The Design Commission has approved an addition to east end of the Lloyd Center, which will include a 14 screen theater operated by Regal Cinemas. The project is being designed by LDA Design Group of Burbank, California, with landscape architects 505 Design. The project will include the renovation and remodel of the lower two floors of the east anchor building most recently occupied by Sears, for multi-tenant retail / office. The new theater will be located at the third level.
The existing anchor building was built for JCPenney in 1960, and then later expanded by Sears. The sale of the Sears building to Cypress Equities, the owners of the larger Lloyd Center, was first reported by the Oregonian in November 2016.
The theater addition is one of a number of ongoing remodel projects at the Lloyd Center, including the new entry and plaza and the west anchor remodel at the former Nordstrom location. The new theaters will replace the existing cinema and associated parking, which are being displaced by the 1510 NE Multnomah and 1400 NE Multnomah developments respectively.
The new theater will have direct access from NE Multnomah St via a new stair and elevator structures, leading the fourth level of the existing parking garage. A covered walkway will connect the theater to the office level of the mall. At the corner of NE 15th and Multnomah a standalone retail space of approximately 10,000 sq ft is proposed.
The existing private drive on alignment with NE 15th Avenue will remain, with some of the existing parking remaining to serve the Lloyd Center and the 1510 NE Multnomah development to the north. An original entrance to the mall, adjacent to Marshalls at the second level, will be reopened.
The primary material for the cinema box will be a Dri-Design metal panel, in a champagne color. 15% of the panels will be canted to create a pattern designed to represent a metaphorical expression of falling rain. Other materials proposed include aluminum storefront, cement plaster and cast in place concrete.
The Lloyd Center East Theater was approved by the Design Commission at its sixth visit in front of the Commission, which included design advice request hearings in April 2017 and June 2017; and design review hearings in January, February, March and April 2018. The project was approved by 4-1 vote, with Commissioners Livingston, Molinar, Vallaster and Rodriguez voting in favor of the project, and Commissioner Savinar voting against approval. In the conclusion to the Final Findings And Decision By The Design Commission the revisions made since its earlier iterations were noted:
The design has evolved greatly since the DARs (with significant improvements to the public and private outdoor spaces and the active ground floor uses and storefronts), and, as a consequence of participating in a work session, cladding changes have resulted in a dynamically expressed iconic form complementary to the very distinct buildings and development emerging in the Lloyd District. Specifically, the design excels in the following aspects:
• Theater lobby entry is well-integrated with abutting retail storefront/long-term bicycle parking.
• Pedestrian Protection. Continuous canopy protection along the NE Multnomah St frontage.
• Elegant Box. Design coherency has been achieved through the resolution of an elegant box – a simple massing form, fractal tile density of at least 15%, elegantly detailed and creatively expressed cladding design.
Buildings permits for the addition are currently under review.
Drawings
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- Plan – Site
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- Plan – Multnomah Level
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- Plan – Halsey Level
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- Plan – Office / Theater Level
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- Plan – Roof
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- Elevation – East
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- Elevation – South
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- Elevation – South
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- Elevation – West
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- Elevation – North
This is really ugly but then again so is the whole mall.
Dave, I personally think that this is a Big improvement to what the Original Designs were? Did you see them? What would you have liked to see? I think that Yes, the Mall is a bit dated and needs more of an upgrade, But I do believe that they are trying to bring it back? With online shopping now and Amazon and Walmart and Every other Company offering Free Shipping with 1 or 2 clicks from your computer or your phone, while you ride the bus, drive, walk down the street, at work or at home. I think that Malls are having a Hard time Competing? For me, I would love to see them Modernize the North Side of the Building, while re-doing their parking lots and Garages. It would be great if they added their own Housing! Like a Tower or Two and Called them the Lloyd Mall Towers 21-35 Stories with Fantastic Views and shopping and Various Restaurants and Quick Healthy Take out. Yoga Studios, A World Class Gym, A Day-Care Center that is LB&i ( Licensed Bonded and Insured) A Bet Grooming Center and also Overnight or Weekly Drop off Center while your away or on Vacation/Holiday. Just think of all the Possibilities DAVE??? What are some of your Positive Idea’s I know that u have some 🙂 Joshua-Robert
I’m in agreement with Dave here. Out of every design they could find, they go with an abstract facade that looks like it was made by a Sketchup beginner. Sure, we can say, “Well it’s better than a parking lot??” but anything is better than a parking lot! Give me a swamp and it’d be better. Today’s architects, and contemporary critics of historical architecture, are always saying, “Let’s modernize it! Activate the street!” Again, how many buildings, specifically malls, have been activated and with little to no resolve in foot traffic? We continue to refuse the historical cities with malls that have worked. London has a good one, Harrod’s, that has been around for almost 200 years and has combined the ‘wow factor’ and kept itself intact through many wars and economic struggles.
