Otto Poticha Speaks!

Otto Poticha, FAIA

The second in the Building Modern Eugene lecture series at the Shelton McMurphey Johnson House featured none other than the effusive Otto Poticha, FAIA. Never one to shy away from an audience, Otto spoke last Wednesday evening on the topic of Eugene architecture—where it has been and where it is taking us now.

According to the Book of Poticha, the story of Eugene architecture begins upon Otto’s arrival in Oregon. With his young family in tow, Otto moved to Eugene in 1962 from the Midwest. He was attracted to the city by its reputation as a wellspring for a new brand of regionally-specific modernism, inspired by the endlessly varied Pacific Northwest landscape. The uniformly high level of work produced by local architects likewise impressed him. The fact that Eugene was a small town on the verge of becoming a genuine city appealed to Otto.(1) A single well-designed building could make a real difference. He surmised that Eugene’s architects were respected shapers of the community’s future.

By contrast, Otto left behind a far more conservative culture, architecturally speaking. He arrived from a place where bankers wielded greater influence than architects upon the design of everyday buildings. Familiar and formulaic was the rule of the day, rather than risk-taking and moving forward. It’s no surprise Otto chose to pursue his career here. Compared to the Midwest, Oregon beckoned like the proverbial land of milk and honey.

Back in the 60s and early 70s, Eugene was the lumber capital of the world. It was prosperous with good schools, good policing, and stable employment. Downtown businesses still thrived. “Dragging the gut” was a popular pastime on weekend evenings. The large student body and diverse faculty of the University of Oregon contributed greatly to the qualities that made Eugene a “unique place.”(2) Some of the city’s most significant modern architecture, including the civic center collection—City Hall, the Lane County Courthouse, and the Federal Building—was designed during this period.

Then again, Eugene’s moneyed lumber barons didn't flaunt their wealth by investing in expensive buildings. They drove around in crummy pickups rather than show their employees they had made some money. For the most part, private developers and land owners built cheaply. It was in the public sector where the most creative work was accomplished. Even there, though, parsimony was the default condition. Among the legacies of that miserliness is the entire generation of post-war K-12 school buildings. Built quickly to meet the burgeoning needs of the baby boomers, the structures now suffer the consequences of economic expediency and sporadic maintenance.

By the early 80s, the spirit of innovative architecture that existed in Eugene when Otto first moved here had largely vanished. The deleterious effects of that period’s economic recession left many of Eugene’s architects with no choice but to leave and seek work elsewhere. The city’s visual infrastructure decayed, as retailers vacated downtown storefronts and buildings turned shabby. Oregon became increasingly conservative in its fiscal outlook, culminating in the 1990 passage of the Ballot Measure 5 property tax limitation legislation.

Otto believed this conservatism still consumes the production of architecture in Eugene. One effect is our community’s aversion to change.(3) Eugene is also disinclined to substantial investments in the public realm. We lack money to improve our built environment simply because we’re unwilling to pay for anything. Otto quipped that our city motto should be “woe is me.” He made the case that government can afford to be extravagant, even if individuals cannot.

Another impediment to bettering Eugene’s built environment is paralysis by consensus. Otto hates consensus. In some respects, consensus mitigates risk but the results are too often vanilla. Eugene has decided vanilla is okay even though there are many other flavors. Consensus needs to be codified, so the outcome of well-intentioned public processes is sets of written rules. Otto lamented that architects have become clerks dependent upon the crutch of these rules. Creativity and truly innovative, out-of-the-box thinking is effectively stifled.

Ten years ago, Otto famously described Eugene as “butt ugly.” He continues to stand behind that assessment. It’s hard to disagree with him: too much of Eugene is characterized by lowest-common denominator development and an absence of will to do much about it. To really see Eugene, he said, just look at the city after its camouflaging cloak of leaves has fallen and the tawdriness of the environment is laid bare. Much of Eugene really is ugly.

So what did Otto see in the future for Eugene? Is there any hope for our city?

Otto felt there is hope if we can overcome our distaste for risk and change. Given the makeup of Eugene’s business community (largely comprised of small businesses with limited capital) Otto argued that the public sector must take the lead. He made the case that leadership with the courage of conviction and a dedication to improving Eugene’s public realm is necessary. Visionary leaders move forward with ambitious plans. They don’t fall back upon the false comfort of the status quo. Visionary leaders would care to understand the features that make Eugene, Eugene. They would support projects that take chances, shake things up, and make positive changes.

Otto presented downtown Eugene as a case study: it will never be a regional shopping draw again but there is potential for it to become a mecca for the creative class, a place where people want to live, work, and actively engage in urban life. For this to occur, Otto stated we should not copy work done elsewhere because nowhere else is Eugene. Our downtown should be as unique as we think our city is. Making it so is where the art of architecture comes into play. There’s a big difference between creating architecture and merely building. Architecture with a big “A” will be the means by which downtown becomes a place everyone immediately associates with Eugene because there’s no other place it can be. Otto is certain that artful architecture has the power to instill pride in Eugene.

Ironically, Eugene is Otto’s home rather than Portland because the design scene in 1960s Eugene seemed more progressive to him. Today, no one would claim that our city is nearly as visionary and willing to embrace change as Portland is. “When you're in Portland you feel a pride in the community," Otto said. “In Eugene, there is no such pride." A significant measure of Portlanders’ esteem is derived from the Rose City’s urbanity, the product of forward-thinking politicians and talented architects, landscape architects, and urban designers. To instill community pride in Eugene, we must similarly accept change and take on stewardship for this place we call home. If Eugene’s urban spaces are important to us, we will care for and maintain them. Such is the hallmark of a truly sustainable city.

