Yesterday I took a tour of the new DIY-flavored Leftbank commercial development project at 240 N. Broadway, just off the Broadway Bridge at the gateway to North Portland (you might recognize it as the former Multi-Craft Plastics building). It’s one hell of a building – 66,000 square feet of three connected structures built between in the 1920’s and 1950’s – and one hell of an ambitious project.

The real thrust of the tour was to showcase the under-construction Leftbank spaces being used as part of this year’s Time-Based Art Festival, for the Fest’s late-night, balls-out cabaret called “The Works” (which this year features queer artists like Neal Medlyn, Sept 5 and choreographer Mike Barber’s “Ten Tiny Dances,” Sept 6; among others).

BOORA Architects principal Michael Tingley – who also, wouldn’t you know it, is Chair of PICA’s Board of Trustees – is one of the principal designers of the space, and he led part of Thursday’s tour of a multi-function work very much in progress.

The original front door to 240 N. Broadway. 

The “back entrance” to the Leftbank building, with two Leftbank rep’s whose names I’ve promptly forgotten. PICA’s “The Works” beer garden will be in full force directly behind these ladies, with a stylish lounge spilling out into the open from that garage entrance above, also seen…

… here, festooned with lights.

These are some very hard-working Art Institute of Portland student slave laborers, err, volunteers. What on earth are they doing? Oh, they’re only creating “The Works” lounge seating out of recycled Oregonian newsprint rolls. See below.

Yikes! But it looks way comfortable, right? NB: Moments after I snapped this photo, the AIP students flipped the contraption over to test it out and it snapped into a million little pieces. Ruh-roh.

Here’s the newly constructed stage where all the arty madness will be goin’ down. On our tour, Tingley noted that, in all its infinite wisdom, the OLCC changed its mind on some earlier promises to PICA and decided that wristbands for the 21+ crowd simply would not work, and instead, the org has to create a specially demarcated space to separate the alcohol-haves from the alcohol-have-nots. This means there will be a little “moat of security” slip down the middle of the crowd, right near center stage. Weird, huh? We’ll see how it works.

Beautiful, eh? This is from the second floor of the Leftbank development facing west-ish, I believe; formerly home to a creamery and restaurant.

And the view from the top floor through one of their gorgeous picture windows, facing west to the Broadway Bridge/Union Station.