On the second floor of the Hazelwood building, one finds the single most iconic space in the entire Leftbank district. It is a triangular shaped room flanked by half moon arched windows on its’ northern and western ends. These windows make up the top of A.E. Doyle’s great brick archways; visible to any eyes traveling from downtown today (or southbound on the flint avenue bike sneak) and trace the same elegant lines undoubtedly taken in by Thelonious, Satchmo and so many others in times past. They’re what make this building a landmark in Portland. The space was originally the site of the bakery in the Hazelwood Creamery, and houses a man sized safe, among other things. Maple floors, exposed rafters and high ceilings… and then there’s the view. It’s good.
The two other ‘rooms’ on this floor are unique, as well. The Storage building offers a warm, inviting space, with more maple floors and an exposed ceiling…this character, coupled with high windows along the north and east suggest something both more humble and more focused. A painted advertisement adorns the wall in the corner, a testament to a time when this room was just airspace outside the older ‘garage’ building. Opposite that stands another icon - the ca.1973 Multicraft Plastics sign. The 2nd floor of the garage offers yet a third take on this floor — a taller space, cement floors, whitewashed masonry walls and a new roof. Replacing the lid on this building was one of the significant early jobs on the project. What was a wooden version of swiss cheese was replaced with new FSC wood from Warm Springs Forest, just 110 miles east of Portland. It gives this room a freshness that is unmistakable, though curious, given that it is by far the most industrial of the three.
