PORTLAND, Ore. -- A piece of Portland history could soon be removed from the downtown area.
You may have walked or driven by the historic structure without a second thought.
“I've seen it but haven't thought much about it,” said John Whiteman as he looked at the gazebo standing on the corner of Southwest 6th Avenue and Main Street.
The gazebo, which has stairs down to The Melting Pot fondue restaurant, isn't just eye candy with its intricate artwork and earthy tones.
“It's standing there so tall and proud. I think it's really pretty especially among all the glass buildings around here,” said Lindsay, an 18-year-old who lives in Portland.
The archways on the gazebo are actually from the Congress Hotel that used to stand in the same location. It was built in 1912 and has since been demolished. The gazebo is currently on a master list of historically significant structures in Portland.
But now city staff working in the historic resources department say the property owner is trying to take the gazebo off the Historic Resource Inventory list. They say the move is usually the first step to removal.
“I think it should stay. I like it. It's one of those things that's a little bit different along the walkway. So I wish it would stay, at least don't destroy it,” said Whiteman.
“Portland has a very special personality, and to keep those buildings historic, I think it really contributes to that greatly,” said Lindsay.
A sign is posted on the gazebo telling people they have 120 days to contact the property owner if they want to help find an alternative to its demolition or removal.
120 days will be up on Dec. 30.
At this point it's still unclear what the end goal is for the gazebo and the area it now occupies.
KGW reached out to the property owner, UNICO Properties, as well as GBD Architects which is representing UNICO. As of the publishing of this article, we have not received a response.