Eugene/Architecture/Alphabet: C

Central Lutheran Church (photo by me)

This is the third of my Eugene/Architecture/Alphabet series of blog posts, the focus of each being a landmark building here in Eugene. Many of these will be familiar to most who live here but there are likely to be a few buildings that are less so. My selection criteria for each will be threefold:

1. The building must be of architectural interest, local importance, or historically significant.
2. The building must be extant so you or I can visit it in person.
3. Each building’s name will begin with a particular letter of the alphabet, and I must select one (and only one) for each of the twenty-six letters. This is easier said than done for some letters, whereas for other characters there is a surfeit of worthy candidates (so I’ll be discriminating and explain my choice in those instances).

This week’s selection begins with the letter C, for which the Central Lutheran Church is my selection.(1)

Central Lutheran Church

AIA Gold Medalist Pietro Belluschi (1899-1994) was an internationally renowned and celebrated proponent of Modern architecture during its mid-20^th century heyday. Born in Italy, Belluschi would first make his professional mark in Portland, notably designing the Portland Art Museum and the Equitable Building, before moving east in 1950 to serve as dean of the M.I.T. School of Architecture and Planning. Despite his eminent stature during this phase of his career, Belluschi continued to work on relatively modest projects throughout Oregon, including a series of geometrically simple and unpretentious churches. These include St. Thomas More Catholic Church (1939-1940), Zion Lutheran Church (1945-1955), and Central Lutheran Church (1948-50) in Portland; First Presbyterian Church in Cottage Grove (1948-51); and the subject of this post, Central Lutheran Church (1945-55) here in Eugene. 

Central Lutheran Church is located immediately south of the University of Oregon campus at the corner of 18^th Avenue and Potter Street. Belluschi’s design is characteristically unassuming. The volume containing the main sanctuary is a straightforward box, its plainness only relieved by an artful use of building materials (brick and wood), texture, and proportion. Like his other Pacific Northwest church designs, Belluschi used wood as the primary structural material, exploiting the properties of glued-laminated arches, which at the time provided an economical, regionally appropriate, and expressive means to support the roof over the sanctuary. 

Belluschi referred to his philosophy of architectural understatement as “eloquent simplicity.” His approach was rooted in a deep understanding of the design problem at hand, as opposed to an ego-driven need to make an architectural statement. He believed in the “good reason of taste and restraint.” 

Central Lutheran Church - detail view (my photo)

A series of events during 2019 celebrated Pietro Belluschi’s contributions to Oregon architecture on the 120^th anniversary of his birth. Among the historians and architects who remarked on his legacy was PIVOT Architecture associate Scott Clarke, AIA, who spoke of Central Lutheran Church in the following excerpt from an article for The Oregonian/OregonLive: 

Architect Scott Clarke said he has “the good fortune” to pass by Belluschi’s Central Lutheran Church in Eugene on a regular basis. 

“It sits at the south edge of the University of Oregon, confronting 18th Avenue with its unapologetic boxiness. Perhaps it remains unnoticed by many, as its form suggests that it might be a somewhat modest affair. Those that look deeper and longer are rewarded with a building that conveys much about where we are and what we value," he said. 

“The box, as it turns out, is a highly articulate thing. Like a good painting, the wood and brick walls are composed with the greatest care, being divided into smaller segments and strata in ways that break the whole into a composition of meaningful parts,” he continued. "These parts are all made of ordinary stuff, nothing extravagant. But each part realizes the full potential of the ordinary materials from which it is made. This building, like so much of Belluschi’s work, is a product of an architect who fully embraced and understood his adoptive home: it is innately of Oregon.” 

Clarke also praised the church’s excellent acoustics. “Its proportions of height, width and length are suspiciously like the best concert halls, and the laminated wood structural system resembles the stone arches of Gothic churches.” 