It’s been Otto’s crusade since he arrived in Eugene to convince The Register-Guard newspaper that architecture is an art. Moreover, it is the most difficult of arts, requiring consummate artistry and skill. If we can summon our best efforts as architects and take farsighted leaps of faith, perhaps Otto will amend his assessment of Eugene. If we’re fortunate, there will soon be a day when he no longer considers Eugene “butt ugly” and the R-G celebrates the triumph of architecture over mediocrity.

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The next lecture in the Building Modern Eugene series at the Shelton McMurphey Johnson House will feature Joe Barthlow. He will present a “hands-on” look at the restoration of his Cliff May-designed mid-century modern home on Wednesday, April 20 at 6:30 PM.


(1) Otto suggested Eugene is a “smaller town” today than it was when he arrived in 1962. Not, of course, in the literal sense but rather when it comes to the community’s self-perception.

(2) Despite its impact upon Eugene’s culture and economy, the University remains even today more a foreign country within the city’s boundaries than an integral part of the community. Otto reported that none of his colleagues at the School of Architecture & Allied Arts rose to his challenge to testify at the recent public hearings regarding the fate of the proposed extension of the EmX bus rapid transit system in west Eugene. I previously blogged about the “town & gown” dynamic and the historic disconnect between the UO and the local architectural scene.

(3) Otto asserted that many of those who oppose change are transplanted Californians who witnessed the decline of their slice of heaven on Earth and vowed not to relive that experience upon moving to Oregon.

Otto Poticha Wins 2020 AIA Oregon President’s Award

Amid 2020’s incessant stream and fast pace of breathless news on all fronts, it was refreshing to see AIA Oregon recognize one of Eugene’s own, the inimitable Otto Poticha, FAIA as this year’s recipient of the prestigious President’s Award.

 

AIA Oregon presents the President’s Award to an individual AIA member in recognition of significant contributions to the architecture profession through distinguished leadership and service over an extended period of time. These contributions must have advanced the cause of the profession and provided an inspiration to the recipient’s fellow practitioners.

 

I can’t think of anyone else more deserving than Otto Poticha. Since arriving in Eugene in 1962—attracted by the Pacific Northwest’s reputation for a new brand of regionally-specific modernish inspired by the endlessly varied natural landscape—he has demonstrated unwavering boldness in his thinking. I’ve known Otto since my student days at the University of Oregon during the early 1980s. He was irascible back then and remains as ornery as ever today, much to the benefit of all who call Eugene or Springfield home. Never one to hold his tongue, Otto’s has continually kept me and my colleagues accountable for the work we do, especially if it is worthy of reproach. Years ago, he famously characterized Eugene as “butt ugly,” making it his mission to hold not only his fellow design professionals but our entire community to task. His perennial hope has been that we all may overcome our distaste for risk and change and demonstrate a courage of conviction to realize ambitious plans. He truly cares about his adopted home.

 

In addition to a decorated career as a talented architect at the helm of a series of successful partnerships and as a sole practitioner, Otto has taught for the better part of six decades in the Department of Architecture at the University of Oregon. By his own account, Otto enriched the lives and shaped the thinking of more than 3,500 architects (and counting), including yours truly. As an instructor Otto was and remains a notoriously cantankerous taskmaster, seldom reluctant to fail an underperforming student. There’s no doubting the significance of his influence upon generations of architects and in turn their built legacy.

 

On a personal note, I owe Otto a debt of gratitude for not only being a friend, colleague, and collaborator over many years, but also for suggesting during my job search upon my return to Eugene in 1988 that I approach Robertson/Sherwood/Architects, a recommendation for which I will always be grateful.

 

AIA Oregon conferred the 2020 President’s Award to Otto at its virtual Architecture Awards event on October 23. Click on the link below to watch the video celebrating the award. It features clips of his daughter Shelley Poticha and John Reynolds, FAIA, the 2019 recipient of the President’s Award, in addition to Otto himself.

 

https://vimeo.com/472761857

 

Celebrating Unthank Seder Poticha

Mark your calendars: The evening of September 17, 2024, will bring the local design community together to celebrate the work of one of Eugene’s most notable 20th century architectural practices: Unthank Seder Poticha Architects. Presented by the nascent Northwest Center for Architecture, the event promises to be a joyous occasion, not only because it will acknowledge the firm’s outsized impact on the local architectural scene, but also because it will mark Otto Poticha, FAIA’s ninetieth birthday.

The Northwest Center for Architecture is the brainchild of Abraham Kelso, principal with Marinbow Design Services and an adjunct instructor at the University of Oregon’s School of Architecture & Environment. I had the pleasure of learning more from Abe about the Center while meeting over coffee at Vero Espresso this past Friday. His vision for the institution is for it to become akin to the internationally renowned Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) in Montreal, likewise producing original exhibitions and publications, albeit with an Oregon focus and a far more modest mandate. Abe’s secondary goal is that the Northwest Center for Architecture will one day have its own brick & mortar home as a venue for exhibits and repository for archival-quality drawings and documents.

Abe is currently preparing his manuscript for a monograph documenting the work of Unthank Seder Poticha. Rather than primarily photo-documenting the constructed projects, Abe’s added focus is upon the genesis and design process for each. As an architect, I always find learning the inside story—the who, what, when, where, why, and how—fascinating and informative. Being pretty alone does not make a successful project; good architecture is much more. It is functional, durable, contextual, sustainable, as well as aesthetically pleasing. My hope is Abe will emphasize all these aspects in his assessments of the Unthank Seder Poticha projects he chooses to present.

Alas, I will miss the September 17 celebration as coincidentally I will be in Montreal on a trip I have had planned for months (one that includes a visit to the CCA). There is no way I would otherwise not be on hand to honor Otto’s milestone birthday and to listen to him recount his successful partnership with De and Grant, a legacy that is unrivaled here in Lane County. I truly wish I could be in two places at the same time.

