People driving by 7123 NE Glisan Street have watched over 100 years of remodels peel away from a historic storefront dating back to when Montavilla ceased being an independent town and joined the expanding Portland city limits. The new owners purchased this 1912-era building to square up the adjacent property they own next door. However, architect Bill Neburka hoped it would contain the bones of its early 20th-century former storefront. He and the other two members of the BAM Collective found the outline of old Portland commerce inside the walls of this neglected building, and the ownership group wants to restore it to a community-serving use while adding a modern expansion that will increase housing and add space for future businesses.
Bill Neburka, Anthony Kell, and Michael Quinn formed the “BAM Collective” to redevelop the O’Neill’s Tools building into a commercial retail space on the corner of NE 72nd Avenue and Glisan. Still, the small dual-unit commercial building at 7123 NE Glisan Street always seemed like a missing piece to their quarter-block parcel. They initially called the small battleship-gray building the box as a diminutive reference to its condition, but kept it post-cleanup for its square shape. It is now called the Toolbox building to link with the Tool Building development next door. It took three dumpsters to clear the space last used as an appliance repair shop. They then were able to strip away the additions to the building. “It was just layer after layer,” recalled Neburka. “It was four layers on everything, four layers on the walls, four layers on the floor.” They chose to keep the original horizontal wood plank walls from the lowest layer wherever possible. “We’re going to have that rustic barn look. Everybody seems to like it, so we’ll keep it on the walls,” said Neburka.
The team was excited to find some of the original commercial storefront intact, with the wood-frame transom windows topping the space where large display windows once flanked the recessed entryway. Originally, they expected to demolish the front of the building and create a new facade with modern materials. However, the BAM Collective team wants to save as much of the original building as possible. They will need to remove the exterior Dutch lap clapboard boards to install a vapor weather barrier and repair some water damage. They plan to reinstall the siding, as the old wood has held up well.
Above the retail space that was first home to Shreiner bakery is a two-bedroom apartment that will be restored for future habitation. Demolition crews removed much of the single-story addition at the rear of the property, leaving a stairway accessible from the walkway running along the western edge of the building. Designers are working to create a modern back half of the building to extend the ground-floor commercial space and make room for a second one-bedroom apartment at the back. Crews will modernize the stairway, which will then lead to a shared hallway at the center of the second level for residents.
Around the 1950s, an extra single-story storefront was built between the 100-year-old building and the BAM Collective’s Tool Building. That structure will require significant reconstruction, including moving an exterior wall to provide a gap between the neighboring building. That space may become the new workplace of Bill Neburka’s Evident Architecture Office. Currently, his business is located east of this site on NE Glisan Street in another property BAM Collective members are involved in. The group is betting on this commercial corridor from a community position. They want to preserve and restore the buildings here and make sure they can support local businesses and bring easily accessible resources to the community. In most cases, knocking down these buildings would be faster and perhaps more profitable for investors. However, as locals, they hope reworking these spaces will better serve people and anchor the neighborhood’s past prosperity with the corridor’s future revival.
They have already had interest from the food and beverage industry in opening within the remodeled storefront. The cellar below the building is a fitting storage space for those businesses, and the addition in the back could contain a kitchen next to a back dining room. Because they also own the property behind the lot, there is potential for a garden dining space behind the Tool Building, but only if a future occupant wants it. The tenant selection process will take time, and its outcome will shape the construction schedule. “Just like the building next door, we don’t want to rent it to just anybody,” said Neburka. “We probably should be, but we’re not that financially motivated. We really see this as an investment in the neighborhood, not just an individual building.”
Future apartment dwellers above this space will have access to a deck on top of the single-level storefront, according to conceptual designs for the property. Renderings show a mix of century-old live-over commercial design next to modern storefronts. People should anticipate plans to evolve as the BAM Collective secures tenants and works on remodel permits. However, the owners are determined to bring the building back to life and serve the public as soon as possible.
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