Architects fight for Portland’s Memorial Coliseum
Sunday, April 12, 2009 2:11 AM PDT
PORTLAND (AP) — Memorial Coliseum may be getting a nomination for the National Register of Historic Places as part of an effort to prevent it from being torn down and replaced with a baseball stadium.
Peter Meijer, a Portland architect and historic preservation specialist, is leading a group of local architects who won’t let the Portland landmark go down without a fight.
They say the nearly 50-year-old building has historical significance, but they may have to move fast if they want the national register to recognize it.
This week, officials from the city and the Portland Trail Blazers unveiled proposals to build a ballpark for the Portland Beavers, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, near the Rose Garden Arena.
The Beavers must find a new ballpark because PGE Park, where the team plays now, will be the home of Portland’s Major League Soccer franchise.
Plans put forward Tuesday are part of a larger proposed entertainment district in the Rose Quarter, and they call for the demolition of the Memorial Coliseum, which is next door to the Rose Garden.
‘‘Now is the time for action,’’ Mayor Sam Adams said earlier this week, as he announced that the city will partner with the Trail Blazers and a Baltimore development company, Cordish Co.
‘‘We do not lack plans. We lack action,’’ Adams said.
A public meeting to discuss proposals will be held April 14. Meijer told the Daily Journal of Commerce that he wants city commissioners to postpone making a decision.
Meijer and others say the coliseum has an innovative design.
‘‘It’s one of the best examples of international modernist styles in the city,’’ said architect and preservationist Paul Falsetto of Carleton Hart Architecture. ‘‘I wouldn’t want the coliseum to be a casualty of convenience.’’
Structurally, the coliseum was groundbreaking for its use of four cruciform-shaped, 70-foot-high reinforced concrete columns that support steel trusses for the roof. The coliseum also has a concrete seating bowl that stands freely within the coliseum walls.
The coliseum was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. The firm also designed Portland’s Standard Plaza Building, Standard Insurance Center and the Hilton Hotel.
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Information from: Daily Journal of Commerce, http://www.djc-or.com/
