tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7051425824673898715.post8285437875730787002..comments2024-02-20T02:13:45.982-08:00Comments on arts dispatch: A weird but happy Memorial Coliseum convergenceBarry Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16025142209441081323noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7051425824673898715.post-40865430970967049802010-08-18T14:21:09.499-07:002010-08-18T14:21:09.499-07:00Barry, among yourself, Anna Griffin and Sam Adams,...Barry, among yourself, Anna Griffin and Sam Adams, you're the one who was right all along. The consensus was clear at that fateful community gathering with the mayor last April at Leftbank.Brian Libbyhttp://www.portlandarchitecture.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7051425824673898715.post-43361629802410407632010-08-16T10:40:26.728-07:002010-08-16T10:40:26.728-07:00Dear PDXsays:
I’m all for putting aside the weapo...Dear PDXsays:<br /><br />I’m all for putting aside the weapons to work together on a real solution. I have a sense that little light saber battles have been taking place behind the scenes, without the full participation and knowledge of us Ewoks. Plus, I wonder when Darth Vader (Randy Leonard) will rise again, bent on destroying the Rebel Base (Memorial Coliseum).<br /><br />If you think that’s a labored metaphor, you should see my draft that involved a light saber slicing open a Tauntaun to create a warm shelter from the storm on the snow plains of Hoth. At least we can agree that Barry Johnson is the Obi Wan Kenobi we need.MightyToyCannonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14523823158706838012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7051425824673898715.post-67100094298101070972010-08-15T11:16:00.185-07:002010-08-15T11:16:00.185-07:00Dear Mighty Toy Cannon,
How do you get two boys,...Dear Mighty Toy Cannon,<br /><br /><br />How do you get two boys, who are really good with light sabers and vanquishing enemies before they can draw theirs, to put them away and get to work?PDXsayshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04889123764956000786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7051425824673898715.post-43567067898909581022010-08-15T11:15:57.246-07:002010-08-15T11:15:57.246-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.PDXsayshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04889123764956000786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7051425824673898715.post-34960252009026026032010-08-15T09:53:10.371-07:002010-08-15T09:53:10.371-07:00Jerry, Thanks for sharing the link. I quite enjoy ...Jerry, Thanks for sharing the link. I quite enjoy your happy combat!Barry Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16025142209441081323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7051425824673898715.post-2815748931953700262010-08-15T09:41:02.949-07:002010-08-15T09:41:02.949-07:00OK, Barry, thanks for the schooling on the Coliseu...OK, Barry, thanks for the schooling on the Coliseum business. I see that it's wise to keep the building. For those who care, go to Brian Libby's Portland Architecture blog for good reporting on the Rose Quarter process. http://chatterbox.typepad.com/portlandarchitecture/memorial-coliseum/Jerry Ketelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17504659565024505404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7051425824673898715.post-20630072916196398042010-08-15T00:05:05.634-07:002010-08-15T00:05:05.634-07:00Jerry,
With all due respect, we can't contin...Jerry, <br /><br />With all due respect, we can't continue to destroy everything without attempting to adapt it first. It's just not the right way to survive on the planet, I'm sure you agree. And we can't reset the clock to 1958, as much as I wish we could. (So we wouldn't destroy the east bank with I-5 for starters...)<br /><br />For the bona fides on Memorial Coliseum, I suggest you read Brian Libby's Portland Architecture. He's actually studied it!<br /><br />You're going to see how much energy soccer injects into the city next summer. Go to a Timbers game this year to see how much enthusiasm there already is. Compared to Allen and the Blazers, I feel pretty inoculated against the worst possibilities of the Timbers -- not least of all, because that deal is based on a re-use of an existing building. Oh, and it's not all about winning, it's about playing the game!Barry Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16025142209441081323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7051425824673898715.post-34914982257780193692010-08-14T18:03:30.461-07:002010-08-14T18:03:30.461-07:00Barry,
I really wish I could agree on the two maj...Barry,<br /><br />I really wish I could agree on the two major underlying issues of this article. 1. That Portland needs to retain the Memorial Coliseum based on architectural integrity. 2. That Portland needs more minor or major league teams.<br /><br />First, I personally love the Memorial Coliseum. I saw the Blazers of yore there. I watched the Shriner's circus when I was a youngster. I have many fine memories of that building. However, more recently, I witnessed my son's High School graduation there and what I saw was a building that has outlived its usefulness. And at the end of the day, that is what architecture is all about, utility. Yes, I agree that the elements of architecture should also inspire, yet the grounds that the MC are planted are an abomination of urban planning. And so this is what the Coliseum is: an aesthetically pleasing building in a zombie zone that is not connected to NE Portland. And let's face it, Memorial Coliseum is one of hundreds of examples of modernist architecture, it simply isn't that unique. In short, I would argue to tear down the MC to build a better neighborhood for the city that connects to the rest of NE Portland.