Crystal Hotel Portland, Oregon

Text courtesy of the National Register of Historic Places, a program of the National Parks Service. Minor transcription errors or changes in formatting may have occurred; please see the Nomination Form PDF for official text. Some information may have become outdated since the property was nominated for the Register.

SUMMARY

The Hotel Alma is located at 1201-17 SW Stark Street in downtown, Portland. Specifically, it is located on the east 100 feet north of Stark Street on Block 107 of Couch’s Addition to the City of Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon. The hotel was built in 1911, designed by architect Hans Hanselman for Henry J. Ottenheimer.

SETTING AND SITE

The building is located on the south side of Burnside between the Pearl District and downtown Portland. Burnside is the primary east-west surface street that runs from the West Hills across downtown to the east side and beyond. At this point, the street has two traffic lanes in each direction. With heavy traffic loads, it forms a distinctive barrier between downtown on the south from the Pearl District on the north. The Hotel Alma faces east onto 12th Avenue, which is one-way north. It also faces south onto Stark Street, which is one-way east. Both 12th Avenue and Stark Street may be considered non-arterial downtown surface streets.

In the late 1910s and 1920s, the area was considered part of “Auto Row” and remnants of that heritage help characterize the streetscape today, particularly north of Burnside. Most often, these buildings are one- and two-story unreinforced masonry structures on quarter-block parcels. The area south of Burnside is also characterized by buildings of a similar vintage, scale, and materials to that of the Alma -low-rise (3-5 story) unreinforced masonry buildings with ground floor retail. Almost entirely, these buildings are associated with the construction boom that followed the Lewis and Clark Exposition in 1905. At the same time, the immediate area is the scene of considerable new construction with substantially larger heights, modern design and materials.

Directly to the south of the Hotel Alma, across Stark Street, is the 1911 Whitney-Gray Hotel (National Register listed; 409 SW 12th Avenue), and adjacent 1913 Clayton Hotel (411 SW 12th). Both are four-story hotels adapted to affordable housing. Adjacent to these at the west and occupying most of the remaining block is a new 22-story mixed use tower under construction. Further to the west is the1914 Crystal Ballroom (National Register-listed; 1332 W. Burnside). To the east of the Hotel Alma are the 1909 Kent Hotel (310 SW 12th Avenue) and the 1911 Blackstone Hotel (1103-1121 SW Stark Street), they are respectively a 3-story and 4-story hotel adapted for affordable housing.

Across Burnside to the north are the Brewery Blocks. This five-block, mixed-use development includes approximately 220,000 square feet of urban retail, 400,000 square feet of office space, and 1,200 underground parking spaces. As part of this development and across Burnside to the north is the one-time 1929 Smith Chevrolet building that now houses Whole Foods and Portland Energy Solutions. Also part of the Brewery Blocks, directly northeast, are the Weinhard Brew House and a 10-story office building with ground floor retail.

The block that contains the Hotel Alma is at the pinnacle of a pie-shaped wedge in the street grid created by Burnside and Stark Streets as these streets run west from the river and converge at 13'^ Avenue. That wedge reflects the transition of the downtown street grid, which runs slightly northeast-southwest, to the street grid of Couch’s Addition, which runs a truer north-south; both grids run parallel to the Willamette River which bends northwest at Burnside Bridge.

Located a the peak of the Stark/Burnside wedge, Block 170 is triangular in shape, framed by Stark Street on the south and Burnside on the north intersecting at an angle, and by 12th Avenue crossing both Stark Street and Burnside at the east to form the base. Even accommodating the triangular shape, the block is tiny compared to the 40,000 square foot Portland standard of 200 feet by 200 feet. Rather, Block 170 is only 4,475 square-feet, running 148.28 feet east and west, and at the base, 60.86 feet north and south at the base. The small block is dominated by the Hotel Alma; the only other building on the block is the adjacent two-story 1917 Flat Iron Building (National Register-listed; 1223-25 SW Stark Street), a former tire store which sits on a 466 square foot parcel.

The hotel is located on a 4,009 square foot trapezoidal parcel. On the north, it runs 100 feet; on the east it runs approximately 61 feet; on the south it runs approximately 116 feet and on the west it runs approximately 20 feet. The parcel is flat and the Alma is built to the lot line with no character-defining landscape features.

EXTERIOR DESCRIPTION

The Hotel Alma is a four-story unreinforced masonry building with full basement with cast iron columns and steel girders to carry the brick walls above the first floor.

The building is a four-story, horizontally-articulated Streetcar-era Commercial-style building with a flat parapet roof. In form, the hotel exhibits a largely triangular footprint with three facades - 12th Avenue at the east. Stark Street on the south and Burnside on the north - all similar in design and materials both originally and for the most part today. The fourth facade is a utilitarian party wall which is exposed above the adjacent 2-story structure.