Following is the Northwest Center for Architecture’s announcement for the event:

Celebrating Unthank Seder Poticha

You are cordially invited to celebrate the life and work of three architects who helped shape the Eugene we know and love today: DeNorval Unthank, Grant Seder, and Otto Poticha, who from 1968-1986 practiced together as Unthank Seder Poticha Architects. 

They designed, either individually or collaboratively, many iconic campus buildings: McKenzie Hall, the Clinical Services Building, the Health Services Building, and the Lew Romania dealership "potato chip" building, as well as the Handball and Tennis Courts, which received a national energy award. On top of that, their many years of teaching and reviewing student work left an incalculable impact on the strength of our graduates.

In Eugene at-large, they were single-handedly responsible for creating the 5th Avenue Special Area Zone, which dramatically reshaped civic and commercial life in downtown Eugene. They designed or renovated many buildings in the downtown core and developed successful experiments in dense urban living (High Street Rowhouses, Lincoln Terrace). They designed the Lane County Public Service Building (also the recipient of a national energy award), notable professional services buildings (the Bus Barn, the High Street Office Building, the Forum Building, among others), and the surrounding hills are dotted with their innovative residential structures. 

High Street Rowhouses (Google Street View)

Lincoln Terrace (Google Street View)

Lane County Public Service Building (Google Street View)

In Portland, they designed the magnet performing arts educational facility, Harriet Tubman Middle School, as well as adapted an aging firehouse into the beloved Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, among other civic and residential projects.

The Albany Public Library, The Local Government Center in Salem, the list goes on! The Willamette Valley is richer for their work . . . not to mention the coast, the mountains, and the high plains to the east.

We will be gathering for a night of celebration and stories about some truly incredible practitioners, whose work made Oregon a better place, as well as fundraising to support a permanent home for the Unthank Seder Poticha archive and the publication of a comprehensive monograph of their work. 

Please join us. 

The Very Little Theatre, Eugene, OR

Doors at 6pm, Event at 7pm

September 17th, 2024

Post-War Architecture in Eugene

Grant Seder and Dick Williams (my photo)

I attended the first of the Building Modern Eugene lecture series last Wednesday at the Shelton McMurphey Johnson House. AIA-SWO emeritus members Grant Seder and Dick Williams delivered an entertaining, first-person account of the evolution of architecture in Eugene since World War II. Their reflections upon the trajectory of local post-war architecture, suitably rendered in Kodachrome, enthralled the small but thoroughly engaged audience.

Grant and Dick know of what they speak. Both practiced in this community for many decades, bestowing upon Eugene a lasting legacy of quality design and mentorship to the generation of architects who followed them. Grant’s career included service at the helm of Balzhiser Seder & Rhodes and then Unthank Seder Poticha Architects, before continuing work as a sole practitioner. Dick literally wrote the book on local architectural history as the primary contributor to Style and Vernacular: A Guide to the Architecture of Lane County, Oregon (1983).

Like many communities of its size across the country, Eugene experienced a burst of home construction after the war.(1) Dick described how these dwellings quickly progressed from extremely modest tract houses to later developments of much grander size and pretension. Along the way, there was genuine invention that signaled changes in American family life and affluence. Developers like the Breeden brothers shaped entire Eugene neighborhoods, filling them with affordable, quality homes.

The firm of Wilmsen & Endicott figured prominently in Grant and Dick’s presentation. Grant worked for Robert Wilmsen and Charles Endicott early in his career in Eugene. Dick was a principal with WEGROUP Architects & Planners, the successor firm to Wilmsen & Endicott. Among the noteworthy projects designed by Wilmsen & Endicott are the Lane County Courthouse and a favorite of mine, the moderne-styled Kennell Ellis Building.

The curving, sidewalk-sheltering canopy of the Kennell Ellis Building was so daring for its time that it spooked the contractor. He was reluctant to remove the formwork after casting the concrete, leaving the task instead to the architect, Bob Wilmsen. The design itself was liberally “borrowed” by Wilmsen from a project he admired in a magazine.

Kennell Ellis Building - Wilmsen & Endicott, Architects (my photo)

The post-war years were characterized by much optimism and economic prosperity. Modernism became the prevailing architectural doctrine. Its veneration for newness and the utopian blank slate, coupled with the imperative for development, emboldened Eugene architects and planners to make big plans. Several came together on their own accord during the late 1950s to invent a master plan for a new civic center in downtown. The growing role of government in citizens’ lives inspired their vision, which ultimately was realized by the construction in rapid succession of the Lane County Courthouse, City Hall, Federal Building, and Lane County Public Services Building.

Lane County Courthouse - Wilmsen & Endicott, Architects (photo from the University of Oregon Libraries)

Wilmsen & Endicott’s design for the County Courthouse lacked overt and traditional symbols of institutional authority or the law. In their place, it offered abstraction and geometry as stand-ins for virtuous character. A concession to symbolism was the planting of three fir trees, one for each seat on the board of county commissioners at the time of the building’s genesis. A half-century later, you can find these now stately conifers in front of the courthouse’s south façade.

The late DeNorval Unthank, FAIA initially served as Wilmsen & Endicott’s construction contract administrator for the Lane County Courthouse. De encountered an unfriendly workplace: he was threatened by contractors who objected to the presence of the young “negro” architect on the construction site. Some workers dropped hot rivets from overhead as he walked below. De asked Bob Wilmsen if he could be assigned to another project so as not to endure continuing harassment.(2)

De would go on to become a partner in the firm, and distinguish himself as a talented designer. Eventually, De joined forces with Grant and Otto Poticha in 1968 to form Unthank Seder Poticha Architects.

