Country United States Opened 1892 Architectural style Richardsonian Romanesque | Completed 1892 Town or city Portland Architect Justus F. Krumbein | |
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Alternative names Tourny Building (or Tourney Building) Similar Hotel Albion, Architectural Heritage Center, Jacob Kamm House, Auditorium Building | ||
The Ancient Order of United Workmen Temple, also known as the Tourny Building, is a historic building, completed in 1892 and located at the intersection of Southwest 2nd Avenue and Taylor Street in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. As of mid-2016, the six-story building is planned to be demolished, to be replaced by new development.
Description and history
The building was designed by Justus F. Krumbein, also the architect of the second Oregon State Capitol. The style has elements of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture and, according to Restore Oregon, is one of the city's most prominent remaining buildings from the 1890s.
Originally serving as a club and office for the Ancient Order of United Workmen (AOUW) fraternal organization, within about 10 years it had been sold by that organization and renamed the Tourny Building, a mixed-use building that initially included apartments. The AOUW retained a library in the building for its members for some years after its sale. The building was sold again in 1905, for $100,000, and again in 1907 for $140,000 (equivalent to $3.6 million in 2016). The offices of the Oregon Historical Society were in the Tourny Building from 1913 until 1917, and its museum was on the first floor.
In 1941, the six-story building was sold to Gilbert Brothers, Inc., who opened a furniture store and warehouse in it. In 1946, a fire gutted the top three floors and destroyed the roof and cornice.
Portland architect Richard Sundeleaf made modifications in 1942 and 1946, and Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects in 1980.
At an unknown date, the building was designated a historical landmark by the city's Historical Landmarks Commission (now known as the Historic Landmarks Commission), but the commission removed the designation in 1973, after concluding that subsequent repainting had lessened the building's historical significance.
As of November 2015, the City of Portland deemed the building unsafe, and it was removed from the city's Historic Resource Inventory. This opened the possibility of demolition. The Portland Tribune reported in December 2015 that, "Plans provided by Ankrom Moisan Architects show a 20-story hotel and 10-story office building rising on the block", in place of the 1892 building and the nearby Hotel Albion (Lotus Café building).
The completed design for the hotel building proposed to be constructed on the block was approved by the Portland Design Commission, a city-appointed advisory panel, in early July 2016. The plans call for demolition of the United Workmen Temple, and the development team submitted an application for a demolition permit to the city in mid-July 2016.