One must first understand why modern malls were created to understand why they are failing. The suburban communities, manufactured in haste, need civic centers, so developers saw an avenue of fortune that granted a space where playgrounds, restaurants, theaters, and a labyrinth of American-made merchant goods could be sold. Since then, those goods are now foreign and the corporations lack customer care and sometimes not even American, local restaurants were bought out or outright became chains, and the entire mall itself is an island within a parking lot. It is failing due to the stated issues but also a culmination of demographic changes, crime, and a lack of integration into the local community –which the architecture & planning addresses, in the last issue.
Sadly, I believe this case isn’t so much an architecture issue but a societal issue that a ‘Wow Factor’ such as the facade of this particular building cannot address. It’s not just Amazon as Josh as stated, but a demographic change – a consumer/product identity change. The younger generations want authentic, local products, civic centers that hold historical & cultural context (not manufactured around consumerism/materialism), and most importantly reflect all these things in its facades and interiors that hold true to the genuine quality of goods and services through sustainable and natural materials. I believe the new open air intersection that is being planned is a great idea only if its executed properly with retail, I’ll give them that. But until malls, and suburban areas in general, address the new generations of a renewed historical taste, this establishment – like many others – will continue spiraling into irrelevance.
Since this is going forward, does anyone know what the status of the redevelopment of the old Regal Cinema is? There’s no construction going on, and I’ve not seen any updates.
they have completely closed off the parking lot.They seem to be planning on starting these. Not sure why?
Compared to most of what is getting approved these days, I think this is a win for Portland. Could it be a lot better? Sure. But it has improved a lot from what we saw initially, and it will definitely improve the site.
Conor, I am excited with the current design of the Theater and how this looks, I see they also have a 10,000 square foot retail space available also! That would be a Great location for STANFORDS if they could move down to this space, It would allow them to have a Fresh start, and change their menu quite a bit to more healthier options. As well as what they currently have. They are a great Restaurant 🙂 I wander if many people know that Portland City Grill is part of their Family 🙂 Plus with all the New apartments and then down the road, the conversion of these going to condos 🙂 any restaurant with Alcohol will do very well $$$$ in this space!!! 🙂
Looks great. I hope the city can address the constant stabbings and shootings in Holladay Park…..
Overview design drawings appear to have the Sullivan’s Gulch Trail on them… hoping that is a sign.
WHEN IS THE NEW CONSTRUCTION FOR THE NEW THEATER WHERE THE OLD SEARS SITE USE TO BE GOING TO START AND WHEN WILL IT BE FINISHED???
Its all a nice idea, except for the part where you wouldn’t dare walk past the park to get back to the MAX platform, after your fun night out.
There is a fundamental problem with the Lloyd Center built into its very bones: it is auto-centric. It was designed to be driven to. It is involuted, with the stores inside and their front doors opening toward the middle, surrounded on almost every side by parking structure. Its massing obliterated the traditional, human-scale, sun-friendly 200′ x 200′ Portland blocks of the once neighborhood, creating a massive barrier for north-south traffic. It is not indifferent to walkers and bicyclists; it is hostile. It can be challenging figuring out how to enter as a pedestrian, and confusing exiting as one. It says on every side, “Cars are honored here.”
A true story from about twenty years ago is indicative of the Center’s problems. Prior to remolding the place, another big, out-of-state developer conducted a neighborhood survey. I lived not far away and took the survey, which was highly publicized, as, I suppose, the developers wanted to be seen as responsive to local sentiments. The mall was still unenclosed at the time and the big question was whether neighbors wanted to see it covered. We locals did not respond as expected. A significant majority of us said that it should remain open to the elements. This result was not well-publicized, and the developers did exactly what they had planned to do all along: they put a roof over everything, further distancing it from the vagaries of a specific place, more thoroughly transforming it into an anywhere-in-the USA shopping experience.
There is a solution for the Lloyd Center, but it’s an unpalatable one for its owners. Tear it down. Turn it into rubble. Restore the north-south streets that were public rights of way. Then rebuild with care, respecting the street life, truly integrating the new development into the fabric of the surrounding neighborhood. That will work.
Tacky. No part of this “elegant box” is actually elegant.