Eugene City Hall - Stafford, Morin, and Longwood Architects (photo from the University of Oregon Libraries)

Eugene City Hall, designed in 1960 by Stafford, Morin, and Longwood Architects, was the winning entry of a design competition. Great Buildings Online describes the complex as a “dignified yet purposefully anti-monumental city hall with a beautiful courtyard garden around the central council chamber.” What may be unknown to readers of this blog is that Stafford, Morin, and Longwood designed City Hall to anticipate the construction of a vertical expansion along its 7th Avenue frontage. Of course, this was never realized. Another fact is that a major focus of the courtyard was a majestic walnut tree, lamentably removed after the building’s construction despite landscape architect Lloyd Bond’s heroic efforts to nurse it to health.

After years of deferred maintenance, City Hall is now living on borrowed time. The City cites its structural inadequacies, which loom especially large since Japan’s massive subduction quake earlier this month, as a primary factor in its decision to raze the structure. In truth, the Eugene Water & Electric Board’s pending shutdown of its antiquated steam heating plant and the building’s energy inefficiency are equal factors in its imminent demise. I mentioned Otto Poticha’s efforts to save City Hall in a recent blog post.

Lew Williams/Joe Romania Chevrolet showroom - Balzhiser Seder & Rhodes, architects (photo from the collection of TBG Architects & Planners & Grant Seder)

Another threatened mid-century modern gem is the forlorn former Lew Williams/Joe Romania Chevrolet automobile showroom on Franklin Boulevard. Grant’s firm, Balzhiser Seder & Rhodes, designed the showroom in a vernacular that is akin to the futuristic “Googie” style first popularized by the car-focused culture of southern California during the 1950s. Grant downplays the degree to which the space-age styling of Googie architecture influenced his design, but the shared traits are readily apparent: abstraction; a gravity-defying, upswept roof; and uninterrupted walls of plate glass. The fate of the showroom is in the hands of its current owners, the University of Oregon.

Grant and Dick filled their presentation with one colorful anecdote after another:

• Bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. suggested a many-storied tower set within a plaza for its Federal Building & Courthouse. WEGROUP ultimately designed the low-rise, precast concrete-clad composition that occupies the block bounded by 6th Avenue, Oak Street, Pearl Street, and 7th Avenue. WEGROUP intended the diagonal axis through the site to be a nod to the other buildings in the cluster of government offices, but the County Public Services Building (designed by Unthank Seder Poticha) didn’t reciprocate the gesture.
• Otto Poticha objected to the City of Eugene’s plans during the 1970s for a downtown pedestrian mall. His punishment for going public with opposition was to be awarded the commission to design the project. He successfully managed to get Unthank Seder Poticha fired after proposing the pedestrian mall be opened to vehicle traffic during summer evenings to facilitate “dragging the gut”.
• EWEB was not always the paragon of energy conservation it is today. WEGROUP and G.Z. Brown, FAIA, of the Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory encountered institutional indifference to their proposed integration of green design measures in EWEB’s riverfront headquarters. WEGROUP (partnered with John Reynolds, FAIA) found a more ready advocate for sustainability in the Emerald People’s Utility District for the design of its contemporaneous facility. EPUD wholeheartedly embraced passive ventilation and daylighting strategies that remain state-of-the-art today.
• The Eugene city council originally decreed that the spelling of “center” in the name of the Hult Center for the Performing Arts be “centre.” The affectation didn’t stick.
• Out of its own fees, the design team for the Wayne L. Morse Federal Courthouse (DLR Group with Morphosis) paid for the construction of a full-size courtroom mockup. Judge Michael Hogan and his staff inspected the mockup, which was assembled in a west Eugene warehouse.
• The Eugene Fire Chief compelled PIVOT Architecture to design Fire Station 1 in a traditional idiom as a tribute to firefighters who lost their lives on 9-11. PIVOT resisted, considering the application of historic pastiche misguided for a 21st century work of architecture. PIVOT went so far as to covertly enlist Otto to unleash a scathing rebuke during a public presentation of the design. Despite Otto’s best effort, the Fire Chief got the facsimile of an old-fashioned firehouse he wanted.

Throughout the lecture, Grant did not shy from voicing his clear preference for abstract modernism and disdain for contemporary projects that bear traces of historic styling. Fire Station 1 served as one case study. Two others were the University of Oregon’s William W. Knight Law Center (Yost Grube Hall Architecture), and the Eugene Public Library by my firm, Robertson/Sherwood/Architects (with Shepley Bulfinch of Boston, MA).

Grant hit a little close to home regarding the Eugene Public Library, but his critique was precise and without malice. He took particular exception to the tower flanking the library’s main entrance. If I understand Grant correctly, he regards the tower as an ill-conceived design contrivance. Admittedly, it is a compositional device, a vertical counterpoint to the mostly horizontal massing, rather than a place for people to be (it does enclose the public elevators and a fire stair). Its swooping profile and finials are decorative flourishes—call them ornamentation if you will, that bane of architects who subscribe to doctrinaire modernism—but can you picture the tower and the library without them?

Not surprisingly, both Grant and Dick admire the Jaqua Center for Student Athletes and Matthew Knight Arena projects on the University of Oregon campus. Perhaps they see in these new buildings vindication of the aesthetic they endorsed and worked within throughout their careers. I likewise appreciate modernism done well. However, I also believe its fundamental shortcoming remains the placelessness of much of the work executed under its banner. I favor architecture that is place-specific and particular, rich rather than impoverished. The Jaqua Center may be icily elegant but its architecture says little about the campus from which it sets itself apart.

