Washington and Alder
Current Conditions:
The site at Washington and Alder currently consists of a parking lot on the northern half of the block and three buildings on the southern half of the blocks. A ground floor laundry and parking garage occupy a building showing signs of decay on the southwest corner. An apartment building with a few small shops sits on the southeast corner. An older, elegant building - labeled the “Carlyle Building” - sits midway up 11th Avenue.
The sidewalks are not in very good condition, although the Streetcar stop on the northwest corner of 11th and Alder has been redone and extends out to narrow the street and provide a platform for riders. With the exceptions of a few younger trees in front of the existing buildings on the site, there are no substantial trees on the site to consider.
Adjacent Buildings and Uses:
The buildings around the site on 12th Avenue have a mix of newer modern styles, along with a church on the southwest corner of Alder and 12th. A recently constructed glass residential tower on the northwest corner of 12th and Washington suggests developers believe in the potential of the area and were seeking to extend the success of the brewery blocks to the North down south of Burnside.
(Click on a building to see a close-up of that structure)
The buildings along 11th avenue consist of older, more historic styles. Shorebank Pacific, a bank that stresses sustainable banking practices, is on the corner of 11th and Washington and occupies the former Portland Telegram building, which is on the National Registry of Historic Places. The Governor Hotel, built in 1909 and also listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, sits on the southeast corner of 11th and Alder. Combined with the Carlyle building halfway up the site, the trio of buildings forms the basis of a corridor of classic and stately architecture.
Site Observations
On the day of the visit the sky is overcast but the sun peaks through at times, yielding dramatic light and suggesting the dynamic nature of the play between clouds and sun on newer glass buildings. There are two tall towers on adjacent blocks, however one is the glass tower to the northwest and the other is an office tower on the block to the east – neither poses significant problems for sun and light on the sight, and the block has an airy, open feel.
The site slants slightly to the northeast, yielding the possibility for views down to the Willamette River. Currently, all space that is not occupied by buildings (and the few small trees) is taken up by pavement or concrete, with all runoff presumably being deposited into the sewer system.
While there were people walking on the sidewalks around the site, no one was observed entering or exiting any shops on the block. Several motorists parked their cars during the observation time. Because the site is only a block from the I-405 freeway, there is some background noise of cars passing with creates a steady blanket of low level noise.