“How fortunate we are to have this building and others by Belluschi to remind us of what is special and important about the place where we live and the merits of being thoughtful about the way we choose to inhabit the place we call home,” he said. “This building reminds of what might be a kind of Oregon ethos: make the most of modest means." 

“The design of a church begins with a structurally convincing volume made meaningful by subtle manipulation of light and shadows, by providing multiple visual experiences through suspense and mystery, through textures and colors, through fine proportions, and exploitation of natural materials—all brought together in harmonious relationship.” 

Interior of the sanctuary (photo from the Central Lutheran Church Facebook page)

Like Scott, I regularly pass by Central Lutheran Church and have ventured inside once (though I can’t recall exactly what the occasion was for my visit). I admire the building because of its eloquent simplicity and essential modesty: Good architecture isn’t defined by a need to draw attention to itself. Instead, the hallmarks of good architecture should be an attentiveness to the essence and uniqueness of each project, design intentions that translate those unique needs in a synthesized and comprehensive manner, and responsiveness to the natural, historical, and physical context of which it is a part. 

(1)    I considered several other buildings whose names begin with “C.” These included the Citizens Building in downtown Eugene, and Collier House on the University of Oregon campus. Ultimately, I selected Central Lutheran Church because of Pietro Belluschi and his significance to the emergence of a uniquely Pacific Northwest strain of Modern architecture.

Is Bigger Better for Glenwood?

Proposal by Glenwood Development, LLC. The 20-story hotel would be the tallest building in the Eugene-Springfield area.

Last Monday evening’s meeting of the Springfield Economic Development Agency (SEDA) featured presentations by two teams vying for the opportunity to develop a 9.5-acre riverfront parcel in Glenwood brimming with potential. I joined the virtual audience online to see the proposals, either of which holds the potential to trigger a radical transformation of the metro area’s long-neglected, shabby backwater.  

 

Even though I watched already knowing a bit about both proposals,(1) I was still blown away by the ambitious visions presented by the two team. Both contenders—Glenwood Development, LLC, and LOCALIS Partners--propose massive projects. The enormity of the proposed budgets and the projected paces of development are likewise staggering: Glenwood Development, LLC estimates it would spend between $311 million and $340 million, and complete all construction by January 1, 2025. LOCALIS anticipates spending roughly $400 million, executing its project in three phases over an equally short period. In recent memory, few projects in the Eugene-Springfield market have rivaled the magnitude of the two proposals, with the possible exception of the Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend.

 

Significantly, because Glenwood is an IRS-sanctioned Opportunity Zone, both Glenwood Development, LLC and LOCALIS Partners anticipate extensive backing from interested investors. Investment funds are attracted by the tax benefits associated with moving capital to investments in an OZ. I can’t profess to understand the mechanisms involved, but I believe one upshot is there would be no burden upon local taxpayers associated with either proposal (i.e. no commitment of public monies in the form of general obligation bonds to fund the development). Indeed, any significant project within the OZ would generate considerable new tax revenues for the City of Springfield, Lane County, and the Glenwood Urban Renewal District well in excess of any waiver of systems development charges or partial deferral of property taxes.

 

Due to the requirements of opportunity zone investment (I think it has to do with what is called the “31-Month Working Capital Safe Harbor”), once the project’s funding is lined up it must proceed expeditiously. So, this means if the funds are committed, we will see whichever project SEDA favors take shape in very short order.

Glenwood Development, LLC building massing & program diagram

As the images here show, both proposals are nothing if not audacious. At first blush, the design concept by Morphosis Architects for the LOCALIS Partners team breaks the mold, whereas by comparison the plans by LRS Architects for Glenwood Development, LLC appears conventional. The way each scheme addresses the site context is likewise dichotomous: The Morphosis approach is campus-like, while the LRS design seeks to kickstart a desirable pattern of urban development between Franklin Boulevard and the river by introducing walkable streets and blocks. Both development teams propose a possible collaboration with Homes for Good to include a sizable complement of affordable or workforce housing.

