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Sometimes, a dilapidated bathroom is more than just cracked tiles and peeling paint — it’s a treasure trove of meticulously crafted moldings, secret wallpaper, and forgotten history. And sometimes, collages can play a pivotal role in bringing them back to life — as they did in one such space during a pivotal project in Portland. It takes a creative mind to reimagine what once was and the dedication to restore it. Join us as DLR Group Designer Erica Ceder shares her favorite restoration stories, where even the most neglected spaces are full of potential.
Photo of the gallery in 2016 with framed collage center left
Sometimes the discovery happens with things that are hiding in plain sight that reveal unseen depth and layers over time. One of my favorite discoveries involved the renovation of Michael Graves’ Portland Building. When we started the renovation project there was a gallery space on the second floor that contained interpretive displays and pieces related to the building design and grand opening in the 1980s. The gallery was dark, crowded and in great need of a refresh, but there was on display a framed collage signed by Michael Graves. There was a blurb to the side explaining that a limited number of these collages were custom created by Graves’ office to commemorate the building opening in 1983. My first thought was that it seemed in keeping with what I knew of Michael Graves. Being as much of a talented artist as an architect, it seemed fitting that Graves would produce a bespoke art piece to celebrate his first major public building.
It was the process of digging deeper into the building’s history and engaging with Patrick Burke, current principal of Michael Graves Architecture and Design, that started to fill out that story. While I already knew that the Portland Building was a pivotal project for Graves and his career, I didn’t realize that his firm was very much in its fledgling stages at the time. It was while we were looking through some photos from the City of Portland archives that Patrick pointed to one black and white photograph and said, “That’s when we all came to the building grand opening. I’m the one in the hat.”
Patrick proceeded to tell the story of how the Portland Building was such a huge commission for the office and so many people had put in long hours to see it through, but they could not afford to fly out to Portland, Oregon. Michael then had the idea to create these collages and sell them in order to raise money for the trip. The staff then had several of what Patrick called “collage charettes” where they stayed in the office after work and sometimes late into the night making collages. It was a couple of weeks later that the best find arrived. I got in my email a series of scanned photographs of the collages in action. The space looks small and hot with an assembly line of in-process collages complete with coffee and cans of soda keeping everyone fueled. And of course, Michael Graves is there providing his signature to each one.
These photos opened a window into a renowned architect’s office before they were a household name. It is inspiring to me to see these people who look a little sweaty and tired, but who also look happy. I see the camaraderie of a group of people who believe that they have contributed to the creation of something truly great that they want to see realized.
Michael Graves was able to use his art gallery connections to sell enough of these collages to fly his young staff out to Portland in order to celebrate the building that would change everything for that firm and put them on a path to architectural stardom.
One of the Portland Building collages by Michael Graves
