NEWS ARCHIVE
8-15-01, The OregonianAN OLD JEWEL SHINES AS LOFTS IN THE PEARL
Seismic work being done
Construction workers are already busy putting in pilings for seismic upgrading and carving out the inner core to make room for the atrium. But the Marshall-Wells project isn't going to be easy to complete.
Rob Roth, the project engineer from Howard S. Wright Construction, said the work is extremely complex.
Part of the problem comes from having to cut out the inside of the building to create the atrium. That means workers have to drive pilings down 55 feet into ground and build shear walls through to the top floors for extra support.
"You never know what to expect when you come into a building that's been standing for a long time," Roth said. "The sequencing and the complexity make things tricky, so we're taking a lot of care with our approach."
Ball has had to cut back on some other activities, including reducing the time he spends as captain of the Portland Police Bureau's reserves unit. But he said it's worth it because he's proud of how he sees his project fitting into Northwest Portland.
"A lot of people thought I was crazy to buy this building," Ball said. "But I had to think ahead. You have to really have the vision to determine what something is going to look like down here in the Pearl before things are built. I think we'll do very well."