Tag Archives: historical preservation

OSU Memorial Union Rotunda Universal Accessibility Design

Oregon State University (OSU) is dedicated to providing universal accessibility throughout its Corvallis campus. The historic Memorial Union building opened in 1927, and is an important gathering place on campus. In its current configuration, the rotunda entry access poses challenges to complying with current ADA Standards for Accessible Design. PMA with our multidisciplinary team members addressed how to improve the arrival experience starting from the Quad by focusing on the front door as the primary accessible entry, while retaining the buildings historic integrity. With an integrated approach there will be a primary travel path for all.

The existing limitations of accessibility to the MU are the existing ramps do not lead to the front entrance and the circulation through the rotunda requires use of non-compliant ramps. The existing exterior 1980s ramps were built interior of the terrace’s balustrade wall and access is not intuitive and requires signage. They take up significant portion of the historic terrace with circulation and railings.

The renovation of OSU MU Rotunda provides an opportunity to highlight the integration of universal access to historic properties. The vision for a new accessible path is integrated into the highly ordered Neo-classical design of the MU creating a symmetrical entry on either side of the grand entry stairs facing the quad. The design seeks to reactivate the formal side terraces by eliminating the clutter of handrails and circulation space that currently breaks up the space.

Clark County Poor Farm Historic District

Peter Meijer Architect, PC (PMA) was retained by the Clark County Community Planning Department to write and submit a National Register nomination for the Clark County Poor Farm Historic District. PMA consulted with the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation regarding the National Register eligibility of the Clark County Poor farm and worked with Clark County staff to prepare a National Register of Historic Places District nomination for the Clark County Poor Farm Site. The nomination involved a district boundary evaluation and explanation, along with a thoroughly researched and detailed description of the district and its resources, the historic context and the overall historic significance the district.

PMA conducted on-site fieldwork to gather physical data to describe the district and its character-defining resources and features. The nomination addressed the 7 aspects of historic integrity: location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, association and feeling and how these aspects highlight and impact the significance of the district.

PMA supplemented the physical descriptions with research that supports the historic context and will develop a narrative that describes the district’s significant history and National Register eligibility. Research included local sources such as newspapers and the Historical Society, state records on poor farms, and the development history of the surrounding area. PMA’s research combined past studies to develop a thorough and effective district nomination. Clark County Poor Farm was added to the National Register on January 7th, 2013.

Northwest Portland Residential Kitchen Design Concepts

PMA was commissioned for the remodel of a kitchen in a historic Queen Anne home in Kings Hill Historic District. PMA’s design included a new cabinet layout, counters, new appliances, lighting, and a refinished floor. The new design addresses the lack of counter space and dysfunction of the current layout, while providing a sophisticated aesthetic.

At the core of the design is the material and color palette. The cool grey scheme put together by PMA reflected the client’s taste. The cool shadow grey of the walls is juxtaposed by the Nordic white finish of the cabinets. Cornice is introduced back into the kitchen and matches the color of the cabinets. Tile along the backsplash is a geometric matte white porcelain tile. The lower cabinets are solid wood, Brookhaven Pasadena recessed door panels and solid faced draws, with a matte painted finish. To open the space, the upper cabinets feature frosted glass central panels.The feature lighting are simple pendant globe lights over the center bar and small flush-mount blubs symmetrically placed throughout the kitchen. Under cabinet lights enable work station lighting at each counter surface, while the upper cabinets are lit from behind to create ambient lighting. PMA proposed 3 refinish options for the hardwood floor. The preferred option is a warm honey oak finish, which compliments the overall cool grey color schemes and highlights the blue granite counters.

Historic Atrium Lighting Design

The concepts for our lighting schemes were based on the intended function of each identical space. The focus of the design and specified need of the client was to provide lighting for evening social gatherings, networking, and overall entertaining. Lighting needed to be adequate enough for speakers presenting to a crowd and for listeners to be able to read any related literature. Therefore, it was crucial to design lighting schemes that could provide ample lighting for evening events without compromising the historic integrity and ambiance of each space.

The prominent design goal was to increase overall light levels through a refined, modern scheme that would provide juxtaposition to the historic architectural elements and hanging sculpture. As in any historic project, it is important to avoid solutions that are faux historic, competing with, compromising, or confusing the original historic character. The few pragmatic design parameters defined by the client allowed for design freedom to provide several unique, distinct solutions.

While creating our designs, PMA experimented with the type of fixtures (down lights, sconce, defused) and placement of these fixtures within the large volume of the atriums. PMA explored these options in a Revit model of the atrium spaces, which enabled evaluation of the design solutions through lifelike renderings that portrayed the quality and levels of light.

Union Station Historic Renovation

Union Station is a historic and recognizable landmark within the City of Portland, and one of the oldest major extant passenger terminals on the West Coast. From its inception, Union Station has functioned as a major transportation link to Portland and the west coast, with a continued vital role to play in future rail and multimodal transportation planning. PMA is part of an interdisciplinary team responsible for the revitalization and renovation of the buildings, platform, and tracks at Portland Union Station.

