Ancient Order Of United Workmen Temple Bites The Dust
The fate of the historic Ancient Order of United Workmen Temple in Downtown Portland has been uncertain for a while, but now there is certainty. The building, which has been mostly vacant in recent years, is being torn down.
The 1892-vintage structure at Southwest Second Avenue and Taylor Street will be replaced by a 10-story, 175K SF office building, developed by T&T Development. The new office property will include ground-floor retail, a rooftop terrace and two levels of underground parking, the Portland Business Journal reports.
Restore Oregon objected to the demolition of the property, but ultimately to no avail, since the property was not officially designated as a historic building. The City of Portland removed the building from the city's Historic Resource Inventory in 2015, deeming it unsafe, which allowed for its demolition.
The neighboring Albion Hotel will also be razed in the near future for the hotel component of the development, which will be 20 stories. The Albion has long been home to the Lotus Cardroom and Cafe.
T&T Development, which includes Jeff Arthur of Arthur Mutal and Jack Onder of Onder Development, acquired the properties for about $6M in 2016.
