Romania Building, Franklin Boulevard side (my photo)
This is the next in 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:- The
building must be of architectural interest, local importance, or historically
significant.
- The building must be extant
so you or I can visit it in person.
- 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 entry’s selection begins with the letter R, for which
my choice is the Romania Building.
Romania
Building
The
Romania Building at 2020 Franklin Boulevard is perhaps Eugene’s best-known (if
not best-preserved) example of 1950s-style “Googie” architecture. Its elliptical
plan, sweeping “potato chip” roof, and once expansive glass walls are characteristic
of the futuristic Googie designs—many of which employed gravity-defying
cantilevers, bold geometric shapes, and vibrant colors—that exuberantly celebrated
the car-centric culture of the era. Located as it was and is at the east end of
Franklin Boulevard, the building functioned as a gateway and symbol of the city’s
rapidly expanding transportation infrastructure and commercial development upon
its opening in 1960. Though its original dynamism is a thing of the past, current
plans promise new life for the forlorn structure.
The
firm of Balzhiser, Seder, and Rhodes designed the showroom, initially for the
Lew Williams Chevrolet dealership. The late Grant Seder served as the building’s
principal designer. Grant intended its curved form to be reminiscent of the
energy of automobiles in motion, rather than as Eugene’s own faddish take on
the Googie style. The design team considered various structural solutions (including
a tension structure suspended from a perimeter compression ring), ultimately settling
upon a relatively conventional and economical system that nevertheless managed
to realize the striking aesthetic they wished for.
Lew
Williams sold the business to Joe Romania in 1969 (Joe was general manager of
the dealership under Lew). What grew to become the Romania group of car
dealerships was a force on the local scene when I first arrived in Eugene in
1980, and it remained so up until the time the Romania family sold the land and buildings its Chevrolet
dealership occupied to the University of Oregon in 2005. Since purchasing the strategically
important location, the university repurposed the 4.0-acre site for storage and
parking use, with the former showroom serving for a while as studio space for its
Product Design program.
Romania Building, east end (my photo)
As
of 2011, the showroom has been listed on the National Register of Historic
Places. According to the listing,
the display pavilion “served to attract customers driving along Franklin
Boulevard with its modern, futuristic, and aerodynamic design.” Notably, the
dealership was the first to be situated outside of Eugene’s downtown core,
which no longer can boast any such businesses.
An
interesting tidbit I wasn’t familiar with is that the showroom was an addition
to a former Coca Cola bottling plant, as opposed to the facility entirely being
purpose-built as an automobile dealership. As the NHRP listing details, Lew
Williams converted the bottling plant into the dealership’s service center, later
adding a paint shop, body shop, and collision repair center office in quick succession
to the building. So adaptive reuse is part of the dealership’s history, and as
I will address next, will be part of its future as well.
The
UO solicited proposals from developers in 2019 for exploration of a potential public/private
ground lease arrangement that would include, among many other features, the
preservation of the historical integrity and Googie style of the former dealership
showroom commensurate with its placement on the NRHP. The goal was to strike a
balance between honoring its past and embracing future opportunities for
growth.
The
university selected the proposal presented by Project^, a Portland-based developer whose Eugene
portfolio includes the nearby Skybox, Courtside, and K14 student apartment
buildings. The proposal for the Romania site by Project^ aims to retain the
iconic features of the Romania Building while revitalizing the surrounding
area. As a development partner, the UO would lease the land to Project^. The university’s
continued involvement would underscore its commitment to enhancing the campus
and its neighboring communities. In this scenario, the Romania Building holds
immense potential as a catalyst for the property’s transformative change. By
preserving its architectural heritage and integrating it into a modern urban
development, we would be able to celebrate the Romania Building’s past while
embracing the future.
Redevelopment proposal by Project^.
I
believe the Project^ proposal for the Romania site is proceeding (someone
correct me if I’m mistaken, and it is instead stillborn). The rendering shown
here hints at its large scope, which will entail a mixed-use development, the centerpiece
of which will be the former automobile display pavilion, returned to its former
glory, perhaps functioning as a restaurant. If the entire plan is realized, the
project will be the type of neighborhood node improvement called for by the
City of Eugene’s Walnut Station Specific Area Plan.
Safeguarding
the Romania Building’s historical significance while embracing an opportunity
for sustainable growth and development makes sense, so I’m hopeful the
University of Oregon’s partnership with Project^ will move forward along the
lines of the vision presented. This community hasn’t been the best when it
comes to preserving its architectural heritage. With luck, the
Romania Building will be fully restored and again be the captivating presence
along Franklin Boulevard it once was.
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