107 NW 3rd Ave.
Between Couch and Davis
The Simon Building Façade is like a historic snapshot: a bold, old-style front of a building from 1892 that has been preserved even though the rest of the building is gone. It reminds us how buildings can change, yet parts of them can stay and tell a story about the city’s past.At some point the building was mostly destroyed by a fire. Only the front façade (the “face” of the building) remains and stands as a kind of “ghost” of the old structure
There is an interesting story to how the facade was saved: The Naito brothers purchased the burned out building to make a parking lot for the building they owned next door, which was occupied by the Couch Street Fish House, a very popular expensive restaurant. They planned to move the restaurant entrance to where the burned Simon Bldg. had been and make the vacant building site a parking lot.
One day a local architect, Bing Sheldon, noticed workmen intending to bulldoze the burned building. He rushed to Naito’s office and told him it would violate city code. Bill gave him 24 hrs. to come up with an alternative. Sheldon suggested preserving the facade by shoring it up and placing the parking lot behind it. Initially reluctant to pay the cost, Bill was persuaded when told that no one had ever done anything like it before.
It is the first known restoration of a building facade strictly for ornamental use in America. The facade received recognition from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for the preservation work.
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Suggested Discussion:
Is having the facade standing better than tearing the whole thing down? Why?
Vocabulary: facade, arches, architect
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State Standards:
Social Studies 3.11. Describe how individuals, groups, events, and developments have shaped the communities and regions. Historical Knowledge
Social Studies 3.12. Compare and contrast the history of the local community to other communities in the region. Historical Knowledge
Social Studies 3.17. Use a variety of historical sources (artifacts, pictures, documents) to identify factual evidence. Historical Thinking
VA:Re8.1.3a. Interpret art by referring to contextual information and analyzing subject matter, form, and materials. Visual Arts Responding
Story Source: Portland’s Audacious Champion by Eric Naito-Campbell