The design for the 1320 SW Broadway building is transforming the former headquarters of the Oregonian Newspaper into a mixed-use commercial space in the heart of downtown Portland. Initially built in 1948 by renowned modernist architect Pietro Belluschi, the building provides a rich historic formwork for the extensive renovations needed to preserve the building. While exterior alterations will restore the building’s street life, it is in the interior that modernist spaces of Belluschi will be uncovered and complemented with contemporary design.   

First opened at a time when people often dropped by their local newspaper’s offices to place a classified ad or pay for their subscription, the building greeted visitors with a grand 28-foot high lobby. Over time, the lobby and other areas were reduced in size and converted for traditional office use. The design by Allied Works clears out the previous renovations, filling it with light and space, highlighting the old and combining it with the new.

With my primary focus on finalizing the design of the lobby, I was put in charge of the digital modeling and rendering. This involvement in the design development and construction documentation of the lobby allowed me freedom to make design decisions that would be carried into the final design. With the lobby also becoming a home to Ristretto Roasters, a cafe design also had to be incorporated. The lobby’s final design uses simple formal moves reminiscent of the building’s modernist history in combination with a contemporary material selection.