The new Portland facility builds on an already strong UO tradition in the state's largest city, said UO President Dave Frohnmayer.
University of Oregon's Portland programs to move into Old Town landmark
Renovations are underway to convert Old Town Portland's White Stag Building and portions of two other buildings into the White Stag Block, which by early 2008 will house the University of Oregon's Portland programs in a single landmark structure.
The historic White Stag and Hirsch-Weiss Building at 25 Northwest Naito Parkway, along with the ground floor of the Skidmore Block Building and half of the ground floor of the Bickel Block Building, will be merged into a single complex. The three masonry buildings, embellished with wrought iron details, were built at the turn of the twentieth century. The White Stag Building was used as a manufacturing and warehouse facility by the Willamette Tent and Awning Company.
The White Stag Building was acquired in 1972 by the Naito family, a prominent fixture in Portland retail and real estate circles for more than eighty years. The family opened its first business in Portland in 1921 when Hide Naito, who moved from Japan to Los Angeles at the turn of the twentieth century, opened a curio shop in Old Town. That shop grew in 1947 to include an import business. Over the years, the family's holdings have grown to include some of the Portland area's most well-known properties.
Doug Campbell and Anne Naito-Campbell, Naito family representatives, present a symbolic key to UO President Dave Frohnmayer and Art DeMuro, owner of the Venerable Group that is redeveloping the White Stag Block as home of the University of Oregon in Portland.
At a ceremony in the fall of 2006, the Naito family turned over the keys to the White Stag Building to the UO, marking a new direction for Portland's Old Town and giving the university a place to enhance many long-running and successful Portland-area programs.
"The Naito family has been associated with the White Stag Building for many years. I am very pleased that the University of Oregon is moving its Portland programs here. I look forward to the energy the university will add to the revitalization of this important and historic part of the city," said Anne Naito-Campbell, a family member who took part in the fall ceremony.
The new Portland facility builds on an already strong UO tradition in the state's largest city, said UO President Dave Frohnmayer.
"We are excited to join the neighborhood, to expand our Portland programs, and to further strengthen our services to the greater Portland area," Frohnmayer said. "The University of Oregon is committed to Portland and expects to remain a long-term partner in the community."
The White Stag Building has been purchased by White Stag Block, LLC, managed by Venerable Group, Inc. The university has signed an eighteen-year lease, with an option to buy at the eighth year, for the building and portions of the two other historic buildings also situated on the White Stag Block. With approximately 90,000 square feet of available space, the new Portland facility will unite university academic programs in one place and will allow the university to host lectures, exhibits, and other public events. The center will include six classrooms, new event space for up to 250 people, a new library for architecture and journalism programs, a shared computer laboratory, and a new university book store and Duck Shop, which will also feature a café. In addition, the new facility will house administrative offices for seventy-five to 100 employees, including AHA International, a study-abroad program provider that operates under the auspices of the University of Oregon.
The UO's move into the White Stag Block marks the "passing of the torch from one of Portland's flagship families to our state's flagship university," Portland Mayor Tom Potter said at the fall 2006 event. "In addition to all of the benefits of the university's expansion in Portland, I look forward to a long, fruitful partnership with the university, the Portland Development Commission (PDC), and the neighborhood to revitalize Old Town."
"The Portland Development Commission is extremely pleased to be a financial partner in this project that will bring new vitality, jobs, and investment to the Skidmore-Old Town Historic District," said PDC Executive Director Bruce Warner. "The University of Oregon's presence here will offer a new 'front door' to the district and helps build tremendous confidence for others who may be looking to invest here."
The university's journalism, law, and architecture and allied arts programs are in strong demand among Portland-area professionals and prospective students. The School of Journalism and Communication's George S. Turnbull Portland Center opened its doors in 2006 and last spring began offering its Eugene-based students a Senior Experience, combining half-day internships with late-afternoon classes in Portland. Roundtable discussions bringing together working communications professionals to discuss the issues of the day are offered on a regular basis and graduate seminars in strategic communication will begin in fall 2007.
The School of Architecture and Allied Arts has offered architecture and urban design courses in Portland for more than twenty-five years. Since 1998, its graduate program in architecture has been a centerpiece of the university programs offered in Portland. The school is known for the excellence of its cultural and fine arts, digital arts, historic preservation, planning, public policy, and environmental design programs. The program in architecture includes more than seventy-five graduate and undergraduate students studying and working in Portland and will expand enrollment with the addition of new faculty members.
The UO in Portland site offers a master's degree program in applied information management, allowing mid-career professionals to enhance their skills in management, design, and applied research techniques. In addition, continuing education professional development programs feature workshops and certificate programs, including those in sustainability leadership and in festival and event management.
The Oregon Executive MBA Program is a joint program of the University of Oregon, Portland State University, and Oregon State University. This program recently moved to new facilities at 200 Southwest Market Street and is not included in the planned move of the university's Portland operations.
The University of Oregon's current Portland facilities are in the university-owned Willamette Block Building at 722 Southwest Second Avenue, as well as elsewhere in the city in leased space.