Author Archive

November 19, 2013

The Understated and Awe Inspiring Churches of Pietro Belluschi

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet I kept hearing of Pietro Belluschi as a name of an architect I need to know about ever since I moved to Portland. To give you an idea of how prominent and successful this Portland architect became over his fifty years in practice, here is a list of impressive commissions he got: the Equitable Building in Portland, the Portland Art Museum, the Bank of America World Headquarters in San Francisco, and the Julliard School and the Lincoln Center in New York. I came upon one of his buildings for the first time on a Biking About Architecture tour by…

November 17, 2013

Bike Moves: Small Scale Sustainability and Community at its Best

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet I attended my first bike move today. You might be wondering what a bike move is. I had never heard about it either until my avid bike mover friend Marina (today was her 29th) was telling me about it a few months ago. So, people get together to help people move, which is wonderful but maybe isn’t so unusual. The amazing part is that they help people move by bike, meaning they take everything, and I mean everything – including beds, couches, refrigerators, you name it – on bikes and bike trailers. I was amazed when I heard about…

November 05, 2013

Livability 101: Going to the Clinic Without a Car

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Livability means being able to take your kids to school, go to work, see a doctor, drop by the grocery or post office, go out to dinner and a movie, and play with your kids in a park, all without having to get in your car. – Former Secretary of State Ray LaHood You can claim your city is livable all day long, but the real livability test is on the ground, on a daily basis, when you need to get groceries, or a hammer and nails, or go to the movies, or go to a friend’s house party…

October 07, 2013

Steel and Glass Skyscrapers Are Invading Vancouver

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Architecture school at Arizona State University from 1993 to 2001 (when I was an undergraduate and graduate student there) had a very clear leaning towards the modern aesthetic. Not only did I learn about structures, architectural history and cladding systems, I learned that modernism is good and everything else isn’t really that good. So the modern aesthetic, with clean minimalist lines using materials like glass, steel and concrete was driven into our heads as the thing to aspire to. Le Corbusier, Mies Van der Rohe, and Walter Gropius were lionized. Frank Lloyd Wright, even though he was so influential…

September 25, 2013

Why We Should Save Camelview Theater, One of the Last Remaining Historic Theaters in Phoenix

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet I was writing an article on endangered animals when I heard news that Camelview Theater in Scottsdale, Arizona is in danger of being torn down in favor of making room for a 2000+ seat megaplex theater, which would be part of an expansion of Fashion Square Mall. Just like endangered animals will be gone forever if we don’t save them, the same is true for historic buildings. According to Nick Blumberg of KJZZ, “Camelview may be on the chopping block. Dan Harkins leases the land from Camelview’s neighbors, Scottsdale Fashion Square. The mall wants to expand, and that might…

August 28, 2013

Why Portland’s Visionary Olmsted Park Plan of 1903 Yields Big Benefits Today

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet When you hear the name Olmsted, you typically think of Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed Central Park in New York City. But another set of Olmsteds played a big part in the open space planning of Portland in the turn of the century – Frederick’s sons, John and Charles Olmsted. Between 1885 and 1915, Portland’s population grew by 300%. Due to concerns over this astronomic growth, and also because of the City Beautiful Movement of the time, the Olmsted brothers were commissioned to come up with a long range open space plan in the early 1900s. The City Beautiful…

August 26, 2013

Interview with Portland’s Museum Lady, Carye Bye

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Artist Carye Bye, or the Museum Lady as she’s known to many, has an indomitable curiosity. So she began Hidden Portland for the Curious, a platform to share all the hidden curiosities of Portland, which are all over the place Carye will tell you. As part of Hidden Portland for the Curious, Carye leads a variety of walking and bicycle tours around the city. Check out Hidden Portland’s For the Curious’s Facebook Page. This Friday, August 30, she’s leading a “City Treasures” tour with Know Your City. It will begin at 10am at Director Park and will end at 12:30pm….

August 21, 2013

12 Reasons I’m Still in Love with Portland After 6 Months of Living Here

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet I moved to Portland from Phoenix about 6 months ago because I fell in love with this city and I was in need to of a fresh start. Portland hasn’t let me down. I’m still in love with it and here are the reasons why: 1. I love that I can be outside almost all year round I just returned from a visit to Phoenix. Because it is August, you can’t really spend any time outside, since it’s too hot. You’re relegated to going from your air-conditioned home to your air-conditioned car to the air-conditioned store. The blazing sun…

July 16, 2013

Developer Wants to Abandon Alley in Downtown Phoenix Even though it Goes Against the Downtown Code

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet A developer by the name of DTR 25, LLC is applying to partially abandon an alley south of Fillmore Road between 1st and 2nd Avenues in Downtown Phoenix for the purposes of “future development”. The abandonment of this alley has future implications about walkability, how buildings will deal with their back-of-house needs, and the possibility of getting yet another surface parking lot in Downtown. Below are what John Glenn, the Vice Chair of the Central City Village Planning Committee, Arizona State University, and the Central City Village Planner think about what would happen if this alley was abandoned. John…

June 21, 2013

City of Phoenix Selects Design Team to Re-envision Margaret Hance Park

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Great parks add to the heart and soul of a city. Think of Central Park in New York, Forest Park in Portland, and Balboa Park in San Diego. There are few cities that need an infusion of heart and soul more than Phoenix. And so the recent selection of a design team for the revitalization of Margaret Hance Park bears with it a great hope that the park can become a big part of the heart and soul of Phoenix. The City of Phoenix just hired a design team that will take the park from being a green space…