As the lead Historic Architect, PMA is responsible for the development of the vision for Union Station- including future programming/space utilization and exterior canopy design;identification of the central design issues and alternatives; and the assessment and documentation of existing building exterior / interior conditions. Prior to 2014, PMA was retained to consult during the construction of seismic improvements and re-roofing of the Annex building at Union Station. PMA also participated in the development of the PE/NEPA Phase III Work Plan for Union Station.

Portland Union Station, designed by Van Brunt & Howe in 1896 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, is emblematic of the grand railroad stations of the period. From 1927 thru 1930, the Main Concourse was modernized by Portland’s internationally known architect, Pietro Belluschi, to reflect the streamline era of rail technology.

Historic Tax Credits – Preservation Planning

Fountain Place Apartments
Portland, Oregon

U.S. Custom House Renovation
Portland, Oregon

Pacific Tower Rehabilitation and Building Assessment
Seattle, Washington

Admiral Apartments
Portland, Oregon

New Chinatown / Japantown Historic District Design Guidelines

The New Chinatown/Japantown Historic District Design Guidelines are adopted land use approval criteria that protect the architectural integrity and cultural significance of Portland’s New Chinatown/Japantown Historic District. Guidelines were adopted in 2017. The document consists of a full context and historic background for the neighborhood which significantly expands the existing NRHP Historic District nomination. The document also includes land use approval criteria applicable to new development and alterations in the district. The guidelines allow change to take place which will respect the unique character of the district, the only historic district in Portland which is primarily significant for its cultural history.

PMA was part of the selected consultant team that coordinated with PDC and BPS staff to create the design guidelines. The guidelines are written to be flexible, yet to guide future projects to take cues from the architectural and cultural history in the historic district. There were a number of directly relevant tasks involved in the development of the guidelines and background. Developing an understanding of the difficulties experienced by immigrant cultures in Oregon was critical. Interviews with community members were also an important tool for learning about cultural attitudes, past events, and the aspirations of the ethnic and cultural groups with ties in the District. Finally, the guidelines advocate for preservation of the presence of a thriving community, which is different from preservation of the original architecture of the District. They are not applicable to types of uses within a building or to interiors. The resulting document includes a background and context discussion preceding the actual design guidelines, each of which is illustrated with photographs (both modern and historic) and options for how each guideline can be met.

Lovejoy Fountain Pavilion Rehabilitation

Designed by Charles Moore in 1962 as part of Lawrence Halprin’s fountain sequence, the Lovejoy Pavilion represents a significant departure for Moore moving away from traditional design towards a Post Modern architectural vocabulary. This new design direction is expressed by Moore in the use of wood cribbing support columns and compound trusses resembling the surrounding West Hills of Portland, Oregon.

Despite the copper clad roof, the wood structure was in early decay and the crib support columns were inadequate to support the roof load as visible in the crushing of support members. The structure’s Owner, Portland Parks and Recreation, committed to replacing wood components with original design, material, species, and craftsmanship.

Building Envelope Corrections:
• Guided Structural dismantling.
• Created the documentation to support the replacement of deteriorated components with original species, tight grain Douglas-Fir, and improved details for weather protection.
• Provided on-site guidance to the sub-contractor team for copper work and repair techniques.

City of Hillsboro Cultural Resource Inventory (CRI) Update

Peter Meijer Architect, PC (PMA) led and conducted a selective Cultural Resource Inventory update of residential, agrarian, and early commercial structures in the historic community of Orenco for the City of Hillsboro. These properties were generally built in the early 1900s.

The CRI update included:
• Site visit to each location
• Review of historical information
• Uploading the information to the Oregon Historic Site Forms
• Review and approval of the completed forms by the City and by SHPO
• Revisions as necessary to meet SHPO standards

Research into the Orenco community, which was a “company town” outside of Hillsboro, depended on multiple primary sources including deeds, census forms, photographs, and maps. Earlier research was verified and expanded on. Full Oregon Historic Site Forms were then completed for each individual property and subsequently uploaded to the City of Hillsboro property inventory database.

Portland Public Service Building National Register Nomination

Peter Meijer Architect, PC (PMA) nominated the iconic Portland Public Services building to the National Register of Historic Places. Known universally as the Portland Building, it is one of the most notable works by internationally-known master architect Michael Graves and is widely credited as the design that established Graves’s preeminence in the field.

The Portland Building is significant as one of a handful of high-profile building designs that defined the aesthetic of Post-Modern Classicism in the United States between the mid-1960s and the 1980s. Constructed in 1982, the structure is ground-breaking for its rejection of “universal” Modernist principles in favor of the bold and symbolic color, well-defined volumes, and stylized- and reinterpreted-classical elements such as pilasters, garlands, and keystones.

The building is notable for its regular geometry and fenestration as well as the architect’s use of over-scaled and highly-stylized classical decorative features on the building including a copper statue mounted above the entry, garlands on the north and south facades, and the giant pilasters and keystone elements on the east and west facades. Whether or not one judges the building to be beautiful or even to have fulfilled Graves’s ideas about being humanist in nature, it is undeniably important in the history of American architecture. The building is inextricably linked to the rise of the Post-Modern movement.