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Local developer Art DeMuro of Venerable Properties and Keith Pochter of the Northbrook, Ill.-based The Pochter Group Limited have very different ideas about the best use for the historic Custom House, located in downtown Portland.
DeMuro is contemplating a mix of uses, including space for the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts, a community center, an art gallery and a ground-floor restaurant.
Pochter, on the other hand, envisions an 82-room boutique hotel.
Located at 220 N.W. Eighth Ave., the four-story, H-shaped, granite building was constructed more than a century ago. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has occupied the building since the late 1960s.
The U.S. General Services Administration, which will retain ownership of the Custom House after the Army Corps leaves the building, has selected Venerable Properties and The Pochter Group Limited as finalists to redevelop the space. Complete proposals are due to the GSA by Oct. 1. The federal agency plans to select a developer for the project by November.
For anyone who loves historic preservation, the Custom House represents an elite challenge. The building is an architectural classic, DeMuro said. I've heard many people describe...