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Thanks to both Grant and Dick for generously sharing their views on post-war Eugene architecture. Thanks too to Sara Palmer, Executive Director at the Shelton McMurphey Johnson House, for producing the Building Modern Eugene lecture series. On tap next is none other than Otto Poticha, FAIA, who will extend the discussion of where Eugene has been to where it is going next. I hope to see all of you at Otto’s presentation on Wednesday, April 6, 6:30 PM.


(1) It’s interesting how the “war” is synonymous with “World War II,” even though this country has been caught up in many other conflicts before and since. This is a testament to not only how horrific that struggle was, but also how impactful the “Greatest Generation” and its offspring have been upon history since then.

(2) The spring 2011 issue of Oregon Quarterly (the magazine of the University of Oregon) provides a chilling chronicle by De’s widow, Deb Mohr, of the intolerance she and De faced as a young interracial couple. The strides made since the 1950s are heartening. At the same time, it’s unnerving to realize that it wasn’t so long ago that blatant racism went unchallenged. The courage De and Deb displayed in the face of hateful bigotry is inspiring. We’re all richer because De Unthank stayed in Eugene.

March AIA-SWO Chapter Meeting Recap

Richard E. Wildish Community Theater (photo by Discover Downtown Springfield)

Last Wednesday’s March 2011 AIA-Southwestern Oregon chapter meeting offered delights aplenty: a marvelous setting, a traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal (hearty corned beef and cabbage, served up one day early by Cornucopia), newsworthy facts, and an entertaining edition of 10Square. All in all, it was an enjoyable evening.

The Richard E. Wildish Community Theater
A star attraction was definitely our venue: the Richard E. Wildish Community Theater on Main Street in downtown Springfield. AIA-SWO’s own Otto Poticha, FAIA, designed the award-winning transformation of the old McKenzie Theater. In his inimitable way, Otto regaled the gathered members with amusing tales of the project’s protracted genesis, design, and construction. Completed in 2006, the 286-seat Wildish Theater hosts dozens of dance, music, and theater productions each year within an intimate and acoustically superb “shoebox” auditorium.

Wildish Theater - Lobby (my photo)

It’s tough to put a finger on it, but there’s something about the design of the Wildish Theater that is quintessentially Otto. Perhaps it’s the quirky detailing of the entry canopy. Maybe it’s the compact juxtaposition of eclectic materials, exposed structure, and angled planes in the lobby. That something might also be the painterly use of colors throughout. Otto was able to wrest incredible value out of the limited funds available for the extensive renovation. Without a doubt, the Wildish is an inspired work of art.

Otto Poticha, FAIA, leads a tour of the Wildish Theater (my photo)

Despite his signature bluster, Otto knows how to deliver the goods. Jerry Diethelm said the following about Otto at the recent OPSU VII recognition ceremony in his honor:

“As everyone knows (Otto) can be sharply critical and outspoken if he thinks we are aiming too low or are off target. If there is an elephant in the meeting room, he will not merely acknowledge it, but wash it, feed it, and sometimes even ride it around the room. Insight and fresh thinking can feel uncomfortable and challenging especially when it is coming right at you, but that is his way and the way of art.”

The Fate of Eugene’s City Hall
Following our dinner, Otto trotted out that elephant. He reported on the City of Eugene’s plan, endorsed by the City Council, to raze the existing home of municipal government and construct a new City Hall in its place. Otto has long been a proponent for rehabilitating the mid-century modern landmark. He is unwilling to accept that the building’s fate is to meet the wrecking ball. In Otto’s view, we’re too quick to forget our past transgressions, repeating history by destroying it.

Last fall, Otto charged his students at the University of Oregon with exploring ways to mend City Hall’s shortcomings without erasing its essence. He presented images of the resultant designs, which encompass an imaginative range of scenarios for renovating and enlarging the facility. Otto’s desire is to persuade AIA-SWO (or a subset thereof, such as the Past-Presidents Committee) to follow his lead and champion the preservation of the 1960 design by Stafford Morin & Longwood.

Springfield Downtown Plan

Ted Corbin, Associate AIA, presented plans of a different sort. Ted is a member of the City of Springfield’s Downtown Citizen Advisory Committee. After voters approved an urban renewal district for downtown a few years ago, one of the first things the city did was bring in Portland-based urban design consultants Crandall Arambula to draft a downtown plan.

 

Image from the Springfield Downtown Plan (drawing by Crandall Arambula)

The firm’s vision calls for a new public plaza, known as Mill Plaza, near the corner of Main Street and Pioneer Parkway East. The plaza would be a magnet for new retail buildings and act as a downtown “hot spot.” The master plan also proposes restoring two-way traffic to Main Street. There would be protected bikeways, separating bicycles from auto traffic as a way to encourage more people to get out of their cars. A bicycle bridge is also part of the plan, connecting North A Street to a proposed housing development across the Willamette River in Glenwood.

Ted explained how the plan’s success is dependent upon attracting large “catalyst projects” that are strategically located, change the public’s perception of the area, stimulate new private development, and produce revenue to offset the cost of improvements.

The audacity of the Springfield Downtown Plan is astonishing. Ted acknowledged it would take substantial investments by private developers to create the kind of retail and office nexus envisioned by the city, its advisory committee, and Crandall Arambula. He also accepted that the concepts represent very long-term goals; nevertheless, the plan’s ambition and optimism for the future of the city’s historic core are most welcome. I look forward to blogging about downtown Springfield’s transformative renaissance as it becomes a reality.
 
