BLOCK 2: BREWHOUSE AND CELLAR BUILDING

Preserving History and Creating Identity

Preserving the brick structures on Block Two was critical to the character of the Brewery Blocks. As the site of the former Blitz-Weinhard Brewery, Block Two featured a historic smokestack and brewhouse that had long been an icon for the neighborhood. Preserving these structures helped create a sense of place for the neighborhood.

We spent months researching and devising potential plans to salvage the brewery’s landmark, eight-story smokestack. It would have been easier and more cost-effective to demolish it, but we were convinced it was worth saving. Ultimately, the smokestack was carefully reinforced with piles drilled into a new concrete base and 20-foot long steel sleeves were lowered into it. Salvaging brewhouse elements—including the smokestack, weathervane, historic rail and a flue that now acts as a skylight for the fifth floor—reduced landfill waste and helped to lend character to the neighborhood.

Demolition and renovation around the existing structure was time-intensive and complicated. The site ran along a busy thoroughfare, Burnside Street, which along with Portland's operating streetcar was kept open during construction. Renovation of the historic structures included seismic bracing of the brewhouse by the new, adjacent 10-story office building. All the buildings share a common seismic core that houses the mechanical and circulation systems. This complex structure reduces redundant building systems and increases the leasable square footage while mitigating the impact of trying to seismically upgrade the old un-reinforced masonry of the brewhouse.

The Brewhouse and Cellar building won the Oregon State Historic Preservation Adaptive Reuse Award in 2000.