Peter Meijer Architect, PC (PMA) has had a long involvement with the U.S. Custom House. Beginning in 1995, Peter Meijer conducted a full programming, infrastructure, and planning study for the long-term continued use of the building as a federal property.

The historic renovation to the building included modern updates to the interior office spaces – from mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire and life safety system upgrades, along with lobby and basement upgrades that provide locker rooms and ample bike storage. Renovating an existing building is incredibly sustainable given the amount of embodied energy saved from being deposited to landfills. Additionally, this project included a 100% leased collaborative office space provider, WeWork, through 2023. A long-term, single tenant investment provides the current owners of the building, Vista Investment Group, with an incredibly reliable income stream that can be protected against near-term market risk. Since the start of the renovation, the quality of the neighborhood has also increased. The 90,521-square foot, 4-story building with full basement encompasses a full block in the Pearl District of Portland, OR, bounded by NW Broadway, NW Everett and NW Davis Streets and NW Eighth Avenue. The building surrounds a courtyard on the west end.

AWARDS: 2019 DeMuro Award, Restore Oregon.

The building is a notable example in Oregon of traditional Beaux-Arts style architecture in which considerable regard for accuracy in historical detail is shown. The building is symbolic of Portland’s role as a major port of entry for the northwest region during its time of construction. The U.S. Custom House is situated on the east side of the North Park Blocks in downtown Portland. The building was designed in 1897 by James Knox Taylor, Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury, and was completed in 1898-1901 under supervision of Portland architect Edgar Lazarus.

How do you implement code mandated treatments that minimally impact the historic space?
The north and south office spaces on floors 1-3 are Rehabilitation Zones, as well as the east end of the building on floors 2-3. The 4th floor is mostly a Rehabilitation Zone aside from the Preservation Zone at the stairway, and Free Zone at the east end. Work in Rehabilitation Zones were sensitive to historic features, but incorporated contemporary methods, materials, and designs. The east end of the 1st floor, the entire basement, and attic (fourth) floor are Free Zones. Some small offices to the east of the lobbies on the 2nd and 3rd floors are also Free Zones. Work in Free Zones was sympathetic to the historic qualities and character of the building, but incorporated more extensive changes and replacements through the introduction of contemporary methods, materials, and designs.

Integrating new design elements into a historic landmark is always an exciting challenge due to the constraints and parameters of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. One of the most challenging integrations of new interior components into this historic building were the wire conduit trays suspended from the articulated ceilings of the tenant office areas. NPS provided voluminous detailed feedback to help the design team reach an acceptable and compatible solution. Constraints for the exterior of the building included matching the color of the exterior lifts to be in the same color range as the adjacent historic masonry, and exterior lighting had to be compatible with the historic character of the building.

The most exceptional aspect of this renovation was how new design elements were incorporated into the structure without compromising the historic integrity of the building. The design team successfully integrated new mechanical, electrical, and plumbing while retaining the original ceiling heights of 14 feet! The existing vaults were used for the electrical closets, while new ADA bronze door levers mirrored the historic knobs. Additionally, the team incorporated the tenant requirements of flexible spaces within the existing priority preservation zones.

Executing the hardware and railing design required an understanding of the manufacturing and production process. PMA collaborated with Tice Industries to understand the limitations and capabilities of the production process from software tools to machining the parts. PMA worked with Tice to execute the design in materials compatible with the historic character of the US Custom House. PMA studied the machining process and studied various mock-ups to refine the design. Visual qualities were important, but also important were weight, durability, and character. Both on the production line and on site, PMA and Tice collaborated to modify the fasteners, attachments, and connectors to minimize the visual impact and execute the design details.