View down future shared street with renovated Montgomery Park building. Courtesy of Lake Flato Architects

Iconic buildings planned as gateway for urban-outdoor living

The Montgomery Park Master Plan is transforming warehouse and industrial buildings into a mixed-use district in Portland, Oregon. Lake Flato Architects won a merit award in the Emerging Projects category of CNU's 2021 Charter Awards.

A hundred years ago, iconic warehouse and industrial buildings were constructed that would define Northwest Portland. The 10-story Montgomery Ward building—later renamed Montgomery Park—and the American Can Complex, occupy the nexus of residential neighborhoods to the south, a large industrial area to the north, and the massive nature preserve, Forest Park, to the west.

Due to local height restrictions, Montgomery Park soars over adjacent buildings and acts as a wayfinding monument, punctuated by a historic rooftop sign, that Portlanders love.

A redevelopment plan for this 17-acre site has initiated an urban transformation that will impact the entire city. An important adaptive reuse development, now underway, is scheduled for completion this decade.

Ground floor uses and open space network, left. Proposed overall 3D program and density, right. Courtesy of Lake Flato

The main building is surrounded by surface parking that will be moved underground to create a mixed-use district of nearly 2 million square feet with office, retail, food and beverage operations (including a food hall), a market, and 871 market rate and affordable living spaces. A “Trailhead Lodge” is envisioned as “the future soul of the district,” forming a gateway to Forest Park, with a gym, gathering spaces, bike rentals, and food and beverage operations. 

The development is designed to establish Montgomery Park as a center for Portland’s urban outdoor lifestyle, rooted in its proximity to Forest Park and connection to the city. The site has direct connections to miles of trails. The district is described as a “melting pot” where city, industry, and park combine to provide a place for living, outdoor culture, commerce, business, food and beverage, events, fitness, and access to open space.

While retaining large industrial footprints—the design breaks down the scale of the district, which occupies the geographic equivalent of a dozen 200-by-200-foot Portland blocks. Only one street now traverses the site. The plan is organized into three zones (east, central, west). The east includes the American Can Complex, the central the Montgomery Park building, and the west is now surface parking. 

The three zones will be connected by a new, curbless, “shared street” where pedestrians will be given primacy by design. A pedestrian-only street will connect the Montgomery Park building with the Trailhead Lodge and park. All three zones will include new buildings, but most new construction will take place in the west zone. The designers employ an architectural vocabulary that celebrates the historic buildings while incorporating a contemporary mix of uses. The pedestrian-oriented plan is punctuated by plazas that contribute to sense of place.

View of curbless shared street ‘Lewis & Clark Blvd’ that acts as district spine north of Montgomery Park building. (Middle) View of district park towards Forest Park with weekend event/market and surrounding residential and Trailhead Lodge in the background. (Right) View of district park towards Montgomery Park atrium entrance with surrounding residential and retail. Courtesy of Lake Flato.

With a proposed streetcar expansion, the plan embraces the district as a terminal streetcar station, multimodal transit connector, and gateway to Forest Park. The team seized the unique opportunity to create a transit-oriented destination by infusing it with vertical development, pedestrian connections, active open spaces, and additional mix of uses.

The plan builds on the existing bus and bike network and transforms the car-dominated parking environment into a multi-modal, walkable district.Montgomery Park represents a dramatic investment and commitment to revitalizing Northwest Portland, a part of the city that has experienced much degradation in recent years.

Views of renovation design for Montgomery Park building. Courtesy of Lake Flato

Montgomery Park Master Plan

  • Lake Flato Architects, principal firm
  • Unico Properties & Partners Group, client
  • PLACE, landscape architect
  • HHPR, civil engineer
  • Nelson\Nygaard, mobility consultant
  • GBD Architects, architect of record
  • CRAVE, market analyst and strategic consultant
  • Jean-Pierre Veillet, NWSP, placemaking, design-developer, retail activation, UX Design
  • S9 Architects, Montgomery Park building architect

2021 Charter Awards Jury

  • Goeff Dyer (chair), Master Planning and Urban Design Strategic Lead, B&A Planning Group
  • Amy Stelly, Artist, designer, urban planner with Claiborne Avenue Alliance
  • Marques King, Economic Development and Design Manager with Jefferson East, Inc.
  • Alli Thurmond Quinlan, principal, Flintlock Architecture & Landscape
  • Andrew von Maur, Professor of Architecture at Andrews University
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