West Sylvan School (Portland, Oregon)

Title: West Sylvan School (Portland, Oregon)
LC Subject: Architecture, American Architecture--United States
Alternative: West Sylvan Middle School (Portland, Oregon)
Creator: Freeman Hayslip & Tuft
Creator Display: Freeman, Hayslip & Tuft (architecture firm, 1949-1954)
Description: This image is included in Building Oregon: Architecture of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, a digital collection which provides documentation about the architectural heritage of the Pacific Northwest. Oregon Historic Site Form. Prepared by Iris Eschen.
Provenance: University of Oregon Libraries
Temporal: 1950-1959
Style Period: Northwest Regional
Work Type: architecture (object genre) built works views (visual works) exterior views public schools (buildings)
Location: Portland >> Multnomah County >> Oregon >> United States Multnomah County >> Oregon >> United States Oregon >> United States United States
Street Address: 8111 Southwest West Slope Drive
Date: 1954
Identifier: OR_Multnomah_Portland_WestSylvan
Rights: In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
Type: Image
Format: application/pdf
Material: Brick
Set: Building Oregon
Primary Set: Building Oregon
Institution: University of Oregon
Citation: PPS Historic Building Assessment 2009
Note: Oregon Historic Site Form West Sylvan School 8111 West Slope Dr Portland, Multnomah County block nbr: lot nbr: tax lot nbr: township: range: section: 1/ 4: LOCATION AND PROPERTY NAME elig. evaluation: not eligible/ non- contributing primary orig use: School secondary orig use: primary style: Northwest Regional secondary style: primary siding: Standard Brick secondary siding: plan type: School ( General) Portland historic name: West Sylvan School primary constr date: 1954 secondary date: height (# stories): 2 total # ineligible resources: 1 ( optional-- use for major addns) current/ other names: West Sylvan Middle School ( c.) ( c.) orig use comments: prim style comments: sec style comments: location descr: assoc addresses: vcnty address: ( remote sites) siding comments: PROPERTY CHARACTERISTICS farmstead/ cluster name: zip: total # eligible resources: 0 apprx. addrs resource type: Building NR status: RLS survey date: 6/ 23/ 2009 external site #: 196 ( ID# used in city/ agency database) survey project name or other grouping name comments/ notes: ILS survey date: 6/ 23/ 2009 Gen File date: SHPO INFO FOR THIS PROPERTY NR date listed: GROUPINGS / ASSOCIATIONS Optional Information 8111 SW West Slope Dr Multnomah County ( former addresses, intersections, etc.) architect: Freeman, Hayslip and Tuft builder: NR date listed: ( indiv listed only; see Grouping for hist dist) 106 Project( s) PPS Historic Building Assessment 2009 Survey & Inventory Project Main entrance, looking northwest. Printed on: 10/ 14/ 2009 Page 1 of 3 Oregon Historic Site Form West Sylvan School 8111 West Slope Dr Portland, Multnomah County ARCHITECTURAL / PROPERTY DESCRIPTION ( Include expanded description of the building/ property, setting, significant landscape features, outbuildings, and alterations) HISTORY ( Chronological, descriptive history of the property from its construction through at least the historic period [ preferably to the present]) Description Summary Situated near the residential neighborhood of West Slope in East Beaverton, the West Sylvan School is located at 8111 West Slope Drive. Built in 1954, the school building ( 196) is situated on a mostly grass- covered 14- acre campus. The modern period building exhibits some characteristics of the Northwest Regional style. A flat roof covers the irregularly shaped building. The modified finger plan building is a single story and rests on a poured concrete foundation. A two story attached wing is located to the west of the main building. Cladding for the wood framing building consists of a mixture of brick veneer, concrete, and corrugated metal siding. The school facilities include classrooms, two gymnasiums ( including an auditorium and cafeteria), media center/ library, industrial shop, home economics, choir and band rooms, two courtyards, and an administrative office. Architectural Description The West Sylvan School is situated on a suburban- style campus typical of post- World War II schools. Grass covered playfields are located to south and west of the school. An asphalt- covered driveway lies adjacent to the southeast of the school building and several parking areas are located to the southeast and east. A courtyard, with mixed deciduous growth, serves as the primary organizing element for the building. A smaller courtyard is located between the west wing and the main section of the school. The finger plan school is approached from the south and sits on a poured concrete foundation. The interconnecting flat roofs of the main wing are covered by composition roofing material. The double height spaces of the two gymnasiums