Future of Coliseum Red Lion site wide open

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Billionaire Paul Allen has yet to decide what will take the place of the old Red Lion Inn Coliseum owned by one of his companies. But he’s not losing an opportunity to remove the buildings while the going is good – or bad, depending on your point of view.
Allen, whose wholly owned Aegean Corp. owns the complex, will remove the buildings in the coming months, at a time when a down economy adds up to good business.
“It will never be less expensive to take them down than it is now,” said Joe Vaughn, director of business development for Aegean.
R&H Construction Co. will handle demolition, in conjunction with plans by BOORA Architects. Spanning some four acres, the inn site is near the east end of the Broadway Bridge, alongside the railroad tracks bordering the east side of the Willamette River.
The Red Lion buildings contain 213 rooms.
“We will be done by the end of summer,” Vaughn said. “We are not in any hurry.”
In anticipation of the redevelopment, the complex will be the scene of some pre-demolition activity.
“We have been talking to police, fire and SWAT training teams about blowing up doors, burning rooms and all sorts of fun stuff,” Vaughn quipped.
Noting that doing so would provide law enforcement and life-saving crews an unusual opportunity for on-site training, he said that some preliminary steps are being taken. He said that Aegean has donated hotel furniture to Central City Concern, an organization that provides nonprofit housing and services.
Also, the hotel complex is being cleared of asbestos and other hazardous materials that could become exposed during demolition. Vaughn said the structure would be covered in special sheeting to contain airborne particles while demolition is underway.
The site is adjacent to the platform of the Tri-Met Interstate MAX line under construction and is next to the railroad tracks flanking the east side of the Willamette River, between the Broadway and Steel bridges. Vaughn also noted the site’s proximity to an entry point of the Eastbank Esplanade, a pathway designed for pedestrian access to the west side and the downtown core.
“We feel (that) by taking the buildings down, the property will show better to potential developers,” Vaughn said, characterizing the site as a rare, east side view property of the city’s west skyline.
Allen is owner of the Trail Blazers and is ranked No. 4 among billionaires worldwide by Forbes Magazine in 2002 at a time when a number of others have toppled off the list.
Vaughn said Aegean has been talking to “anybody and everybody” with a proposal for redeveloping the Red Lion site, but “no plans have been solidified. We are looking for the highest and best use of the property.”
The inn is across Interstate Avenue from the Memorial Coliseum, whose future is the focus of a study by the city. The 200,000-square-foot coliseum, on a roughly seven-acre site, is considered under-utilized, and the city is exploring how it might contribute to greater vibrancy in the surrounding area. The city has in mind an area with more housing, more jobs and more leisure-oriented development.
David Logsdon, project manager for the Office of Management and Finance that manages the coliseum property, said that over the next month or so, ideas that have emerged from the community will be screened for feasibility. Consultants, working with an advisory team, will pick three prospects from the list for further study. An open house on those ideas will be held at 6 p.m., June 5 in Room C of the Portland Building, 1120 S.W. Fifth Ave. City Council would ultimately decide whether to pursue any of the concepts.
Logsdon said that according to current thinking, the interior of the coliseum would likely undergo extensive renovation, but the building would remain.
Larry Brown, a Portland Development Commission project manager, said the Memorial Coliseum’s future use is key to planning the area surrounding the Rose Quarter, part of the Convention Center Urban Renewal District.
“The important effort of the hour is looking at the future of the Memorial Coliseum site,” Brown said.