from bulldozing to beloved
TRANSCRIPT
C.E. JOHN,a real estate development company, came to us with…
…a Microsoft Word logo
a website with cobwebs on it
journalists nipping
at their heels
Pre-Besaw history a rich trove1892 building first used
as a grocery store
By Allan Classen
Besaw’s Café has been a part of the
neighborhood since before the 1905
world’s fair, a story continually retold
on the restaurant’s menus and website.
It’s a colorful history, running
through Prohibition and characters
like Clyde Besaw, son of the restau-
rant’s founder, who is still remembered
by some old timers today. Clyde, who
ran the business until 1979 and lived
until 1997, was known to physically
expel liquor commission inspectors
from his premises. He once took an
item off the menu immediately after a
favorable review in the daily newspa-
per; he didn’t want his working class
establishment to become popular with
the social elite.But the little building at the corner
of Northwest 23rd and Savier had a
life before the Besaws came to town,
and its details and characters are even
more intriguing than those of the later
history. Clyde himself would have had his
hands full with Johanna Duhrkoop,
the wife of the man who erected the
building in 1892 as a grocery store.
At least she thought she was his
wife. She lived with him 25 years, bore
seven children and helped run several
of his businesses. But after Charles B. Duhrkoop
died in 1893, a daughter of his first
AUGUST ’11VOLUME 25, ISSUE 12
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Continued on page 6
By Allan Classen
Besaw’s Café, the oldest restaurant in
the Northwest District, may be demolished
as part of a four-story, mixed-use develop-
ment planned at Northwest 23rd and Savier
streets. Four 19th century houses adjacent to the
restaurant are certain to go if the plan is
carried out.
25T H ANNIVERSARY FEAT URE
The second five years, 1991-95
Demolition of Besaw’s corner,
perhaps Besaw’s itself, planned
Representatives for the developer, C.E.
John of Vancouver, Wash., have said they
intend to keep the 119-year-old Besaw’s
building and even rebuild a cupola and
second floor that were removed many years
ago.But there are reasons to doubt the com-
pany’s pledge. For one, C.E. John’s vice president of
development, Thomas A. DiChiara, has
steadfastly refused to clarify or affirm the
company’s position after repeated inquiries
from the Examiner. As explained by project architect Bruce
Brown of GBD Architects at a public
meeting in May, the Besaw’s structure
does not fully contain the restaurant. The
kitchen and storage space extend under
the house to the west. The covered patio
on the north side of the restaurant is to be
removed to create maximum space for the
new building. That means a “saved” Besaw’s
would have to be reconfigured internally to
accommodate cooking and storage needs,
while the seating capacity would be signifi-
cantly reduced internally as well as exter-
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Sandy Stein’s great-great-grandfather built this house at 1715 NW 23rd Ave. in 1885, and developer C.E. John plans to demolish it as part
of a four-story mixed-use project.
JOHN KLICKER
JULY ’11VOLUME 25, ISSUE 11
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Continued on page 20
By Allan ClassenC.E. John Company has become one of the big players on Northwest 23rd Avenue, but how sensitive is the company to the needs of small businesses?Don’t ask Judy Farinha, who’s been oper-ating Tribute’s sandwich shop at Northwest 23rd and Kearney the past 11 years.Because of C.E. John, she suffered a small business owner’s ultimate indignity: learning through the news that she was being evicted. Customers broke the news of her impending closure.According to a report on OregonLive, The Oregonian’s website, C.E. John had leased her space, that of Mio Gelato next door and the former Rose’s—which closed last month—to Bamboo Sushi. The June 7 story said the entire building “would be taken down to the studs … then handed over to Bamboo Sushi for remodeling.”The story also said that Mio Gelato and Tribute’s “have been given notice they will have to leave.”
The last statement was not true; she and Mio Gelato had not been given notice. But without lease protection, she knew C.E. John could have her out in short order. “It blindsided me,” said Farinha, noting that “to hear this from someone else” com-pounded the insult.To put it bluntly: “It sucks.”She admits she was naïve to have gone along with a short-term lease just because C.E. John told her it wanted all leases to expire at the same time. “They were a lot smarter than me,” she said. “They obviously knew what they were doing. Me, not so much.”An online responder (screen name: Cassidy Rae) to the OregonLive story wrote:
C.E. John courts new tenant —claims existing tenants want out
By Allan Classen For three decades, discussion of devel-opment on Northwest 23rd Avenue has started or ended with Richard Singer, whose family holds most of the plum retail locations on the southern half of the street.For the next few years at least, the talk will be all about C.E. John, a Vancou-
ver, Wash., company that already owns two significant commercial corners and is about to build three multi-story, mixed-use projects between Lovejoy and Savier streets.“This is very unusual,” said John Brad-ley, chair of the Northwest District Asso-ciation Planning Committee since the 1990s.
In that time, he cannot remember another developer having three major con-struction projects in the hopper at once. In fact, even Bill Welch, who has served on that committee for 35 years, does not recall any precedent for this scale or speed of development by one party.
Vancouver company has designs on 23rd Avenue
25TH ANNIVERSARY FEATUREThe first five years, 1986-91
and zero social media presence
nada zip
zilch
(can you believe it?!)
And they were about to roll out six mixed-use apartment projects that would transform the urbanscape of NW Portland.
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FRANKLIN IDE2240 NW Lovejoy StFI
L. L. HAWKINSNW 22nd & RaleighLL
BENEVENTO2275 NW Raleigh St
B
SAWYER’S ROWNW 20th & RaleighSR
Their properties fall within a 10-block radius at the north end of Northwest Portland. We set out to highlight the distinct, quiet, cozy vibe that contrasts its bustling counterpart to the south.
