tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7051425824673898715.post4072308369316190259..comments2024-02-20T02:13:45.982-08:00Comments on arts dispatch: A little paranoia about the Rose QuarterBarry Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16025142209441081323noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7051425824673898715.post-7535642081830061772010-07-14T16:54:40.016-07:002010-07-14T16:54:40.016-07:00I think that's right,long-time Eliot neighbor....I think that's right,long-time Eliot neighbor. Why would an expensive development in the Rose Quarter trump smaller neighborhood improvements? Somehow, the Big Deals always jump to the front of the line, don't they...<br /><br />Interestingly, historian Carl Abbott referred to the grain elevators, but he was eager to preserve the last vestiges of a working waterfront in the downtown stretch of the Willamette. There was also talk of burying the railroad tracks along the bank, which would be a great idea, especially if the railroad paid for it!<br /><br />Access to the river, more parks and non-motorized transportation corridors -- we could make good arguments that all should be higher priorities than developing the Rose Quarter.Barry Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16025142209441081323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7051425824673898715.post-92219550973369840932010-07-14T15:25:05.679-07:002010-07-14T15:25:05.679-07:00We have lived in the Eliot neighborhood for the pa...We have lived in the Eliot neighborhood for the past 30 years, just several blocks from the Coliseum/Rose Quarter, and have watched the neighborhood continue to evolve, mostly for the better. From neighborhood meetings, our greatest concerns are centered around the parking and traffic problems that we have when big events are happening.<br /><br />But where are our city's priorities?<br /><br />We can't do everything we want to all at once.<br /><br />One of the most progressive and effective means of creating a viable addition to our inner NE neighborhoods is to extend the Eastside Esplanande past the Steele Bridge at least to the Broadway Bridge to get people out and about and moving through the various communities by foot, bicycle or non-motorized transport, To do so would mean razing the real blight in the Rose Quarter which is that mammoth grain elevator that blots out the sky in both directions...then turning the old Red Lion riverside property into a green park + playground would go a long way to making the Rose Quarter more user-friendly...letting the citizens of NE neighborhoods have access to the rest of Portland with these waterfront actions are the first thing we should be concerned about.<br /><br />The removal of the grain elevator and extension of the Esplanade is essential before any discussion about the Memorial Coliseum's design plan begins. Let's make it possible for people to enjoy what is already there on the waterfront but inaccessible.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7051425824673898715.post-88877407869501115772010-07-14T13:01:49.511-07:002010-07-14T13:01:49.511-07:00Jerry, thanks for commenting. I opposed tearing do...Jerry, thanks for commenting. I opposed tearing down Memorial Coliseum in favor of a minor league baseball park, but I can imagine other, higher uses for that space. Now, it's a historic landmark, though, and harder to re-use (to speak euphemistically). Some urban planning mistakes (the siting of the coliseum plus I-5) are destined to last for decades, if not centuries, I'm afraid. At this point, I'm hypothesizing that the best option is to create a sort of alt.arena out of Memorial Coliseum -- find a set of uses and tenants that help make the city more alive, a little like an indoor Pioneer <br />Courthouse Square. I'd love to have you on the imaginary committee that seeks the next life for the coliseum!Barry Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16025142209441081323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7051425824673898715.post-90423731386225828502010-07-14T12:13:43.291-07:002010-07-14T12:13:43.291-07:00Barry,
I live on the inner East side: Graham and ...Barry,<br /><br />I live on the inner East side: Graham and MLK to be exact, one block north of the Nike Outlet store. I don't need history to show me that the Rose Quarter is a blight of urban planning. Yes, that stretch of town is a dead zone for much of the time. When it is not, it is impossible to traverse due to the glut of traffic from a Blazer game. Yet, I don't feel cut off from downtown, Mississippi Avenue or the Alberta district. While it is unfortunate that the Rose Quarter is a zombie zone, I frankly cannot see how to give it life outside of an artificial lightning bolt from the heavens—and even then it will still be a Frankenstein of urban planning. That is, unless we tear down the Memorial Coliseum. I know this is heresy from the view of historical conservation but perhaps a bit of creative destruction is in order here. Why does architectural conservation have to trump bad urban planning? It should not. The area should be reimagined and the Coliseum should be on the table. <br /><br />I know this is a contrarian thought. But it is worthy of consideration.<br /><br />Best,<br /><br />JKJerry Ketelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17504659565024505404noreply@blogger.com