<br /><br />Second, I honestly don't believe that having another major or minor league team in Portland fits our culture. I'm sad to see the Beavers go, I really am. But frankly, I don't want to be held hostage to another owner like Merritt Paulson or Paul Allen. Look at the way other cities bow down to owners to keep the teams they have in their district. That is not the Portland way. We are hikers, and beer makers, and cyclists, that is part of our DNA, not McFranchises that can be found in any city in America. Besides, who wants another suck-ass team like the Mariners or the Seahawks? I would argue that Northwesterners don't really care enough to support a team, really support a team to get it to the top of whatever league they are playing in. And the owners, so far have shown that they don't have the balls to put together really great teams because the market can't sustain that level of excellence. At the end of the day, I really don't believe Portlanders give a damn.<br /><br />Best regards,<br /><br />Jerry KetelJerry Ketelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17504659565024505404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7051425824673898715.post-10950588893976259252010-08-14T12:49:22.037-07:002010-08-14T12:49:22.037-07:00Nothing like brushing away the dirt to find the ge...Nothing like brushing away the dirt to find the gems hidden under your feet. International sports. Multiple and diverse interests with permanent use of unutilized space. <br /><br />We learn how to release the abundance we have routinely locked away in such publicly accessed spaces, and we may be able to conceive or and build a sustainable equitable new space when the opportunity arises.PDXsayshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04889123764956000786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7051425824673898715.post-39243011374597597452010-08-14T11:50:56.880-07:002010-08-14T11:50:56.880-07:00Gary, That's a list that almost could have bee...Gary, That's a list that almost could have been compiled in Portland. Personally, I especially like the idea of housing a permanent cartooning/animation component at the coliseum. Not the whole thing, mostly in the large exhibition halls below decks. I like thinking of the bowl itself as an indoor Pioneer Courthouse Square, where almost anything could happen, from aerial dance to Food Cart Saturday.Barry Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16025142209441081323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7051425824673898715.post-27962770933165316122010-08-14T11:43:15.143-07:002010-08-14T11:43:15.143-07:00I think it would be great to “fix up” the Memorial...I think it would be great to “fix up” the Memorial Coliseum and create something along the lines of the former Disney Institute in Orlando. It was a vacation experience that was more about hands-on learning, personal development and interactivity. The institute included 28 program studios, a 225-seat performance center, a 1,150-seat outdoor amphitheater, a 400-seat cinema, a closed-circuit TV station, a radio station and a sports and fitness center with a full service spa.<br /><br />Guests could choose to participate in an array of over 80 programs under the following categories:<br /><br />Animation<br />Culinary<br />Gardening<br />The Great Outdoors<br />Photography<br />Television<br />YouthGary Powellhttp://www.imagewearsolutions.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7051425824673898715.post-5405909552734910102010-08-14T11:33:49.985-07:002010-08-14T11:33:49.985-07:00It has been a circuitous and fractious road that h...It has been a circuitous and fractious road that has led us to a reasonable outcome for now, which is better than I anticipated a year ago. We might also add the adjective "wasteful," but is the time spent reaching a reasonable outcome really wasted?Barry Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16025142209441081323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7051425824673898715.post-70373171512547125202010-08-14T11:16:31.136-07:002010-08-14T11:16:31.136-07:00You can count me among the choir singing Kumbayah ...You can count me among the choir singing Kumbayah on this topic, though my singing is a little strained due to whiplash. You see, I had just finished reading the letter the mayor wrote to the Rose Quarter Stakeholders Committee just last week--a letter in which he explains why he is adopting a planning approach that will cherry-pick ideas from the variety of schemes that have been floated already. While that might have looked wishy-washy to casual observers (and naysayers), I was ready to defend it as a reasonable, thoughtful approach to a difficult challenge. A few days later, that approach is dropped, presumably out of pragmatism. By repairing and upgrading the MC, we'll do what should have been done years ago, holding the line for a grander vision for the Rose Quarter that may emerge down the line. In other words, let's hold our ground while we catch our breaths and think of something else. Perhaps the Rose Quarter is destined to "beguile" yet another mayor.MightyToyCannonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14523823158706838012noreply@blogger.com