The Goldsmith Blocks – Portland, OR

“Stories have tangents; they open up and become different things. You can still have a structure, but you should leave room to dream” – David Lynch

The Goldsmith blocks comprise multiple structures that were slated for teardown in Portland, Oregon’s historic Chinatown, located at a point where now crumbling neighborhoods had come together. A last minute preservation clause saved them from demolition, but the challenge remained.  What could be done with these four buildings that had seemingly, almost against their will, somehow become one?

The answer was to embrace what nature and time had already created.  A confluence.  Each space flows into the next and all are joined by a central courtyard created by uniting disjointed hallways and stairwells.  The project encompassed a restaurant, boutique hotel, coffee bar, and luxury town homes.  Every space inside is a celebration of the buildings’ pasts, while providing views and access to everything the young city is still becoming.