Bay House Portland construction started

One thing that I don't think has been mentioned in this thread is that, somewhere along the way, the planned restaurant space was reconfigured into additional retail bays. I hope that was done in conjunction with discussions with the Reali family, because it essentially put an end to the hope of a reopened, smaller Village Cafe at the site.
 
That was known long long ago that they weren't going to open another Village Cafe in there. IT was floated around in the beginning but nobody in the family is up for that.
 
Thanks for the info. I had seen comments back when the restaurant closed that they were considering opening another, smaller location once the condos were built, but hadn't heard anything since (and I don't know the family). I miss the place, but I certainly can't begrudge them their desire to get out of the business.
 
T2TSEHJ.jpg


cal5FOL.jpg


PBYpq2o.jpg


XV7fDD1.jpg


Observations - I'm noticing that the Newbury Street side is kind of flat looking. Would have been nice to have some retail space here as well. I just noticed also that all the power lines here have been removed (moved underground I assume) which is nice.
 
Last edited:
I think they tried too hard to vary colors and materials to break up the building/make it seem like multiple buildings. Whereas the design for the building that was planned to go next to the Hampton Inn seemed to be more successful at this concept, the Bay house has failed. My only hope is that it sticks out less once the area fills in.

I do like that they moved those power lines underground.
 
Last edited:
Dr. StrangeHat said:
I think they tried too hard to vary colors and materials to break up the building/make it seem like multiple buildings. Whereas the design for the building that was planned to go next to the Hampton Inn seemed to be more successful at this concept, the Bay house has failed. My only hope is that it sticks out less once the area fills in.

I do like that they moved those power lines underground.
Click to expand...

Amen on the power lines! Too bad that they cheesed out on exterior materials.
 
Thought about checking out the open house to get some interior photos. Can anyone go into open houses? I make a pretty good salary but I can definitely not afford a $295,000 one bedroom condo here.

acq2fIE.jpg


IdrLGv7.jpg


veGIdzy.jpg


6wUA5Sn.jpg
 
Yes, if it's an "open house" anyone can go in... in fact, the realtors do a better job of garnering future clients at these things than they do of selling the apartments! They're used to people just looking around.
 
Ah, false promises of spring. Any word on when they're going to be having open-house showings (or did I miss it)?
 
amen the place looks like crap, not impressed in the slightest. They look like public university college dorms from the outside.
 
Walking down Middle St towards it, this structure has a sloppy patchwork of a dozen different colors on it... I am hoping there's still a bit of painting to be done because it looks like they finished that side of it with remnants left over from the rest of it.

Clearly the courtyard finishing was done on the cheap... I am glad it looks a bit better from the road, though I will never understand why there are so many different colors and building materials going on. I know it's intended to make it look like multiple buildings, but it has failed in every way. That vertically striped paneling is hideous and something I'd expect to see on a high school gym, not on upscale condo buildings.
 
Sommarnatt said:
Walking down Middle St towards it, this structure has a sloppy patchwork of a dozen different colors on it... I am hoping there's still a bit of painting to be done because it looks like they finished that side of it with remnants left over from the rest of it.

Clearly the courtyard finishing was done on the cheap... I am glad it looks a bit better from the road, though I will never understand why there are so many different colors and building materials going on. I know it's intended to make it look like multiple buildings, but it has failed in every way. That vertically striped paneling is hideous and something I'd expect to see on a high school gym, not on upscale condo buildings.
Click to expand...

This is the type of stuff that Portland needs to crack down on when they are presented with final designs and materials to be used. Does the developer get that much leeway to do what they want and the city then ends up with a hideous looking development? I can't imagine that the city is very happy with how this ended up.......and I would imagine that these units will be a tougher sell at the prices that they are asking as well. Hopefully, someday this place will be redone or at least repainted.......and maybe the courtyard will also get a bit more greenery as well.
 
v81tU8E.jpg


I don't mind this corner with the red brick and white trim:
iN16BY2.jpg
 
Don't hate and I don't love it so I guess I'm heading to Switzerland. I do prefer the structures over vacant lots from a visual and density standpoint.
 
Just purchased in Bay House, and just discovered this forum. Corey, thank you so much for documenting this construction. Really appreciate seeing it go up from a hole in the ground. A couple of responses to comments:

I think the exterior is a hack job and it's a shame that such a significant new structure in this neighborhood missed the opportunity to contribute something better. But I purchased here for reasons other than the architecture (it's an apartment after all, not a single family house, so the street presence isn't a huge issue for me as a resident). It's the perfect location for me and my wife in a walkable urban neighborhood, one-level living, the building and apartment amenities were exactly what we were looking for, and the price was fair for brand new construction vs. older places similarly priced but with fewer of the amenities and benefits that Bay House offered. We don't currently live in Portland, but plan to retire here. This place was made for us.

Regarding the restaurant: the condo bylaws specify that none of the commercial spaces can be leased to a business using a vented kitchen. I assume this was done to ensure residents they will not have to deal with restaurant odors. So there won't be any full-service restaurants in this building.

Regarding the proximity of the brewery: that does concern me, because I seem to recall reading somewhere in the past year (but I can't seem to find it anywhere now, despite a lot of googling) a news article linking breweries with a rise in black mold problems in residences in some cities. I purposely chose to buy in the west building to be as removed as possible from the brewery, though its obviously not very far away. Hoping it won't be a problem. As a 26-year resident of NYC, I know that proximity to bars is about the worst problem you can have affecting your quality of life (due to the inevitable closing-time fights, like the shooting outside Sangillo's this week), but we're not late-nighters, so not worried about being in the middle of it. It's just a noise nuisance, and it won't be worse than our current NY apartment, where we're waken by loud drunks staggering home at 3-4am every morning during window-open season. It's the price you pay for urban living. Not everyone's cup of tea, but it's ours.

Really looking forward to spending time in our new neighborhood.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top