10Square
The evening’s marquee event was 10Square, the fast-paced, Pecha Kucha-style series of slide shows that was such a hit at the 2010 AIA Northwest & Pacific Region Conference. Despite the absence of a few presenters, this sequel proved no slouch.(1) The fast-paced showcase featured ten slides each from six engaging speakers.(2)

10Square emcee Katie Hall of PIVOT Architecture (my photo)

Andika Murandi: Photography
Beauty and symbolic elements are everywhere, but one needs to slow down and look for them to really appreciate it. Andika does exactly that through the art of his photography. He provided the audience with a glimpse of his impressive talent and eye for composition. If you want to see more, check out his work currently on display at the Pearl Street Full City, and during April’s First Friday Art Walk. You can also see his entire oeuvre at www.flickr.com/photos/defragments.

Julie Flattery: Shakespeare YO (When Words Collide)
Julie waxed lyrically about that dude William Shakespeare and his contemporary manifestation in today’s pop culture. It was amazing to hear how many phrases in our everyday vernacular we owe to the Bard of Avon. There was method to Julie’s madness, more matter with less art. Her cadence, her humor—such stuff as dreams are made on. All’s well that ends well. Romeo up!

Copeland Downs: Kinetic Architecture
Copeland is representative of a new generation’s sensibilities. Using images of his studio projects as the vehicle, Copeland expressed his keen interest in kinetic architecture, social equity, and industrial process.

Rex Prater: Balance
With his ten slides, Rex reflected upon the path his career has taken. He started with an exposition of his previous work at Varvitsiotis Architecture. He then presented his current efforts as the principal of Balance Architecture & Design. Rex is moving forward, the process transforming him professionally. He has found that balance in life is the key to his success.

Tyler Polich: PDX Water Towers
Tyler presented images of his entry to an ideas competition that conceives alternative uses and repurposing of Portland’s ubiquitous water towers. Tyler proposes relocating the water towers, alternately burying or grouping them as if a community. He’d expose their “mysterious innards,” tie them together with bridges, and set them askew. He’d transform the water towers to be anything imaginable: libraries, skate parks, chapels, or sex hotels.

David Beardsley: “Oops”
Construction proceeds smoothly when all disciplines collaborate. However, coordination is only assured when people make an effort to work together. David’s slides demonstrated what can happen when this doesn’t occur. It’s a bizarro world where one goes down stairs rather than up to find the roof, where light fixtures are installed in locations they shouldn’t, and where porta-potties are the most dangerous places to be on the construction site.

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Performers leave their mark on the wall backstage at the Wildish Theater (my photo)

The diversity of the March meeting’s program, from the tour of the Wildish Theater through each of the 10Square presentations, yielded a bounty of information and entertainment for those in attendance. It was another in a stellar series of AIA-SWO chapter meetings. If you missed it, fret not because you can find many of the highlights on YouTube, courtesy of AIA-SWO videographer Amy Lin. Here’s the URL:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=amylin2000&aq=f

(1) So with only six presenters, should the event have been dubbed “Ten by Six” instead?

(2) Thanks to Design|Spring for organizing the 10Square event.

Virus Practicum

Photo by Engin Akyurt on Unsplash

Each academic quarter, Robertson/Sherwood/Architects (my firm) provides one student from the University of Oregon’s School of Architecture & Environment with an opportunity for a practicum experience. During a practicum, the student’s primary task is to learn from watching our staff. While the student does participate in the work in a limited way under our supervision, the practicum is first and foremost an observational learning experience. Concurrent with the practicum experience, the student enrolls in the practicum course, which outlines goals and expectations and confers academic credit. Our participation in this program stretches back decades, an almost unbroken string of students passing through our office since then.(1)

Fast forward to Spring 2020. The COVID-19 health crisis has profoundly impacted universities and colleges around the globe. Most are attempting to provide instruction remotely to comply with physical distancing orders. The University of Oregon is no exception.

Otto Poticha, FAIA

Otto Poticha, FAIA, has helmed the School of Architecture & Environment’s ARCH 409/609 practicum class for many years, but offering it this spring posed an entirely unique challenge for him. Like his fellow faculty members, Otto has reinvented the course, by necessity turning to video teleconferencing as the means to provide students live interactions with local practitioners. During this time of shelter-in-place and physical distancing, no practical alternative exists—especially since everyone among the participating firms is working from their homes.

As occurs with a conventional practicum experience, Otto’s goal for his students is for them to understand the scope and range of typical tasks a professional architectural practice routinely undertakes. Toward this objective, he arranged four virtual office visits via Zoom, one each with four Eugene-based firms: 1) GMA Architects; 2) Robertson/Sherwood/Architects; 3) PIVOT Architecture; and 4) TBG Architects + Planners. The visits are spread through the Spring quarter; RSA’s turn is this coming Thursday, April 30; as one of our firm's principals, I will serve as the host.

My task will be to present Robertson/Sherwood/Architects and the work we do. I’ll recount our firm’s history and our general approach to running our practice. I’ll describe the skill sets we look for when we need to add staff. I’ll touch upon how we secure new projects, and then the process of designing and developing appropriate solutions to a wide range of design problems. Additionally, I’ll discuss how we administer our internal fee/budget structure and also help manage our clients’ budgets.

Per Otto’s directions, my presentation will be limited to one hour, to be followed by a half-hour student question period. Otto asked his students to visit our website prior to the scheduled virtual visit and presentation. They are supposed to then prepare and submit prior to our Zoom session a set of three questions based on what they have learned about us; these will be the questions Otto will ask me to address during the visit. Afterwards, the students’ assignment is to prepare a report that summarizes their understanding of our firm and the methods we use in our everyday work

As out-of-the-ordinary as it may be, I am looking forward to hosting the “virus practicum” visit. My office has always regarded the practicum program as an important option for students who otherwise may have no exposure before they leave school to the genuine workings of an architectural practice. My own practicum experience in the Vancouver, B.C. office of Arthur Erickson Architects in 1978 was eye-opening and informative, one I am truly fortunate to have enjoyed.

