From portlandarchitecture.com:
It's really a shame: the 511 Building on Northwest Broadway, ideally situated just a few blocks north of Downtown between the Pearl District and Old Town, has undergone a tug of war between two very worthy candidates.
First the Portland Public Market somewhat abruptly went for the striking Italian Renaissance structure, abandoning its previous plan to target Union Station. (I never could completely wrap my head around the idea of a public market in a train station anyway.) The Pacific Northwest College of Art then eyed 511 for its rapidly expanding school. When the Portland Development Commission held the reins, it looked like the market might have an inside track. But PNCA smartly targeted the federal government, which owns the building, and now might not only get the building but get it for free - and a renovation by Brad Cloepfil and Allied Works to boot.
The circa-1918 building does indeed seem well suited for both parties. PNCA would be several blocks from its existing building, which doesn't make for much of a campus. But the school only rents its current home, so PNCA could eventually give that one up. (That'd be a shame, by the way. I love the big warehouse they occupy.) The market only would have needed the ground floor, and in their proposal for 511 it looks as though housing would have gone above.
Which begs the question: is there any way a public market could go on the ground floor of 511 and have PNCA classes above?
Read the full post and comments here...