 

LOCALIS Partners proposal - View from the east. A new soccer stadium and a hockey arena are centerpieces of the proposed design.

LOCALIS Partners proposal - View looking north. The landscaped plinth conceals parking and commercial spaces below.

I’m not going to address the specific design merits of either concept; instead, I’ll discuss my concern with the scale of both. Fundamentally, is bigger better for Glenwood? My answer to this question is a qualified “no.”

 

My unease with the size of the proposals stems from my long-held preference for piecemeal or incremental growth. As I wrote way back in 2012 upon the unveiling of the overly large 13^th & Olive student housing project by Capstone Development Partners in downtown Eugene, the benefit of piecemeal or incremental growth is that it allows for fine-grained adjustments over time. Development in smaller increments is less likely to result in undesirable outcomes. I argued that an effective process for improving our urban environments has been trial and error. Minor missteps provide feedback useful for recalibrating future choices. Small errors are relatively easy and inexpensive to correct. Bigger, coarser mistakes are far less so. Unfortunately, the Capstone project stands today as an example of a big, crude blunder.

 

An immense project built within a short timeframe also risks being unremittingly sterile. Inevitably, it will lack the richness, patina, and variety characteristic of a series of unrelated developments that evolved organically over many years. Some architects ill-advisedly attempt to compensate by generating an illusion of natural complexity; however, the results inevitably appear disingenuous and artificial.

LOCALIS Partners - Site Plan; the red rectangle is the proposed new soccer stadium.

Don’t get me wrong; I applaud the City of Springfield and the two proposing teams for their faith in Glenwood’s potential. And based on the little I know I do believe the Opportunity Zone investment program presents the most practical and realistic means to spark development. Glenwood has laid fallow for far too long. The time is right; accordingly, I do want to see one of the two proposals proceed because the alternative is too likely to be a continuation of Glenwood’s decades-long torpor. Sometimes incrementalism isn’t the best course. The clear prescription in some instances is catalytic change, a dramatic challenge to the status quo. Beneficial evolution in nature doesn’t always progress in a linear fashion; sometimes it surges forward.

 

SEDA meets again on April 26 to deliberate and select between the Glenwood Development, LLC and LOCALIS Partners proposals. I’ll be tuning in to see which team SEDA rewards with the privilege and responsibility to unleash Glenwood’s substantial potential.

 

(1)  The Eugene Emeralds withdrew their expression of interest and did not submit a formal proposal for consideration by SEDA. 

Eugene/Architecture/Alphabet: B

Baldwin Market Building (photos by me)

This is the second of my Eugene/Architecture/Alphabet series of blog posts, the focus of each being a landmark building here in Eugene. Many of these will be familiar to most who live here but there are likely to be a few buildings that are less so. My selection criteria for each will be threefold:

1. The building must be of architectural interest, local importance, or historically significant.
2. The building must be extant so you or I can visit it in person.
3. Each building’s name will begin with a particular letter of the alphabet, and I must select one (and only one) for each of the twenty-six letters. This is easier said than done for some letters, whereas for other characters there is a surfeit of worthy candidates (so I’ll be discriminating and explain my choice in those instances).

This week’s selection begins with the letter B, for which the Baldwin Market Building is my selection.

Baldwin Market Building

Even though I’ve passed by the Baldwin Market Building numerous times I didn’t “know” it before initiating this series of posts. It isn’t architecturally stunning, nor is it historically prominent. That said, the building is of historic significance, by virtue of it being the last of its type in Eugene. Specifically, it is the last remaining, two-story, false-fronted commercial building in the City of Eugene.

The Baldwin Market Building is located at 765-781 Monroe Street, near the intersection of Monroe Street and Blair Boulevard and a short distance away from the Blair Boulevard Historic Commercial Area. During good times, the immediate neighborhood is lively and features an appealing mix of locally owned small businesses. InJoy Wellness Massage Center occupies the south portion of the Baldwin Market Building’s first floor. The soon-to-open, non-profit Acorn Community Café is the north side’s latest tenant. Once the State of Oregon suspends all limitations on indoor gatherings, I suspect the Baldwin Market Building and its neighbors will thrive once again.