Big props to Otto for maintaining the practicum program, albeit in abridged form, during this difficult time.

(1)    In fact, one of RSA’s senior partners—Carl Sherwood, AIA—was a practicum student with our predecessor firm, Lutes/Sanetel/Architects. Don Lutes and Ron Sanetel were so smitten with Carl they offered him a permanent position upon his graduation. He has not left the firm since.

Curtain Call

The now-removed Hult Center’s Blackberry Curtain depicts a cloudy Oregon sky over blackberry bushes (photo source: the Hult Center for the Performing Arts website).

Eugene’s favorite curmudgeon, Otto Poticha, FAIA, emailed me last week regarding a topic of continuing concern for him, which is our community’s seeming indifference to its artistic and architectural heritage. In this instance, Otto cited the City of Eugene’s decision to retire the Hult Center for the Performing Arts’ iconic Blackberry Curtain in the Silva Concert Hall in favor of a nondescript replacement.  

 

New at the time of the Hult Center’s completion in 1982, the massive, hand-printed house curtain was the work of artists Margaret Matson and Mollie Favour. It was one of the original works of art funded in part by the City’s then-new ordinance specifying that a small percentage of the project’s construction budget be reserved for place-specific art pieces. After thirty-five years of wear and tear, the curtain was admittedly threadbare. 

 

Otto laments how Eugeneans so willingly and repeatedly accept the loss of invaluable cultural assets. He wrote the following letter for submission to The Register-Guard and The Eugene Weekly, but neither paper bit, so it went unpublished—until now that is. Otto also hoped AIA-SWO’s Committee on Local Affairs (CoLA) might take up the cause. The subject is certainly one that warrants our discussion. 

 

In Otto’s mind (and mine as well) the Blackberry Curtain is an irreplaceable work of art, one that deserves to be restored, cared for, and protected in the same way treasured works of art around the world typically are. It should be refurbished and reinstalled in the exact setting artists Matson and Favour intended it for. 

 

Here’s Otto’s letter:

 

Letter to the Editor:

 

Another mistake: Replacing the main curtain at the Hult Center

This is not a curtain; this is a piece of art. It was selected in a national, juried art competition and funded with 1% for art funds. 

 

This work, like the other destroyed or misplaced forms of art, is a community resource. It is community property and must be maintained and cared for. Art all over the world is restored, not destroyed. 

 

Our current short list of not caring: The (shuttered) Jacobs Gallery, the “Flying People” at the airport, the Sandgren murals abused by the new glaring airport terminal lighting, the Hadzi sculpture from the County Public Services building, the destroyed art and murals from the past City Hall, soon the (underfunded) Eugene Opera, the reduced Oregon Bach Festival, the (demolished) former national-design-awarded City Hall, soon the (to-be-replaced) Lane County Courthouse, the (threatened) Eugene Main Post Office, the pedestrian bridges abused by signs, and more to come. 

 

Doesn’t anyone care? 

 

We have become “the just get by city,” not the city of the arts, imagination, and culture. We apparently only embrace an “off the rack” mentality. 

 

Eugene is famous within the valley as the city that destroys its history as documented by its art and architecture. Unsurprisingly, we are still one of the largest cities in the USA without a public museum of art. 

 

This piece of art—the curtain—represents the unique and special nature of this community and needs to be restored, preserved, and maintained—not made into pillows or wall hangings. 

 

(City) Manager, STOP this nonsense. 

 

Otto Poticha, FAIA

Poticha, Robertson elevated to AIA Fellowship

It’s with great pleasure that I announce that two AIA-SWO members, Otto P. Poticha and James M. Robertson, have been elevated by the American Institute of Architects to its prestigious College of Fellows, an honor awarded to individuals who have made contributions of national significance to the profession. I’m especially thrilled by the news because I’ve known both of these deserving architects for many years, as each has served the roles of my teacher, mentor, professional colleague, and friend.

The Institute elevated a total of 134 architects to fellowship status. Of this number, only seven hail from the Northwest & Pacific Region, and Otto and Jim were the only Oregon recipients. Overall, there are fewer than 2,600 AIA members distinguished with the honor of fellowship out of a total membership of over 84,000. It is conferred on architects with at least 10 years of membership in the AIA who have made significant contributions in the following areas: the aesthetic, scientific, and practical efficiency of the profession; the standards of architectural education, training, and practice; the building industry through leadership in the AIA and other related professional organizations; advancement of living standards of people through an improved environment; and to society through significant public service.

Otto P. Poticha, FAIA

Otto was elected to receive this honor because of his contributions to education in architecture. He taught, shared his wisdom with, and demanded excellence from literally thousands of students of architecture at the University of Oregon. He continues to challenge young minds to think broadly and independently, to take risks, and to learn by taking those risks. Otto is also notorious for simply being Otto: he has made an indelible mark here in Eugene by being our own architectural conscience. His teaching has long extended beyond the bounds of academia to inform and educate the public. He has never been reluctant to speak honestly and directly (some say bluntly) about the state of architecture and urban design in our community, often taking local architects to task if they produce particularly egregious or banal work.

James M. Robertson, FAIA, FCSI

Jim was elected to FAIA status primarily because of his leadership of a related organization, the Construction Specifications Institute. Through his exemplary leadership in CSI, Jim has helped to develop and promote international standards for design documentation and construction contract administration. These include CSI MasterFormat and contributions to CSI’s Manual of Practice, which is recognized as a leading resource for architects on the proper principles, techniques, and formats for writing and organizing specifications. In addition, Jim was appointed by the Governor to the Oregon Board of Architect Examiners, where he serves as its Chair. He also is a member of NCARB’s ARE Site Planning and Design subcommittee.

