Journey of a Modern Office Space: Fall Lecture and Intimate Tour of the Living Room Realty Headquarters

Designed by Frank Blachly and originally constructed in 1962, as the Postal Employees Credit Union, this International Style building housed the Credit Union for over 30 years before becoming a juvenile corrections facility. 

Sold to Living Room Realty in 2018, the new owners envisioned restoring the building back to its former 1960s design. Razor wire and other remnants of the corrections facility were removed, and historic features like curved glulam beams and color-blocked stained glass were restored. Aiming for a harmonious balance between historic and new, the design team drew inspiration from the structure’s historic stained glass and infused those colors into bathrooms and hallway doors. 

This event will start with a discussion of the renovation by the owner of Living Room Realty, Jenelle Isaacson Etzel.  She will speak to the process of the renovations, the decision to keep it as close to the original floor plan as possible and the significance of it being the postal workers credit union. This will be followed by a presentation by photographer, Sally Painter, and Brandon Spencer-Hartle. Sally has  photographed many iconic Modern resources like Pietro Belluschi-designed Sutor Home and Burkes-Belluschi. She has recently been documenting historic resources for the City of Portland to ensure that technical documents, public materials, and the Historic Resources Inventory visually convey the importance of the city’s most historically and culturally significant places. Brandon Spencer-Hartle, Senior City Planner with Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, will talk about how documenting historic places can serve as a strategy for ensuring their ongoing use and preservation.

This tour is exclusive to the first 100 guests. Claim yours now!

Tour & Lecture Details:

October 14, 2023, 6:30 pm
Ticket: $25

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