The historic rehabilitation of the three-story Musolf Manor provided 95 studio units for very low-income singles, some with mental illness, in Old Town, Portland. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Musolf Manor was built in 1910 as a working-class hotel and hadn’t been upgraded since 1974.

Inspired by the need for improved resident safety and system efficiency upgrades, the project included a seismic renovation and upgrades to mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire sprinkler systems. Unit layout revisions provided five new ADA resident rooms and brought the total number of housing units to 95. Reorientation of the ground floor lobby emphasized safety for the residents and building management. Innovative Housing, Inc., wanted to preserve and refurbish many historic elements within the building, including the stair handrails, the metal transom windows and the original hotel sign. Upgrades to the six storefront spaces incorporated new window systems, awnings and lighting and provided welcoming entries.

Musolf Manor is located on a tight urban site, which called for careful staging, strict scheduling of deliveries, and planning for storage of materials. In spite of the challenges presented by a historic renovation of an occupied building in a downtown location, the project was completed on time.

Categories: Renovation, Historic

Details

SMART

Musolf Manor

Size

Historic rehabilitation of the three-story, 80,000 SF Musolf Manor.

Clients

Innovative Housing, Inc.

Architects

Carleton Hart Architecture

Testimonials

“Walsh, its project manager, and site supervisors have worked with IHI throughout the development process to further our mission of providing high-quality affordable housing to some of Portland’s poorest residents. They have been integral members of the development team and added value at every stage of the process from design development to on-the-ground construction. A critical aspect of Walsh’s participation has been thorough and accurate budgeting from very early in the life of these projects. Walsh’s reliable budget numbers, use of estimating/inflation contingencies, and assistance with value engineering have all been extremely valuable to IHI at each budget check-point. An additional key strength that Walsh possesses is their relationship with skilled subcontractors who complete many similar projects together. This team approach allows for early input from subcontractors and brings them into the development process to solve challenges in a proactive and productive way. Walsh also works with many minority and women-owned subcontractors, and IHI has appreciated the ability to incorporate more workforce diversity into our projects.” - Sarah J. Stevenson Executive Director Innovative Housing, Inc.

The project was an occupied rehabilitation and took place in three phases to help minimize disruption to existing residents on upper floors. The phased construction helped meet federal restrictions that prevent residential tenants from being moved out of the building for longer than 180 days. Precise sequencing was required in order to complete the work while not interrupting business operations for the six businesses located on the ground floor, which included a salon, café and restaurant/pub.

our WORK

Musolf Manor