Our mission was to inspire a love for the NW neighborhood.
Only after we touted… the shortcut through the woods, the way the streets are named, and the cozy booth in the back
…would we introduce the buildings and the company who developed them.
This type of subtle,
strategy is what C.E. John
(and Green Rising) stands for.
long-term
So, we held the “Perfect Day Contest,”
hello!
YOU’RE INVITED
We'�re throwing a contest for the neighborhood, and
TO JOIN IN THE FUNDescribe your most perfect day in NW PDX by August 31st.
For the winner, we’ll make it come true for two.
Submit your idea on our page: www.franklinide.com/perfect-day-contest
C.E. John Company, a local, family company, focuses on developing properties for the long-haul. Walkability and smart urban design are the pinnacle of thinking long-term, and now we want to know what it means for you. Let’s celebrate one of Portland’s most loved
neighborhood by finding THE perfect day in NW. **See website for contest details.
...WHO WE ARE...
sprinkling posters, postcards, and “hidden gem” scratch-offs in the area to get people thinking of what NW PDX has to offer.
We directed people to the flagship building’s website and Facebook page.
…and had them submit entries like this:
“My day would start out by taking a class at Yoga NW, buy local produce at Food Front, take pictures at the Peculiarorium, get a soy latte at Sterling Coffee Roaster, buy a "zine" at Floating World, play PacMan at Ground Kontrol, throwback a Boneyard IPA, a vegan gyro & a punk band at Slabtown.”
-Evelyn Boling
and we even got this…
!“I awake to a quarter-pounder of a hangover. I stumble out and find the Pizza Schmizza. I head over to the park at NW Johnson with the water and kids playing and lie on the grass. I'm guessing now it's about time to head down to Everyday Music and listen to some Alice in Chains. Then I’m thinking it's time for some foie gras, so I head over to Bluehour and grab an outside table. I order a finely-aged bottle of chablis, foie gras, and a nice rhubarb gelee. Unfortunately it comes to bear that I've been talking to a pigeon instead of a waiter and police are asking for my identification. Thanks for the perfect day!”
With no budget for advertising and a general distrust of developers, it was hard to get traction.
So we bought St. Cupcake sweets and headed to the Ecotrust @ Sundown concerts to capture people’s attention.
To gauge success, we measured
how many people entered:
109
how fast leases were signed ‣ The first, Benevento, was 17% leased by Opening
Day. The 24-unit building sold out in 8 weeks.
‣ The second, Franklin Ide, leased 22% of 92 units by Opening Day.
how the community shifted
JULY ’11VOLUME 25, ISSUE 11
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Continued on page 22
Continued on page 20
inside
By Allan Classen
C.E. John Company has become one of
the big players on Northwest 23rd Avenue,
but how sensitive is the company to the
needs of small businesses?
Don’t ask Judy Farinha, who’s been oper-
ating Tribute’s sandwich shop at Northwest
23rd and Kearney the past 11 years.
Because of C.E. John, she suffered a
small business owner’s ultimate indignity:
learning through the news that she was
being evicted. Customers broke the news of
her impending closure.
According to a report on OregonLive,
The Oregonian’s website, C.E. John had
leased her space, that of Mio Gelato next
door and the former Rose’s—which closed
last month—to Bamboo Sushi. The June
7 story said the entire building “would be
taken down to the studs … then handed
over to Bamboo Sushi for remodeling.”
The story also said that Mio Gelato and
Tribute’s “have been given notice they will
have to leave.”The last statement was not true; she and
Mio Gelato had not been given notice. But
without lease protection, she knew C.E.
John could have her out in short order.
“It blindsided me,” said Farinha, noting
that “to hear this from someone else” com-
pounded the insult.
To put it bluntly: “It sucks.”
She admits she was naïve to have gone
along with a short-term lease just because
C.E. John told her it wanted all leases to
expire at the same time.
“They were a lot smarter than me,” she
said. “They obviously knew what they were
doing. Me, not so much.”
An online responder (screen name: Cas-
sidy Rae) to the OregonLive story wrote:
“I was at Tribute’s for lunch today and
came across this story. They had no idea of
the timeline, they haven’t been given notice
C.E. John courts
new tenant —claims existing
tenants want out
By Allan Classen
For three decades, discussion of devel-
opment on Northwest 23rd Avenue has
started or ended with Richard Singer,
whose family holds most of the plum retail
locations on the southern half of the street.
For the next few years at least, the talk
will be all about C.E. John, a Vancou-
ver, Wash., company that already owns
two significant commercial corners and is
about to build three multi-story, mixed-
use projects between Lovejoy and Savier
streets.“This is very unusual,” said John Brad-
ley, chair of the Northwest District Asso-
ciation Planning Committee since the
1990s.
In that time, he cannot remember
another developer having three major con-
struction projects in the hopper at once.
In fact, even Bill Welch, who has served
on that committee for 35 years, does not
recall any precedent for this scale or speed
of development by one party.
Vancouver company has
designs on 23rd Avenue
25TH ANNIVERSARY FEATURE
The first five years, 1986-91
From being depicted as a bulldozer…
‣ being described by words like “high design,” “transparent,” and “integrity”
‣ the historian and journalist who was their harshest critic donating streetcar rails for art, presenting slideshows at openings, and submitting an entry to our contest!
TO…
and lastly, perhaps most importantly, sentiments like this from our client…
“I had several people tell me how great our branding and approach in the neighborhood has been over the last few years, especially in comparison to the years prior. I think that is a testament to the work that GRM has done for the company brand…We appreciate the good work you have done for us.”
Tom DiChiara Senior Vice President of Development C.E. John Company