Facade materials on the three street fronts are consistent, with a buff-colored finish brick in a running bond with natural gray mortar. As originally built, the design at the ground level featured a traditional tripartite storefront with plate glass in wood-frame over a paneled-wood bulkhead surmounted by a multi-light transom. The storefront then was distinguished either with a recessed full-glass wood door or flush plate-glass at the center. Today, some remnants of these storefronts remain, but as often, the openings have been infilled with either painted concrete block or covered with wood and covered with stucco. Above the ground floor is a classically detailed painted sheet metal belt course. This design in painted sheet metal is repeated at the cornice. Upper floor windows are consistent, one-over-one, double-hung, wood-sash in wood-frame with painted brick sills. On the three street-facing building faces, the outside bays at the second and third floors feature paneled tripartite painted bay windows with one window per face. The fourth floor then features a brick panel between each window. At the fourth floor window head is a brick string course; between the stringcourse and the cornice are painted cast-stone medallions located above each brick panel. Above the cornice is a low-rise parapet.

As designed, the hotel entry was located at the second-most northern bay of the 12th Avenue facade, distinguished by a sheet metal marquee. That entry remains today. Other entrances today include a storefront entry in the center bay of the Stark Street facade, a corner entry at Stark and 12th framed by dog-tooth brick pilasters, and a storefront entry in the second westernmost bay of the Burnside facade.

Despite years of neglect and abuse, the building’s exterior retains a good degree of integrity. In form, scale, and massing, the building is intact with no additions. The storefront bay structure has largely been retained hidden behind concrete block, plywood and stucco. Generally windows on the upper floor also are intact though many have been covered with plywood and some have broken glazing.

INTERIOR DESCRIPTION

The Hotel Alma is four stories with a full basement. The building is organized around a stairwell and elevator core located at the center east which ran the full height up but not to the basement. Access to the basement is provided by three stairs: one adjacent the stairwell/elevator core, one at the southeast corner, and one at the west. As built, the basement featured utilitarian rentable space at the south, a hotel office at the east, and storage at the north. The basement extended under the sidewalk along Stark. Finishes were utilitarian with exposed brick walls, concrete floor, and simple wood partitions. Its most recent use was a bar/club for a single tenant. The basement today is essentially an open un-partitioned space. The utilitarian finishes are extant but generally have been painted. As designed, the first floor was dominated by retail spaces. When built, each bay along the south and north facades was intended to be a separate lease space that ran through from Burnside to Stark Street. Shortly after construction, the retail spaces were consolidated into two and then one single tenant. This single ground-floor tenant use has remained constant over the years, though the space has been substantially modified. Today, the space essentially has an open floor plan without partitions, except for a small kitchen and toilet.

The hotel entry was and is off 12*^ Avenue at the east. As designed, the hotel doors led to a hallway/vestibule. At the entry, just to the south of the hall was a small hotel office with a stairwell to the basement. Continuing forward west, guests would then come to an elevator/stair core that would lead to the upper floors. Finishes were traditional with wood floors, plaster walls and plaster ceilings. The spaces were largely utilitarian with limited details as chair rails. Today, a painted gypsum wall has been constructed along the south of the entry and the basement stair removed. The elevator/stair core remains intact as do the finishes.

Floors 2 through 4 were built to be essentially identical, with approximately 19 rooms arranged at the perimeter of the building. Access to the upper floors was either via the elevator or the full height stair which was enclosed at each floor landing by a fire door. Both means of access opened directly to an east-west, single-loaded corridor providing access to rooms along the north. There was no traditional elevator core. At the far east, the corridor turned south to provide access to rooms on the east and at the southeast corner. At the west, the corridor turned approximately 315 degrees to the southeast to provide access to rooms along the south center. At the center were service rooms and shared baths. Corridor finishes and trim were traditional, with wood floors, painted plaster walls and ceiling. Trim included painted wood baseboard and chair rail. Room doors were wood paneled with transoms and classical surround. This configuration remains today as do, generally, the corridor finishes.

As built, guest rooms varied in size and shape to accommodate the irregular hallways but averaged about 12 feet deep and 12 feet across. Larger rooms were those located at the corners and featured bay windows with French doors. These larger rooms also offered a private bath; the remainder of the rooms only had access to common baths. Room finishes were traditional and consistent with wood floors with painted plaster walls and ceilings. Trim was painted wood and included baseboard and picture rail. Doors were wood paneled with transoms. Doors and windows featured a classical painted wood surround. As with the corridors, these floors, in general, are intact in form, detail and finish. Walls have been repainted, floors have modern carpeting, in select areas the baseboard or picture rail have been removed. Most of the ceilings have been dropped with acoustical tile units. Areas on the second floor at the west were adapted and consolidated into a communal spa/bath space, and select rooms were subdivided with wood framing and gypsum board to create short-term cubicles. Baths typically have been modernized over time with new fixtures.

ALTERATIONS AND ADDITIONS

As noted, the building carries a good and typical degree of integrity for a structure of its use and stature. The exterior of the building is largely intact but has been neglected over the years. Ground-floor storefronts have been covered and in some instances modified though working within the original bay structure. In general terms, the storefront with bulkhead, transom, and glazing have been covered with stucco, while the upper floor windows with frame, sash, and glazing have been covered with plywood.

The interior is largely intact in form, materials and finishes. Most changes have been additive, with materials covering features rather than the features being replaced. The primary change to the building was the consolidation of ground-floor retail spaces into a single restaurant user in the 1940s. On the upper floors, the two rooms at the second floor west have been consolidated into a bath/spa. Walls have been repainted. Floors have been carpeted and re-carpeted. And generally room ceilings have been covered with acoustical dropped tile ceilings tiles.