What's New
What's New and Different in Portland, Oregon — 2008
How to cover something new in Portland? Let us count the ways.
Attractions/Arts & Culture
Museum of Contemporary Craft Reopens in New Space
The Museum of Contemporary Craft – one of Portland’s oldest cultural institutions – reopened in July 2007 in its new home on Portland’s North Park Blocks. This location doubles the size of the 70-year-old museum, providing generous space for the museum’s permanent collection, an assemblage of more than 1,000 craft objects, including works in ceramic, glass, metal, fiber and wood. The galleries will also support curated exhibitions, educational programs and a retail craft gallery. Of special importance to convention and meeting planners, the new space offers a flexible, dedicated room (The Lab) for lectures, artist demonstrations, tours and special events. The museum’s new location is at 724 N.W. Davis St., Portland, Ore. 97209; 503.223.2654.
Marc Moscato, Marketing Manager, Museum of Contemporary Craft, 724 N.W. Davis St., Portland, Ore. 97209; 971.255.5514; marc@museumofcontemporarycraft.org; www.contemporarycrafts.org
Transportation
New MAX Light Rail Line Under Construction
When it comes to sustainable mass transit systems, bigger really is better. TriMet, the Portland area’s regional transit authority, is currently expanding its popular MAX (Metropolitan Area Express) light rail train system. The existing 44-mile light rail network is already hugely popular with visitors: MAX’s Red Line connects Portland International Airport to downtown (a 38-minute ride on luggage-friendly low-floor trains); the Blue and Red lines link upper Washington Park (home to the Oregon Zoo, Portland Children’s Museum, the World Forestry Discovery Museum and Hoyt Arboretum) to the central city (10-minute ride); and the Yellow Line transports trade show attendees from the downtown Portland hotel core to the Portland Expo Center (34-minute ride).
The new line – dubbed the "Green Line" – will open in September 2009 and connect Portland’s historic Union Station (Amtrak) to the campus of Portland State University (PSU) before continuing to its terminus at the Clackamas Town Center shopping mall. This north-south route will travel through the central city, making it a breeze for arriving Amtrak passengers to access the downtown hotels. Portland’s visitor information center, which is located at Pioneer Courthouse Square, will be one of the stops (approximately a five-minute ride) on the line.
Construction of the future Green Line includes not just the laying of track along downtown Portland’s Fifth and Sixth avenues. It also encompasses significant street improvements: installation of public art, refurbished roadways and sidewalks, bike lanes, additional lighting and new shelters. And prior to the opening of the Green Line, in fall 2008, TriMet will introduce its fourth generation of MAX trains: Siemens S70/Avanto light rail vehicles. The new trains feature a sleek look, a smoother ride and more seating than their predecessors.
Mary Fetsch, Director of Communications, TriMet, 503.962.6403, fetschm@trimet.org, www.portlandmall.org or www.trimet.org
Hotels
McMenamins to Open Hotel in Downtown Portland in Early 2009
McMenamins Hotels, Pubs & Breweries – a Portland-based company with a penchant for rescuing, renovating and repurposing historic buildings – is working to transform a 1911 structure in downtown Portland into a full-service hotel. The new McMenamins’ property (as of yet unnamed) is scheduled to open in early 2009. Its triangular footprint will encompass 50 guest rooms, a restaurant offering breakfast, lunch, dinner and outdoor seating; a heated saltwater soaking pool; spa-like massage rooms; and the subterranean Cellar Bar, which will connect to McMenamins’ existing Ringlers Annex Pub next door. Through artwork and historic photographs, McMenamins will commemorate the property’s evolution from pioneer residence to tire shop to live jazz club to – most recently and significantly – part of Portland’s "gay triangle."
In addition to adjoining Ringlers Annex, the new hotel is just one block from McMenamins Crystal Ballroom, a historic venue that has presented live national music acts since the 1920s, ranging from Rudolph Valentino to the Grateful Dead to Modest Mouse. With its location in Portland’s Burnside Triangle/West End district, the whimsically designed hotel will be adjacent to the Pearl District and a five-minute walk from Portland’s downtown city center. For updates on the hotel’s progress, visit www.mcmenamins.com.
Renee Rank, Corporate Marketing Director, McMenamins Hotels, Pubs & Breweries, 503.492.5457, reneer@ed.mcmenamin.com
A 331-room Luxury Collection Hotel (Starwood Hotels & Resorts) opened in downtown Portland in October 2008. Known as "the Nines," the hotel occupies the top nine floors of the historic Meier & Frank Building; a stylishly renovated Macy’s department store fills the building’s lower five levels. A key component of the $137 million project was converting the top floors of the former department store from a solid box to a hollow square. The creation of the resulting seven-story atrium gives all of the guestrooms access to a view and natural light. Interior rooms overlook the glass-roofed lobby area, while the exterior rooms enjoy city views.
The hotel also has an atrium restaurant on the lobby level (Urban Farmer, featuring local foods and ingredients); a rooftop restaurant/lounge (opening next spring); a 7,200-square-foot ballroom; and 7,000 square feet of additional conference, meeting and banquet facilities. The Library at the Nines will have a custom pool table and floor-to-ceiling books provided by Powell’s Books, the world’s largest independent bookstore. In addition, art consultant Paige Powell, longtime friend and confidante to Andy Warhol, has commissioned local Portland artists to create 419 pieces of contemporary art including sculptures, painting and installations to grace the atrium. Each guestroom has original artworks created through a partnership between the Nines and the Pacific Northwest College of Art.
