Demolition of historic NW Portland home resumes

By Carla CastanoUpdated: Sunday, May 4, 2014, 10:35 pmPublished: Sunday, May 4, 2014, 5:06 pm

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN 6) Neighbors who were able to halt the demolition of a 112-year-old home in NW Portland may soon see the house on the corner of 24th Avenue and Quimby Street bulldozed.

Residents in NW Portland said they dont want to see a historic home in their neighborhood replaced with seven row houses, going so far as to make a deal with the developer and find a buyer.

However, neighbors said despite their efforts, demolition on the old Goldsmith house resumed on Saturday.

Two weeks ago, the Northwest District Association (NWDA) pointed out to the city that they were not properly notified when the permit was issued.

City officials admitted there was an error in the notification process, and the Bureau of Development Services ordered a stop-work order on the demolition. NWDA said that order was rescinded this weekend and demolition has begun again.

We think the whole process is disingenuous to the neighborhood. Both from the city and the developer were being yanked back and forth. We thought we had an arrangement with the developer where we would have another option for this historic house and they seem to have taken that away from us, said NWDA Board President Phil Selinger.

The developer told KOIN 6s media partners at the Portland Tribune he may have sued the city if the demolition permit, which was issued on April 9 and blocked nine days later, was not eventually approved.

Commissioner Amanda Fritz provided the following written statement in regards to the continuation of the demolition:

On the advice of the city attorney, I decided that allowing this demolition to continue is the most prudent course of action. I appreciate NWDA members bringing to my attention the issues with the past administration of Title 24 with regard to demolitions. Your actions have changed the interpretation of the Code from April 30 onward, and this may lead to other homes being saved.

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Demolition of historic NW Portland home resumes