This week a reader pointed out that the new amphitheater had received significant recognition from the state chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and this deserved more notice. They are right!
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| The amphitheater lit in blue with the eco-earth and bridge via CB|Two |
The AIA used to have even more local chapters, and the Salem AIA had an off-and-on awards program, but now all the local groups are organized under the state chapter, and so there is one statewide juried awards program held annually.* Since the Salem architects are up against the Portland firms, things are considerably more competitive, and so it is very nice to see that last November CB|Two was recognized with a Citation Award for the amphitheater.
Portland Architecture has a report from that city's perspective:
There were seven Citation Awards (equivalent to a bronze medal) given out by the AIA jury: three for housing projects, two schools, an architecture-firm office and a park pavilion.
That park pavilion, the Gerry Frank Rotary Amphitheater in Salem by CBTWO Architects, is a striking covered gathering area at Riverfront Park, which functions a lot like Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland. Its curving forms are made with glulam beams and its translucent skin with fabric, and the basket-weave patterning was inspired by the native Kalapuya people living along the Willamette long before European settlers. And perhaps appropriately, the pavilion recalls architect John Storrs' design for the Lumber Industry Pavilion at the Oregon Centennial in 1959, it too a soaring wood sculpture as well as a shelter.
It may also be worth noting this Citation Award going to a Salem firm. Though these are called the AIA Oregon Architecture Awards, until a couple years ago these were always the AIA Portland Architecture Awards. When the Portland chapter was absorbed into the long-dormant state chapter, the awards seem to have become a de facto state awards, but in reality it's mostly still a Portland architectural awards ceremony. That's all the more reason, though, to highlight a non-PDX firm winning.
Invoking echoes of the Storrs project is not something I had seen mentioned here in the design selection or construction phases, and so that was interesting to consider.
The members of the jury are all from out of state and are practicing architects, and so this represents a considered and fresh look at local projects.
Of 46 projects submitted, 13 won recognition. In addition to the seven Citation Awards, he jury gave four Merit Awards (silver-level) and two Honor Awards (gold-level). All of them are of interest, especially the new museum in Corvallis and an affordable housing project in Portland.
Locally, the amphitheater project also won a Ben Maxwell Award, for "outstanding contributions to the preservation of Salem’s historic resources," from the Historic Landmarks Commission.**
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| The 2021 Ben Maxwell Award winners |
Also winning a Ben Maxwell Award was the Nishioka Building.
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| Filling in on an important corner |
It is a low-style, "fabric" building, meant to fit in more than stand out, and does not seem likely to win design awards. And yet it is an important moment for Salem's downtown, filling a long-time empty surface lot on a pleasant mid-rise, streetcar scale, and also carving out a new niche in housing for very small apartments here.
* Previous notes on various rounds of AIA Awards. This is not a comprehensive list, just ones that seemed interesting here.
- On the 2010 round by the Eugene-based juror
- On 2014
- On the Seattle chapter's 2014, which included a Salem project
- On 2015
** The Ben Maxwell photo collection is an important part of the Library's historic photos, and he prospected a lot of Salem history for the Capital Journal and the Marion County Historical Society. He is one in a lineage of journalist-historians with the Bitsman, R. J. Hendricks at the Statesman, Fred Lockley who was raised in Salem but did most of his work in Portland at the Oregon Journal, and now Capi Lynn. Collectively we do not always appreciate the ways Lynn's columns are certain to be appreciated in 50 or 100 years!
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