The project’s developer, Sage Hospitality, anticipates LEED Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. To achieve this designation, Sage incorporated several conservation-focused building elements, including a plumbing system that will save more than 500,000 gallons of water each year. All products used in daily housekeeping are Green Seal certified, and the hotel’s energy comes from renewable sources such as wind power. Low-emitting adhesives, sealants, paints and carpets were used during the renovation to secure optimum air quality. During the building process, 90 percent of the construction waste was diverted from landfills for reuse or recycling.
For decades after its opening, the Meier & Frank Department Store was one of the largest retail outlets west of the Mississippi. In 2005, Meier & Frank, whose original Portland store had opened in 1857, was acquired by Macy’s. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Meier & Frank Building is one of the earliest examples of a terra-cotta-type commercial palace. The Nines is located at 525 S.W. Morrison St., Portland, Ore. 97204; 503.222.9996; www.thenines.com.
Lisa Hill, P.R. Account Representative for The Nines, 503.327.8328, lisa@broussardhill.com
Ashley Bleimes, P.R. Account Representative for The Nines, 212.255.6541, ashley@hawkpr.com
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., and its new lifestyle brand — aloft hotels (the brand is expressed entirely in lowercase letters) — has partnered with Pollin Hotels III to construct Oregon’s first aloft hotel. The 136-room property opened in September 2008 at Cascade Station, a mixed-use commercial development near the Portland International Airport (PDX). When completely built out, Cascade Station will include hotels, retail space, restaurants and offices. The area is already connected to both downtown Portland and PDX via the region’s MAX light rail system. Pollin Hotels currently owns the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel and the Hampton Inn Portland Airport, both located close to the Cascade Station development.
The $21 million Portland aloft project reflects a concept developed by the creators of the luxury W hotels. The hotel’s design features loft-like nine-foot ceilings and oversized windows, which create a bright, airy environment. Other amenities include ultra-comfortable signature beds, stylish bathrooms with oversized walk-in showers, and high-tech office/entertainment centers featuring wireless Internet, "plug-and-play" (a one-stop connectivity solution for multiple electronic devices), and 42-inch flat-panel high-definition television sets for optimal sound and viewing. The hotel also has a pool, a fleet of bikes that guests may use for free, and a 24-hour grab-and-go gourmet food station called "re-fuel." The aloft is located at 9920 N.E. Cascades Parkway, Portland, Ore. 97220; 503.200.5678; www.alofthotels.com.
Lota LaMontagne, P.R. Account Representative for aloft, 503.827.6564, lota@ladcommunications.com
David P. Porter, General Manager, aloft Hotel, 503.281.2500, dporter@aloftpdx.com
Portland’s Hotel Modera Now Open
Hotel Modera, an upscale boutique property, opened in downtown Portland in June 2008. The new hotel is actually the transformation of the old Portland Inn City Center, which underwent a massive multimillion-dollar renovation. Embracing the mid-century style of the original building, the hotel features a clean, retro-modern design complemented by warm earth tones and an expansive courtyard. The Modera offers first-class service and amenities that have appeal for both business and leisure travelers.
The five-story Hotel Modera has 174 rooms and suites and covers nearly a full city block. Its courtyard features fire pits, plenty of outdoor seating and a "living wall," a wall planted with native vegetation in an unusual, vertical manner. The property borders TriMet’s new light rail line, which will open in September 2009. Dubbed the Green Line, this rail route will connect Portland’s historic Union Station (Amtrak) to Portland State University and beyond. TriMet has commissioned sculptor Michihiro Kosuge to install artwork along the transit line. This artwork will include three sculptures fronting the Modera’s courtyard. The Hotel Modera is located at 515 S.W. Clay St., Portland, Ore. 97201; 503.484.1084; www.hotelmodera.com.
Joanne Bosworth, Director of Sales & Marketing, Hotel Modera, 503.484.1077, jbosworth@hotelmodera.com
Total Makeover – Hotel Fifty Transforms Property
Hotel Fifty, an independent full-service boutique hotel, has opened in downtown Portland. The new property is actually the former Four Points by Sheraton Hotel Downtown Portland and is undergoing a $7 million makeover, scheduled for completion by fall 2008. The project includes a redesign of elements of the hotel’s exterior, a total reconstruction of the restaurant and lounge (now open as H50 Bistro & Bar), and a complete remodel of the guestrooms, bathrooms and common areas. When the renovation is complete, the 140-room property, which is entirely nonsmoking, will offer high-end accommodations for both business and leisure travelers.
Situated conveniently on the MAX light rail line in downtown Portland, Hotel Fifty is across the street from the Willamette River and Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park – a major venue for festivals and a popular walking/jogging locale. The hotel is located at 50 S.W. Morrison St., Portland, Ore. 97204; 503.221.0711. For more information, visit www.hotelfifty.com.
Christy Luther, P.R. Account Representative for Hotel Fifty, 206.682.6979, christyl@richmondpr.com, www.hotelfifty.com
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