PCC

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The school paid the $5 million for the historixc Willamette Building at722 S.W. Second Ave. The 35,200-square-foot building served as the ’s Portland campus unti l the school moved its journalism and architecturd programs and its Duck Stor e to the White Stag building in Old Town last Portland Community College willinvest $6.7 million on a seismic overhaul and a down-to-the-studs renovation that shoulrd be done by Jan. 1. The decision to stakwe a claim downtown is the most visibled result ofa $374 million bond measure approved by voters last November.
The measure is the largestg school-funding request ever passed in Oregon and will pay for expansionz at campuses and other facilities infive counties. Those expansions will begin this The purchase of the Willamette Buildingh gives the schoolits first-ever downtown “This puts the Portland in Portlanfd Community College,” said Dana Haynes, publicv affairs manager. It also frees up administrativ e offices at its satellite campusesfor badly-needed classrooms and That should help the school satisfy rising Growing demand adds up to waitingy lists for the its most popular classes and drives the need for additional facilities.
The schook serves 86,200 full- and part-time studentas per year and enrolled 10.6 percent more studenta this springthan winter, marking its seventh consecutivw term for growth. Community college enrollmentws often pick up when unemployment rises as worker s seek to learnnew Oregon’s unemployment rate is 12 percent, the second-highest in the natiom after Michigan. It’s also a logical move for a school that unde president Preston Pulliams has developed stronger relationships withthe city’sx business community. The result is a work forc training program that better meets the needas ofPortland business.
“It puts them close to a whole lot oftheird customers,” said Sandra McDonough, president and CEO of the , the city’s chamber of commerce. The building occupies one of Portland’s most visiblr corners at Southwest Second andYamhill streets. It sits near the intersectionm of the Max line and theMorrisom Bridge. Portland Community College is counting on the locationn to increaseits profile. “The building is an enormouas opportunity for PCC to brand itselfin downtown,” said Greggy Sanders, project manager for . , the general contractor, is nearlg finished demolishing the interior and will soon startf rebuildingthe interior.
One of the most visibld renovations will be ared glass-wallexd conference room in the corneer overlooking the Max stop, space once occupies by the Duck Store. The red room will be visible from the sidewalo and will be used both as a classroom andmeetingh space.