Otto and Jim, who are now entitled to use the designation "FAIA" following their names, will be invested in the College of Fellows at the 2010 AIA National Convention and Design Exposition in Miami on June 11.

Congratulations Otto and Jim on being elevated to fellowship! Let’s celebrate!

Preserve City Hall?

Eugene City Hall (my photo)

Following my preface below is a letter penned by Otto Poticha, FAIA. Otto’s long advocated for preserving Eugene City Hall pretty much as it is. In his view, it is an exceptional example of mid-century modern architecture in our community. Rather than see it altered beyond recognition, he is hopeful its future will include retention of its salient features, in addition to mitigation of its significant shortcomings. His letter is his plea to like-minded professional and academic colleagues to join him in assuring City Hall is not lost to the wrecking ball and with it an important part of Eugene’s architectural heritage. 
 
Where do I stand on the subject of City Hall’s future? 
 
I do concur with Otto’s opinion regarding City Hall’s historic significance, particularly its provenance as the winner of an important national competition that drew the attention of the major architectural publications of the day. The jury lauded the design by Stafford, Morin, and Longwood as a low-key, open expression of a municipal institution. City Hall’s simple parti—its drum-like council chamber surrounded by a serene courtyard—was as clear as a diagram. In some measure the virtue of the design derived from situating the courtyard above the streetscape, which literally elevated and detached the realm of government from the city it serves. 
 
On the other hand, I do believe City Hall’s design is also fatally flawed. Its principal shortcoming is precisely its indifference to the sidewalks that bound it. It’s not pedestrian-friendly. The building hasn’t ever engaged passersby because its architecture purposefully lacks the scale, vocabulary, and elements necessary to do so. 
 
Ultimately, I expect City Hall will become something much different than it is today, an outcome Otto would lament. Times have changed and Eugene has as well. Moving forward, a rejuvenated City Hall is expected to primarily serve as only the symbolic seat of civic governance, and the City has furnished a correspondingly small construction budget. It will not be the place where the majority of the work of the City takes place as it was when it first opened in 1964. How the City of Eugene plans to repurpose the portions of the building it no longer requires is very much an open question. No matter what, City Hall will be a fundamentally transformed building. 
 
I’m not pleased to conclude that we should allow an existing building of architectural significance to either be demolished or radically transformed simply because it fails to meet fashionable standards for beauty or measure up to state-of-the-art performance yardsticks. Fashion is relative and transitory, and we can ameliorate functional shortcomings. As a society, we’re too quick to forget our past transgressions, repeating history by destroying it. Casting aside the old for the allure of the shiny and new is unnecessarily wasteful and unsustainable; however, correcting City Hall’s failings may simply be too great a challenge to overcome. 
 
Notwithstanding Otto’s efforts to protect the design integrity of City Hall, its fate may largely rest with the plans now being developed by Rowell Brokaw Architects and its team of collaborators. I’m pretty certain they’re exhaustively exploring ways to extend City Hall’s future without completely erasing its essence. They owe it that much. 
 
Here’s Otto’s letter: 

Monday, February 3, 2014 

To: Architectural and University Colleagues 

Re: The Eugene City Hall Building and Site 

As all of you know I have spent over three years attempting on getting the neglected Eugene City Hall building and site to be protected and not demolished. 

This is a building with documented architectural credentials and a significant architectural history. This is an architectural art piece that needs recognition and preservation. A building with these credentials is rare in Eugene. The good news is that the original building has not been extensively renovated so all of the “bones” and design concepts are still in place. 

The other night we were given the Rowell Brokaw introduction of the process for the new City Hall on this site. We were told of the problems with energy, structure and the budget first phase program size relative to the existing frame. We were also introduced to the Council resolution to save the council chamber, the art and parking. We were shown how the existing wooden fins could be used as paneling in the renovated structure. This introduction was certainly very professional but appeared as a way to build a case to tear down most of the building and the initial important concept. It almost uses the same justification as we used for the downtown urban renewal process in the 70’s. 

I believe it is the responsibility of the community at large but certainly the architecture community to get more involved in retaining this building. I am seeking those members of the architectural and larger community who are willing to be a part of an advocacy group to lobby, monitor and focus on retaining this important mid-century modern building. Perhaps this building, with all of its identified problems, is not to be used as a City Hall. Perhaps a new first phase City Hall could be built on the South Side of 8th including the relocated Council Chamber and art. The existing building and site sold to a developer or reassigned another civic role (like the County Historic Museum or Eugene Art Museum) with the provision that it must be maintained and restored. 

I have taken on the task of filing the necessary forms and support materials to the City and State, with over 70+ 11" x 17" pages documenting the building’s history, awards, distinction and the design process involved. This is the first step of the process of getting the building and site placed on the National Register of Historic Places. I just received notice that my application to the Eugene Historic Review Board was rejected because the City ordinance requires that only a Building Owner, the City Council or the Planning Director can apply for this designation, and none are willing. The application has also been submitted to the State Historic Review Board (SHPO). This is a first phase in the process for National Registry Designation. It requires that the State agency (SHPO) supports that the building and site would be eligible for National Historic Registry recognition. I recently received notification that the building and site are eligible. I now am prepared to start the final recognition filing and the filing of the application to National. 

I assume that as an architect you consider architecture an art form and as an art form the piece requires understanding and protection. Any form of art does not require all to like and appreciate in the same way but it is important to the community and to all or any of what we do. 

As you are aware, having it recognized on the National Register guarantees nothing and the building can still be altered or demolished. 

Please share this letter with your office colleagues, as they might be interested in participating. 

Please consider volunteering to be on this City Hall Building Advocacy Committee. 

If you are willing please contact me by email and I will organize our first meeting. 

Otto P. Poticha, FAIA
op@poticha.net  (541) 686-9466