WOODBURN
Woodburn Marketplace Study
Iconic historic building developed into community gathering space
BEFORE > With an iconic and historic building sitting vacant downtown since 1993 following damage from an earthquake, the City of Woodburn needed to identify a vision and find potential tenants. The City acquired the building and spent almost a million dollars on seismic retrofits, yet the building remained empty.
AFTER > Built in 1891 by Woodburn's founder, the historic building has been transformed into a modern building activating downtown. Opened 127 years later, the Metropolis Marketplace and Event Venue offers nearly 10,000 square feet of space over two floors. Four local vendors are permanent tenants in the ground-floor marketplace. A large common area hosts private and public events including the popular First Fridays event featuring live bands. A second-floor event space is available for rent.
We helped the City identify potential redevelopment options based on what was realistically achievable and accomplishable given the target market. First as part of a team, we studied the existing building and its capacity. Then, in order to ground development options in the wants and needs of the community, we undertook in-depth interviews and conducted a survey to help inform programming scenarios.
As a result of the study based in market realities, the City determined that community-focused uses featuring entertainment and performance space would be the best fit. Metropolis Marketplace has made a name for itself as an attraction for all ages, and continues to expand its programming while activating downtown.
CATEGORY
Downtown Revitalization
KEY FEATURES
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Historic re-use
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Large public commons
CLIENT
City of Woodburn, Community Development
LOCATION
Woodburn, OR
Population 25,600