Over the next few weeks we’ll be profiling the individuals who’ve come together to shape the Leftbank project and community. Leftbank is more than a salvaged piece of Portland history, it is a group of people committed to sustainability, alternative transportation, fine arts, craft industry and community development. Leftbank is a community of people who believe that ideals and economic success are not mutually exclusive.
The property itself is owned by Daniel Deutsch, who has a prior interest in the neighborhood, owning an adjacent building. He was drawn to the project after watching the Multi-Craft Plastics building go in and out of multiple contracts, many of which called for a complete demolition of the site. Daniel saw an opportunity to retain the building’s structure and history while transforming it into something that would attract a diverse group of interests.
At first glance Leftbank might seem an unlikely location for a new business revolution, especially compared to the explosive growth in the Pearl, downtown and Chinatown areas. With the block to itself, Leftbank could be described as an island, but Daniel makes the comparison of a bridge, hub and anchor.
Leftbank does literally sit at the head of the Broadway bridge and is a natural connection between traditional downtown commerce and growing upstarts on Portland’s east side in the Mississippi neighborhood, along Williams Blvd., and industrial warehouse districts. The bridge is as much philosophical as physical. Nearby are resource centers like SCRAP and the Rebuilding Center where the community actively participates in programs of sustainable building, craft and education.
Pointing to tenants and events, Daniel cites how Leftbank is investing in the Portland bike culture. “We’ve got people at Leftbank helping to coordinate Oregon Manifest’s massive event in October. We’ve incorporated a number of alternatives for bike parking inside and outside of the building, with showers and changing rooms, and we sit between major bike corridors making Leftbank accessible and welcoming to cyclists.”
Talking about other upcoming events in the building, Daniel relates how the building acts as an anchor. In November the Independent Publishing Resource Center (IPRC) will host their annual “Text Ball” which will coincide with the Wordstock Festival four blocks away at the convention center. “We’re within walking distance of Wordstock with a building which complements the IPRC’s DIY roots.
At the moment, Daniel is celebrating the last days of PICA’s TBA festival which hosted a number of events in the building. “We’ve been thrilled to have them in Leftbank. To have an internationally significant arts festival here is an amazing compliment. They’ve done a great job of making creative use of the space.” Daniel didn’t miss a day of the festival. In the end, his favorite TBA moments have been watching audiences at shows, particularly the conversations at Leftbank. “It’s been wonderful to see people in the space again, the kind of passionate energy that’s been missing since the Dude Ranch closed down over 60 years ago.”
Daniel asserts that events like TBA, Oregon Manifest and the Text Ball at Leftbank are a mirror for the long term trajectory of the project. Elise Bartow of CHYCHELE Events has been hard at work coordinating with these projects while planning for other projects off site. Daniel points to other incoming tenants who share this energy like Sweet Pea Bikes and Upright Brewing. “By bringing craft into Leftbank we’re respecting the history of the space while looking to the progressive small industries which play a key role in the new Portland urban economics”.
Looking at the Leftbank community, Daniel brings up a comparison of aquariums… “You can buy a fresh water tank and fish and set it up in a day, and every day after that you’re going to be checking on the fish and doing maintenance. Saltwater tanks are harder to get going, you’ve got to get the right balance in the beginning but then they become self sustaining ecosystems. We hope Leftbank will be like that.”
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