I actually enjoy going to Winterhawks games at the MC, it is a great building for Hockey. Though it could use some renovations and improvements.

Sorry but the winter hawks averaged about 6,500 people annually. That's only about 250,000 a year and attendance has stayed flat for the past 5 years.
I'm not sure where your getting your facts from.

BZZZZZZZZZZT. Incorrect. The Winterhawks didn't even average 10,000 per game during the playoffs. In fact, their average - during the playoffs - was 9,261/game.


Probably from Brian Libby, whose articles on the MC are ridiculously one-sided, regardless of whether or not facts support what he writes. His site has some excellent content, but he can also be the architecture version of Fox News. I had to stop reading his site a while ago.

This is 100 percent right on. We're not talking about saving a building like the Cornelius that, if fixed, could have many uses--office, retail, housing, hotel... We're talking about a 50 year old coliseum for which the city has explored a variety of different uses for as long as I've lived here--now going on 11 years. It, along with the Portland Public Market, wins the Lack of Momentum and Future Award.

Exactly this. The irony here is that the Cornelius is being torn down due to the cost of renovation. Meanwhile, the MC is being kept despite the cost of renovation and despite the fact that the city loses money on it and despite the fact that there isn't even a plan for what to do with it. In fact, a lot of money, resources and time have already been poured into figuring out what to do with the MC - all for nothing, as nothing has been decided and nothing has been done.

Well, it looks like Portland isn't the only city dealing with an iconic structure in need of a new purpose: http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireSto...oters-20785297

If Houston can pull off an re imagining of the Astrodome, I have hope for the Coliseum. I think Portland needs to think beyond an arena. I would be in favor of keeping the glass exterior, gutting the interioir, and establishing a year-round open-air market... A "Saturday Market on Steroids" if you will...

Yesterday, Houston voters voted against the effort to save the Astrodome.

So much for that.

I just read that the Astrodome has been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places. The Texas Historical Commission held a hearing on October 19 and the nomination was heard by the Sate Board of Review. So, once the Feds sign off, it's a done deal.

So... if the Astrodome gets listed, will it still be demolished? If yes, that may mean the Historical Registration is not the "silver bullet" everyone thinks it is...

I'm not completely sure, but I believe being listed on the National Register of Historic Places only 'encourages' the preservation and restoration of the property, not an actual mandate to do so. I think each city or county devises their own rules on how to handle historical places.

Interesting that Cordish even have a representative in Portland to meet with the mayor. Personally I think anything that could bring life to the Rose Quarter is a good thing, even if it's filled with Olive Gardens and Hard Rock Cafes.

...continues at the Oregonian.

I've never seen that rendering before. Who cares if it's "un-Portland like". I think it looks awesome. :haha:

It's good to see Hales at least meeting with that company again.

Didn't even realize this was happening. Guess I'm not much of a sportsfan.

...continues at Portland Business Journal.

...continues at the Oregonian.

I hope they decide to tear it down. I see nothing redeeming in this building. Even if they tore it down just to build another sports arena, they could at least design it to be less of an eyesore and maybe even make it interact with the street instead of just seeming like an impenetrable fortress.

Uh oh! Now you did it RainDog. You just upset all the folks that think the MC is the Taj Mahal. I like some of the early renderings. Looks like it could be a happenin' kind of place. Ball, Chicks, and lotz of micro brew.

While I have fond memories of watching the Blazers and Winterhawks with my gramps at the VMC, I would prefer it gone. The Rose Garden, and may it ever be named so, works fine for our teams. We need a venue like the schnitz or Hollywood on the East side nr Lloyd, a cultural desert at the moment.

I agree. It would be much better as a neighborhood. Plus, it's not that great of a building. Most of the arguments to keep it are textbook--that it's a great building because of the era it represents. Truth is, most Portlanders would never miss it. Build a neighborhood that connects to the river--such a better use of space than an old coliseum.

I recall an idea to turn it into a sports medicine and aquatics center with Olympic sized saltwater swimming pools. Does anyone recall that idea?

Well, I'm going to be the lone voice here defending it. It is a building highly representative of its era, and designed by one of the most important architectural practices of the 20th Century. I find the description of it as a "fortress" kind of strange given the obvious comparison to the Moda Center, which is a 1000x more fortress. And it's not like the continued existence of the building is holding up any other realistic plans. If we need to make room for new buildings in the Rose Quarter, lets look at burying those hideous parking garage first.

Now I am a card carrying member of Docomomo, so it's obvious I have a love for an era in architecture not always so loved by the general public. However I would be equally aghast at the demolition of the Multnomah County Courthouse or the Hotel Cornelius, two other historic Portland buildings with uncertain fates. I don't think we should be so flippant about throwing our built heritage away.

I have to agree with you about the Coliseum, it is a functional building that can still be used, plus having two arenas downtown does give us a chance to put on events that would require the need for more space.

Granted I personally love watching Winterhawk games at the Coliseum over going to hockey games at the Moda due to the size of that arena for a minor league sport.

Of course on a side note, I agree with you about Hotel Cornelius, the building I have always fantasized about turning into a boutique hotel or a condo building. The courthouse building on the other hand I want to see the exterior preserved and a tower to be built within the building.