinatown.

“(The Modern Rich Apartments) was the model they were trying to leverage off of,” Black said. “That’s nicely populated with good retail on the bottom, and it has these great rehabbed historic units up top. It was a successful project, like this one will be. It’s not the norm of what everyone else is doing.”

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Another park project for the team of Silco Commercial Construction and Murase Associates is the construction of Terrace Trails Park, a 2.45-acre, undeveloped site at the corner of Southeast 109th Avenue and Henderson Street. The new space will have a play area, a sports court and two wetlands areas. Existing native trees on the property have been saved, and wildflowers have been planted around the wetlands. Work on the park should be completed in the spring.

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Gilbert Heights Park, a 3.8-acre park bordered by Southeast 130th Avenue and Boise Street, is undergoing an extensive upgrade. The park, adjacent to the Gilbert Heights Elementary School, is getting a new ball field complete with dugouts and bleachers, a new soccer field, picnic tables, benches and a paved walking path. Also planned are a community garden with raised beds and a potting area. Silco Commercial Construction is the general contractor and Murase Associates is the architect for the project.

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