The Old Church

Located in downtown Portland, Oregon The Old Church was designed in 1882 by architect Warren H. Williams. With classic ecclesiastical forms in wood it is a striking example of “Carpenter Gothic” architecture. Sitting on the NE corner of SW Eleventh and Clay, it is the oldest church building in Portland still standing on its original site.


THE CHALLENGE

Today, The Old Church operates as TOC Concert Hall, with a variety of music and social justice shows and programs. As a concert hall, the church is being asked to do a lot more than what was originally required of it.


ARCIFORM was hired to restore the ornate plaster medallions on the ceiling inside the concert hall. In order to let TOC Concert Hall continue with it’s shows, all the seating (The Old Church has more than 50 pews) was removed and replaced twice. The sloped floor added another challenge.


ARCIFORM also restored the original porte-cochere (salvaged years before) under which early parishioners pulled their horse-drawn carriages in order to enter the church, sheltered from the rain. The finials and the cresting on the roof ridges had also long been lost but were restored as accurately as possible from old photos of the building.


Coincidentally, ARCIFORM’s now sister company Versatile Wood Products had recreated the original style redwood doors around 20 years ago, prior to ARCIFORM’s acquisition of the business.

Share by: