We opened the Portland office with just 2 staffers (Colby and Sharon). In its first year, the office has somewhat unexpectedly grown to 16 people and 3 dogs. Just like our startup days in Chicago, Colby and Sharon shared an ever-critical ping pong table for the first few months. They also enjoyed about 3,000 sq ft of free space each on the first floor.
Back then, the office had dingy blue carpet, horrible lighting, pointless half-walls and a wheel chair ramp that ran straight into the middle of the space, hiding a magnificent original 15' brick archway (seen behind Brian’s chainsaw above). The walls and ceiling were painted only to a point where visitors could see. It had a massive, 2,000 lb beam stretched across the middle which served absolutely no purpose (and was a feat of engineering to take down). And bathrooms set on a declining grade.
Ironically, the tenant before us was an architecture firm…
On the good side, the building boasted 120' of south- and east-facing storefront windows, and a 3-story open atrium that helps pour light in from nearly every angle of the office. (Remember, this is Portland; natural light is important!) It also has five beautifully ornate cast iron columns supporting 18' ceilings, and is on the architecture walk because of its cast iron construction. The floors and ceilings are clad in century-old, 2-inch-thick doug fir boards. And the basement shows signs of Shanghai tunnels, though no one will confirm.
Demolition was carried out by two architects, an engineer and a handful of staffers that, in hindsight, should have signed waivers. Brooms were thrown like javelins through walls. Axes at some point began to be tossed by Scandinavians. Merrick even threw a beautifully-executed flying knee through a wall.
We were able to paint the floors and ceilings, and assemble the raw desks before our growth forced us into a few redesign phases. We have just recently finalized the design and will move forward with construction soon.
We can't share much more except this: the space will revolve around a bar/stage area where we plan to host invite-only lo-fi/acoustic shows.
Stay tuned…