It isn’t exactly clear when the Baldwin Market Building was built, nor who the designer and/or builder was. Available records indicate the Market served the community as a neighborhood store between 1920 and 1946. Since the exact date of construction is unknown, the year 1920 is considered architecturally significant as the first year that the building is absolutely known to have existed and the year that major additions led to the structure’s present configuration.

The building became listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Architectural historian Lynn M. Josse submitted the nomination, which included a comprehensive narrative describing why the building warranted listing on the Register. The applicable National Register Criteria included the fact the property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history, and because the property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction.

The following is an excerpt from the nomination document:

The unusual building located at 765-781 Monroe is believed to be the last remaining two-story false-front commercial building in the city of Eugene. It existed on its present site by 1920, but the earliest part of the building was probably constructed at least several years earlier. The building is nearly square in plan, measuring approximately 44 by 45 feet. Its original main gabled volume makes up the southwest part of the building, with historic hipped and shed-roofed additions to the east and north. The most dominant feature of the building is the two-level false front which defines its street facade. This character-defining feature has high integrity.

The Baldwin Market building was constructed in several stages. The earliest part of the building is the two story gable-roofed volume that makes up most of the south side of the building. No definitive date has been established for this section of the building due to inadequate and sometimes conflicting physical and documentary evidence. It may have been constructed around or even before the turn of the century and moved to this location, but it is likely that the building was constructed on-site sometime between 1912 and 1920. This is the only part of the building that uses cut nails in its construction. Other evidence that this part of the building was constructed independently of the rest includes paint analysis evidence and the fact that Sanborn maps indicate that this section of the building still had a wood shingle roof in 1925, while the rest was roofed in a non-combustible material.

. . . Each of the surviving false-front buildings is a valuable remnant of a disappearing style, and each deserves to be preserved. As the largest wooden example known to exist in Eugene, and the only two-story example, the Baldwin Market building is of exceptional historical value. For its unusual architectural merit as a unique example of an early Eugene style and for its important place in the community life of the Westside and Whiteaker neighborhoods, the Baldwin Market is nominated to the National Register of Historic Places.

Too much of Eugene’s architectural heritage no longer exists, so I’m glad the Baldwin Market Building remains as an example of its type. Its listing on the National Register of Historic Places provides no assurance it will not one day be removed or irreparably altered, but it does mean the building is eligible for federal preservation tax credits and grants for historic preservation.   

City Club of Eugene Forum: Downtown Riverfront Redevelopment Project

Downtown Riverfront Redevelopment - Neighborhood Concept by SERA Architects

The City Club of Eugene hosted an online/virtual forum yesterday about Eugene’s Downtown Riverfront Development project. While I was generally familiar with the project’s goals, I was curious to learn about the current plans and how the development team led by Atkins Dame and SERA Architects has refined them since presenting its initial concepts back in 2018. The discussion, moderated by past City Club president and EWEB commissioner Sandra Bishop, included Will Dowdy, Community Development co-director for the City of Eugene, developers Jim Atkins and Dike Dame of Atkins Dame Inc., and SERA principal Kurt Schultz. 

Will framed the discussion by pointing out Eugene is far from unique in having turned its back to the water that prompted settlement in the first place. Almost every city in the world owes its origin to a connection with a natural body of water. Natural harbors and rivers are their lifeblood. As society developed, cities prioritized access to these resources for industry rather than for recreation or their significance to a sense of community identity and place. Will believes the Downtown Riverfront Redevelopment project is important for Eugene because it is an opportunity for the city to physically reengage with its history along the banks of the Willamette River. The significance of this opportunity cannot be underestimated, so finding the right fit for the site—the right mix of uses and activities, and the right development team—was important to Will and the other members of the City of Eugene’s Community Development Division. 

