The Burnside Blog
Proposed Skylab Tower Sheds 18 Stories
I too had hoped that Skylab’s proposed 27-story condominium and office tower at 1300 West Burnside would happen as planned, but it became clear this winter that the changing housing market probably wouldn’t usher in a new wave of luxury condos anytime soon. While I had assumed this project would disappear entirely, Jeff Kovell and company have retooled the design, eschewing 18 floors of housing and debuting the tower as a nine-story office building with two ground floor retails spaces. Personally, I like it better.
The Stark/Burnside/13th Avenue retail corridor is one of the strongest in the city, and quite possibly the most unique. Where else can you find a seminal Portland establishment like Jake’s Famous Crawfish just steps from American Apparel, Cacao, The Ace Hotel, and Kenny and Zuke’s Jewish-style deli. Let’s hope the tower will be finished around the time of ZGF’s 12W tower and the new McMenamins hotel.
By stuart on Monday, July 28, 2008 at 08:59AM PDT
How sad.
By Penny on Monday, July 28, 2008 at 11:21AM PDT
The building looks very dynamic and will stand out in a backdrop of tan colored bricks.
By Liner on Tuesday, July 29, 2008 at 04:16PM PDT
Yes please.
By Rick on Thursday, July 31, 2008 at 10:04AM PDT
Here’s yet another example of greedy capitalists coming into an established gay neighborhood, raping it of its culture, tearing down historic buildings, and replacing them with modernist crap. The Eagle was an important place for the gay community, and it’s gone.
By Mike Thelin on Thursday, July 31, 2008 at 10:24AM PDT
Didn’t the Eagle move? I don’t believe this is really an issue of anyone having an agenda or trying to displace a population. This site is located one block from the Pearl. I think it was only a matter of time. Plus, I like this building much better than what’s currently there. Anyone else?
By Rick on Friday, August 01, 2008 at 10:26AM PDT
Judging from the writing of yours I’ve read over the year, it’s quite obvious that you are not gay and therefore have no understanding of these complicated urban issue. Stark Street was our community, and now it’s a community of strollers and breeders. I have no problem with heteros, but it’s sad when one of Portland’s most unique stretches of pavement is transformed into Bridgeport Village.
By Brian Libby on Monday, August 04, 2008 at 09:50AM PDT
Rick, you are correct that the disappearance of Portland’s gay community institutions from this area is unfortunate. And as a hetero, I can’t possibly know what it means to people like yourself. However, that’s no excuse for throwing around hostile and incorrect broadsides about this area. It’s not Bridgeport Village. It’s a healthy, thriving city. Part of urban development in any major city is that it’s constantly changing. The gay community thrived in part at this area of the city for the same reason that New York artists once flocked to SoHo: because it was cheap. But property values and architecture are constantly in flux. Why not establish a new gay community ground zero in Portland, or work to revitalize and maintain the old/existing one? This design that Mike was blogging about, by Skyab Design, is fabulous. And Skylab is one of the best firms in the city. What you call modernist crap is actually first-rate design. Do you really want to live in a city with only historic architecture? As a member of the gay community who has surely experienced discrimination, I’d especilly think you’d be looking to the future of society and not the past. Maybe this new office tower isn’t for you, but it’s part of what’s good about architecture in Portland, not what’s bad.
By portlandia on Sunday, August 10, 2008 at 01:28PM PDT
“Why not establish a new gay community ground zero in Portland, or work to revitalize and maintain the old/existing one?” Thank you for pointing out this important aspect of the gay area/gay community in PDX. I am a gay man attending grad school here in Portland and I have never seen a more depressing gay scene in any city comparable to Portland in my life. Stark street was a collection of gay bars and that’s it. There was no “community” there because there has been nothing but nightlife venues and stripper bars for gay men in that area. A “gay community” would be a an area that has bars and nightlife but also has residential housing, restaurants, shops catering to gay folks, a LGBT community center, etc. Stark street now has businesses that cater to both gay people and now straight people but it still is not a place where I would want to live. The gay community is also really spread out and disjointed in Portland which adds to the lack of a center for all things gay in Portland. If the gay community were to start from “ground zero” I would recommend developing an area where gay men and women could live, work, play and feel safe all within a small walkable area. The area in and around NW 17th ave and Flanders would be a great area to turn into a charming gayborhood.
By stuart on Monday, July 28, 2008 at 08:59AM PDT
How sad.