You won’t notice anything noteworthy if you pass the lot immediately north of Portland’s Lan Su Chinese Garden. For the delicate plants the garden is attempting to keep alive through the winter, there are a few surface parking spots, chain-link fences, a storage shed, and a makeshift, tented greenhouse.
However, Block 24, as it is formally known, may soon be hard to ignore.
The well-known, 25-year-old Chinese garden in Old Town intends to transform the property into a large Chinese cultural complex that will include a cafe, a performance space, an art gallery, a permanent greenhouse for tourists, and more.
Currently a mostly vacant property, Block 24 may soon include a permanent greenhouse, a performance venue, an art gallery, and other amenities.Todd Tatum
According to Elizabeth Nye, executive director of the Lan Su Chinese Garden, architects have already been chosen to create a conceptual plan for the massive project. Gene Sandoval of ZGF, who oversaw the highly regarded, just finished renovation of Portland International Airport, is a member of the team.
Nye stated that although the garden is not yet prepared to submit an application for a development permit, the nonprofit group is adamant about seeing the expansion through to completion. Both a capital campaign to collect money for the project and an economic effect analysis are now being prepared.
The development is expected to cost approximately $34 million. According to Nye, they intend to finish the extension by 2030.
However, it’s still extremely early. Currently, Prosper Portland, formerly the Portland Development Commission, is the owner of Block 24.
In an email, Prosper Portland representative Shawn Uhlman stated that the company has not yet decided whether to sell the lot (to Lan Su Chinese Garden). In addition to Lan Su’s dedication and capacity to purchase and renovate the land, the agency needs to see further clarity regarding the project’s specifics.
According to Portland city authorities, they will collaborate with Prosper Portland, Lan Su Chinese Garden, and other process participants and support the expansion plan.
Nye noted that although the project is fresh and yet in its infancy, the concept behind it has been developing since before the garden’s spectacular 2000 opening.
According to Nye, one of the initial plans for Lan Su stated in its title that it would serve as both a cultural center and a classical Chinese garden. There were numerous suggestions for cultural programming and its format.
However, a lot of those concepts proved to be challenging to implement in the comparatively tiny walled garden enclosed by Flanders and Everett streets, as well as Northwest 2nd and 3rd avenues. After all, koi-filled water occupies over half of the garden, which is meant to provide a tranquil haven in the middle of the metropolis.
The leaders of Portland’s orchid garden of awakenings then turned to face Flanders Street.
Our goal is to inspire, engage, and educate people about Chinese culture, but we are unable to accomplish so in the current environment. According to Nye, the garden currently collaborates on cultural programming with over 200 people and groups. Although we lack the room, we have amazing resources to offer the community.
This will be altered by an addition across the street, which will enable the garden to hold more regular, varied, and larger events and performances than it already does.
A performance facility that might be used as a venue for wedding banquets is part of the proposed extension.Thanks to the Chinese Garden of Lan Su
The goal of the proposed extension is to honor and advance Chinese culture. Portland’s sister-city relationship with Suzhou, a 2,500-year-old Chinese city, gave rise to the garden. But generating income is also an unquestionably important objective.
Nye noted that the meticulously designed classical garden requires a $3.2 million operational budget to keep it immaculate despite Portland’s occasionally severe weather. Nye stated that based on the organization’s first estimates, the proceeds from the finished Block 24 expansion would pay for the current garden’s expenses as well as its own, plus an annual profit.
Large private events would be able to be accommodated by the expansion as planned. For instance, Lan Su Chinese Garden would be able to host weddings where the ceremony would be done in the garden and the reception would be hosted in the addition across the street.
International artists would be displayed in the expansion’s planned gallery area, and some of the pieces would even be put up for sale. Additionally, the garden could be able to increase its school tours and host workshops thanks to the planned multifunctional facilities, which would generate more income.
Nye contended that the expansion’s worth will beyond the anticipated enhancements to the garden’s programming and financial performance. With sporadic upswings, like when Bill and Sam Naito started a renovation drive in the 1970s and subsequently when Lan Su Chinese Garden built, Old Town—once known as the city’s Skid Row—has suffered for decades.
Backsliding has always been difficult to avoid, even with the triumphs. In recent years, the neighborhood’s situation has gotten worse due to the pandemic and the homelessness problem.
According to Nye, the Chinese garden’s bigger size and higher aspirations will help Old Town by drawing more residents and clients to its different establishments.
According to her, we truly regard this development as a chance to significantly boost Old Town’s economy. According to our best estimations, it would at least treble the number of guests we can accommodate.
Crime, public safety, and local news are all topics covered by breaking news reporter Tatum Todd. You can contact them at 503-221-4313 or [email protected].
Stories by
Tatum Todd
-
Man dies after being dragged by MAX train at Delta Park station
-
Man held at Multnomah County Jail dies shortly after court orders his release
-
After 2-hour standoff, Salem man arrested after brandishing a gun in the street, police say
-
Sen. Wyden addresses packed town hall in Hillsboro as political uncertainty brews in D.C.
-
Portland man arrested, accused of stabbing veterinarian to death in New Jersey