Jim and Dike described how their wealth of development expertise and resources has been critical to bringing the Downtown Riverfront Redevelopment project closer to reality. Their portfolio features similarly ambitious undertakings along Portland’s South Waterfront, in the Pearl District, and for the South Park development in Los Angeles. The lessons they have learned from experience include how difficult the process of development can be, how building a neighborhood takes time, and how important it is to bring real vision to the project. Jim and Dike are committed to downtown Eugene’s ongoing revitalization by bringing new housing, retail, and dining to the riverfront. 

Though now a Portland resident, Kurt grew up in Eugene (attending both Churchill High School and the University of Oregon) and is honored by the opportunity to lead the design effort for the Downtown Riverfront Redevelopment project in his hometown. Kurt reported how he and his SERA Architects team respected the 2010 EWEB Riverfront Site master plan, but also decided to tweak it by proposing the removal of the old EWEB operations warehouse. Removing the warehouse permits the extension of 5th Avenue straight east under the viaduct to the river. Directly connecting the established street grid to the network of new streets on the development site generates a set of “urban blocks,” which SERA will use as the framework in developing their designs for the mix of new building types. 

The City of Eugene approved a minimum housing density option (420 units) in 2018 for the Riverfront Redevelopment, and a maximum density option (1,200 units) in 2019. Jim and Dike guess they will end up in the middle somewhere between the minimum and maximum density options. They intend to submit their first MUPTE application later this spring. Their intent is to develop a variety of unit types, at different levels of affordability and amenity(1). Jim and Dike pointed out how the project’s overall success will require a balancing act between achieving the high quality of construction they desire, meeting sustainability goals, and providing competitive price points for the market-rate housing units. 

Aerial view: Parcel 3 is in the foreground; also visible is construction of the 5th Avenue extension to the river (City of Eugene photo)

The design of the first buildings for Parcels 3 and 7 is proceeding. These parcels are two of the most central within the new neighborhood, flanking both sides of the viaduct and bordering the 5th Avenue extension. 

Kurt mentioned how the City of Eugene’s Community Design Handbook is informing his team’s approach to their design efforts. Specifically, they are applying the handbook’s design principles—integrate nature, evoke a sense of place, bring streets to life, and leave a building legacy—to the development of their plans for each of the redevelopment’s ten parcels. The tallest buildings (6 or 7 stories high) will be arrayed parallel to the railroad tracks along Annie Mims Lane on the south edge of the site. Other buildings will cascade down to 4-stories in height, where they will overlook the City’s new Riverfront Park. Retail at the ground-level will activate the streets. A pavilion-like major restaurant will anchor the development at the intersection of 5^th Avenue and Ferry Street. SERA will design the buildings with “character,” relying upon tried-and-true architectural precedents. 

I last reported on the project’s progress back in December. Construction associated with the City’s new Riverfront Park and the installation of the new infrastructure necessary to support the future development was well underway then. Per its development agreement with the Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Eugene, Atkins Dame recently provided a $4.5 million non-refundable deposit, which will support additional infrastructure improvements. Vertical development of the neighborhood is expected to proceed in phases between 2022 and 2025, with the first of the new housing on the market by spring of 2023. 

The Atkins Dame redevelopment will reconnect Eugene with its riverfront roots. By attracting a diverse resident population, retail storefronts, and dining options, the redevelopment will contribute much needed vibrancy to the center of our urban area. 

Thanks to the City Club of Eugene for producing this timely online forum, and thanks to Atkins Dame for taking a chance on Eugene and seeing the promise inherent in Eugene’s return to the river.  

(1)    The City of Eugene has additionally set aside part of the property for an affordable housing project, which will not be developed by Atkins Dame. The redevelopment of the old Steam Plant building will also be by others and not Atkins Dame.