The Armory (Portland, Oregon)
The Armory | |
Romanesque Revival | |
NRHP reference No. | 00001017[1] |
---|---|
Added to NRHP | August 31, 2000 |
The Armory, historically known as the First Regiment Armory Annex, and home to
Construction
In the late 19th century,
The First Regiment Armory in Portland was completed in 1888, but was immediately deemed too small, and so an Annex was commissioned to give troops stationed there more space for maneuvers. Amenities included an underground firing range.
Uses
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Portland_Armory_1914_-_Portland%2C_Oregon.jpg/220px-Portland_Armory_1914_-_Portland%2C_Oregon.jpg)
Constructed with a truss system with no supporting pillars to block views or impede movement, the building was one of the few Portland buildings in the early 20th century that could handle large crowds.[2] As a result, the building hosted exhibitions of early motion picture machines, conventions, reunions, recitals, concerts, and speeches by presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson.[3] In 1918, the new Municipal Auditorium (now called Keller Auditorium), designed with superior acoustics and comfortable seating, supplanted the Armory for concerts and speeches, though amateur boxing events were still held at the Armory.[2]
In 1928, the Portland fire marshal declared the building to be a fire hazard; nonetheless, the building continued to be used. From 1946 to 1948, the Armory was home to the Portland Indians of the Pacific Coast Professional Basketball League.[3][6] In 1948, the building was used to take in refugees of the Vanport Flood which destroyed the town of Vanport in 1948.[3]
In 1968, the Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Company purchased the entire complex, demolishing the original Armory for a parking lot and using the Annex as a warehouse.[3]
Present use
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/First_Regiment_Armory.jpg/220px-First_Regiment_Armory.jpg)
The Armory was the last piece of property in Portland's Pearl District Brewery Blocks to be redeveloped. The Portland development firm Gerding Edlen had redeveloped surrounding properties utilizing sustainable building practices and, when they bought the Armory complex in 2000, they pledged to maintain the historical character of the building while redeveloping the property.[4]
The Armory now contains the 590-seat U.S. Bank Main Stage and 190-seat Ellyn Bye Studio. The reinvention of the building as an arts center was contemplated as early as 2002.[7] The renovation cost $36.1 million.[8]
The Armory has become a significant case study for
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "History". Portland Center Stage. Archived from the original on September 7, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
- ^ a b c d e f "History". Voices of the Armory. Archived from the original on 2007-05-29. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
- ^ a b breweryblocks.com Archived 2008-10-18 at the Wayback Machine Portland Armory
- ^ John M. Tess (November 24, 1999). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: First Regiment Armory Annex". National Park Service. Retrieved January 24, 2016. Accompanying nine photos from 1999, and one earlier, undated, photo.
- ^ Kenyon, J. Michael. "Pacific Coast Professional Basketball League 1946–47 to 1947–48". Association for Professional Basketball Research. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
- ^ Senior, Jeanie (July 15, 2003). "Armory may get an arts overhaul". Portland Tribune. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
- ^ Oppegaard, Brett (September 29, 2006). "Portland Center Stage - Dramatic space". The Columbian. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
- ^ "The Building". Portland Center Stage. Archived from the original on 2008-04-28. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
- ^ "Portland Armory Earns LEED Platinum Award" (PDF) (Press release). Green Building Services. 2006-10-01. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-13. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
- ^ Weinberger, Dawn (April 17, 2007). "Patients get platinum". Retrieved 2008-05-28.
External links
Media related to First Regiment Armory Annex at Wikimedia Commons