and the north wing also feature flat roofs. Brick veneer is the primary siding, with concrete cladding on the gymnasiums and corrugated metal on the north end of the building. Fenestration consists of a mixture of fixed, single pane, metal and wood frame, symmetrically placed, hinged windows. Glass block comprises the upper half of many of the hinged windows in the main section of the building. Double- leaf metal doors are located at all the building’s entrances. The Vernacular style building exhibits some characteristics of the Northwest Regional style, most notably, the central courtyards and variety of cladding. The interior layout of the main section of the school consists of double loaded corridors in a double hollow square configuration. The main section of the school is organized into three wings: the southwest wing houses the gymnasiums ( and auditorium and cafeteria), the two- story west wing consists of classrooms, and the north wing includes the shop, choir, band, and home economic rooms. Two east- west hallways connect the west wing to the main portion of the school. The double- loaded corridors retain their original configuration, height, and features consisting of plaster veneer walls, tubular fluorescent lights suspended from acoustic tile ceilings, linoleum floors, external metal lockers, metal framing, molding, and recessed metal classroom doors. The hallways in the west wing are narrow with low acoustic tile ceilings and enclosed florescent lights. There are skylights in the ceilings of the shop/ home economic and band and choir wing. Stairwells between the 1st and 2nd floor in the west wing are open and intact, constructed with concrete stairs and walls with metal railings. The classrooms are primarily rectangular. Standard features include wooden book cases, cabinets and closets, sinks, plastic laminate counters, and tubular fluorescent light fixtures suspended from acoustic tile clad ceilings. The classrooms retain their original configurations, height, linoleum tile floors, plaster veneer walls, and metal framing and molding. The classrooms in the west wing have low acoustic tile ceilings with enclosed fluorescent lights. These rooms have a smaller number of cabinets, closets, and shelves than the main portion of the building. The built- in furnishings are constructed of metal or composition board. The shop/ home economic, choir and band rooms have high bay acoustic tile clad ceilings. There are no windows in these rooms. The media center/ library is a spacious carpeted open room divided into several work and study area tables and chairs. Both gymnasiums have high bay composition- based ceilings with fluorescent lights. There are no windows. Seating consists of folding wooden bleachers. The original wood flooring is intact. In the lower gymnasium/ auditorium/ cafeteria, the acoustic tile ceiling is supported by horizontal cross beams. The walls are plaster veneer and there is an auditorium- type stage. Features in the upper gymnasium include wood panel walls, original flooring, and horizontal ceiling beams. Alterations/ Integrity The West Sylvan School has a fair- to- poor degree of integrity. The school has undergone several incompatible additions to its original building plan, including the west wing and the shop/ home economic/ choir and band classroom wing. The hallways, classrooms, gymnasiums, media center, and stairwells retain their original configuration, height, building materials, and features. There have been minimal modifications to the exterior cladding, roof lines, and fenestration of the main section of the building. Printed on: 10/ 14/ 2009 Page 2 of 3 Oregon Historic Site Form West Sylvan School 8111 West Slope Dr Portland, Multnomah County RESEARCH INFORMATION Title Records Sanborn Maps Obituaries City Directories Census Records Biographical Sources Newspapers Building Permits Property Tax Records SHPO Files State Archives State Library Local Histories Interviews Historic Photographs Local Library: Multnomah County Library University Library: Portland State University Library Historical Society: Oregon Historical Society Other Repository: PPS Archives Bibliography: Bibliography Ogata, Amy F. “ Building for Learning in Postwar American Elementary Schools.” Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Vol. 67, no. 4, December 2008: 562- 591. Perkins, Lawrence B and Walter D. Cocking. Schools. New York: Reinhold Publishing Corporation, 1949. Portland Public Schools. Repairing, Rehabilitating and Modernizing the School Plant. Portland: Portland Public Schools. Office of the Superintendent, 1945. _______. West Sylvan Middle School. Facility Profile. _______. West Sylvan Middle School. Facility Profile. Ritz, Richard. E. Architects of Oregon. A Biographical Dictionary of Architects Deceased – 19th and 20th Centuries. Portland: Lair Hill Publishing, 2003. ( Check all of the basic sources consulted and cite specific important sources) Statement of Significance Built in 1954, West Sylvan School was constructed during a period of modernization and new construction initiated by Portland Public Schools ( PPS) after World War II. In 1945, the citizens of Portland approved a ballot measure that provided $ 5,000,000 over five years to construct, improve, and rehabilitate its public school buildings ( Portland Public Schools 1945: 2). The ballot measure enabled PPS to respond to the explosive growth in school- age children that had occurred in the city as a result of the arrival of defense plant workers and their families, as well as the deferred maintenance arising from the lack of funds during the depression ( Portland Public Schools 1945: 2- 3). Beginning with this initial bond measure, PPS embarked on an effort to improve its school facilities through renovations, additions, and new construction of over fifty schools between 1945 and 1970. For the new building program, PPS schools adopted the call of architects and school planners across the country for new types of schools. Nationally known architects including Richard Neutra, the Architects Collective led by Walter Gropius, and the Perkins Will architectural firm promoted new school types that reflected both evolving educational practices and design philosophies ( Ogata 2008: 567- 568; Perkins and Cocking 1949: 238- 246). Emphasizing the need for economy and rapid construction, the designers adopted new materials that were standardized and mass produced including steel, plywood, and aluminum. In many buildings, architects achieved flexibility through the building’s structure by employing non- load-bearing partitions walls and zoned ventilation and heating systems. Folding walls and moveable cabinets provided additional flexibility intended to enable teachers to rearrange rooms based on lesson plan and activities ( Ogata 2008: 568). The architects of West Sylvan School, the Portland firm of Freeman, Hayslip and Tuft, had significant experience in the design of schools and other public buildings in Oregon. A native of Kansas, Claude Freeman attended Oregon State College from 1908 to 1910. He subsequently worked with Frank Clark, an architect in Ashland, Oregon. In 1922, Freeman established a practice in Portland where he specialized in the design of schools. In 1942, Freeman established a partnership with Sydney B. Hayslip that was renamed several times, including Freeman, Hayslip and Tuft as other partners were brought into the practice. Sydney B. Hayslip practiced architecture for over forty years in Portland after attending the University of Oregon School of Architecture. He worked for several prominent Northwest architecture firms including that of the former district architect for PPS, Floyd A. Naramore, before entering into practice with Freeman. Stewart Tuft, a graduate of the School of Architecture at the University of Oregon worked for several architects and the Housing Authority of Portland before joining the firm in 1948. Freeman was recognized throughout Oregon as a specialist in school design ( Ritz 2002: 137,169,395). Although associated with a noteworthy architectural firm and several events related to the growth of the Portland school district, West Sylvan School does not retain a level of historical integrity commensurate with other Middle Schools constructed of similar styles during the same period and is therefore not eligible for the National Register of Historic Places ( NRHP). While the building features some characteristic elements of schools designed in the mid- twentieth century, several alterations have diminished the building’s integrity of materials, design, and feeling. These alterations include interior changes to the west wing and the shop/ home economic/ choir and band classroom wing. Due to this loss of integrity, West Sylvan School is not eligible under either NRHP Criteria A, B, or C. Printed on: 10/ 14/ 2009 Page 3 of 3 Southeast front entry elevation East elevation entry West elevation West elevation West Sylvan School Exterior Photos ENTRIX, 2009 West elevation gymnasium Gymnasium facing west Stairwell landing Corridor facing east Corridor facing west Classroom built- ins West Sylvan School Interior Photos ENTRIX, 2009 West Sylvan School 8111 SW West Slope Dr, Portland OR, 97225 Building Periods 1. Main Building ( 196A), 1953 2. Classroom Addition ( 196A), 1958 3. Classroom Addition ( 196A), 1960 4. Classroom Addition ( 196A), 1963 5. Class & Theater Add. ( 196A), 1974 6. Classroom Addition ( 196A), 1989 Aerial photo © 2009 Metro, Portland OR Imagery Date: July 12, 2007 Highway 26 West Sylvan School, looking northwest, 2009 View Site in Google Maps Historical Significance and Building Integrity Contrib: High Significance Contrib: Moderate Signif. Non- Contributing 0’ 50’ 100’ 200’ N sandy Blvd Lombard st powell Blvd 82nd ave MLK jr b lvd 1 2 3 4 5 6 6