TMT Development seeks demolition permit for historical Cornelius Hotel in downtown Portland

Downtown Portland's Cornelius Hotel, on the National Register of Historic Places, may be headed for a wrecking ball.

TMT Development, which owns the building at 809 S.W. Alder, said it has applied for a permit to demolish the former hotel after trying for years to come up with a viable rehabilitation plan.

But because the building is a historic landmark, a demolition permit's first stop for approval is before the Portland City Council, a body which gets an up-or-down vote on whether the demolition can proceed and could also help find money to save it.

The building has been listed in the National Register since 1986. The building's first owner, Dr. Charles D. Cornelius, was described in its National Register application as an "Oregon pioneer and renaissance man," whose "varied interests included gold mining and acting."

The building was designed by local architectural firm Bennes, Hendricks and Tobey in the French Renaissance style with an elaborate mansard roof. It opened May 18, 1908, when guests rented rooms for $1.50 a night.

But the hotel's only guests in the last 40 years were of the uninvited variety. It's been damaged by fire, seeping water and the ravages of time. Now it's boarded up to keep out trespassers and marked with signs to warn firefighters the building isn't sound.

TMT says it faces the prospect of city fines or at least $1.5 million in upgrades just to bring the building up to code.

According to city records, Moyer considered demolishing the building in 2009, but opted instead to "warehouse" it -- a procedure in city code that allows the building to be left vacant and secured for a limited time while development opportunities are explored.

That period ended in May, records say, and TMT didn't apply for a second one-year extension. That means it must bring it up to code, demolish it or face fines.

"We've been working with (the city) for the last several years so we can maintain the building until we can get a tenant that's a good user," Sturgeon said, but "a lot of smart developers haven't been able to find a way to make this project pencil."

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TMT Development seeks demolition permit for historical Cornelius Hotel in downtown Portland