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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 9, 2003)
April 09,2003_________________________________ (E lf e f l a r t l a n b ( D b s e r u e r page Two Groups Vie for Abandoned Masonic Temple Proposals calls for business park and fitness facility or music academy by S ean P. N elson . . T he P ortland O bserver T w o local non-profit com m unity o rg an izatio n s are co m p etin g to . purchase a M asonic Tem ple located . at 5308 N. C om m ercial from the Portland Public School D istrict for : $320,000. . Ethos, Inc. w ants to restore the building and use it to provide m usic education to financially disad v an taged kids by turning the building : into The O regon M usic A cadem y. A nother group, the Entrepre- . neurial C om m unity C ollective, or ' School o fC h am p io n s Foundation, w ants to turn the build in g and , grounds into a business park with I a m ajor medical carrierservingasan anchor. Ethos Executive D irectorCharles Lew is w as under the im pression that his group had garnered su p port for his proposal from the Port land Public S chools Real Estate Trust. “O n W ednesday, Apri 19 w e w i 11 sign the contract. W e w ould have 2 w eeks to finalize building m ainte nance issues and we w ould have the deal closed by April 30," Lew is said. But the issue had not been d e cided at press tim e for the Portland O b serv er on T uesday. "I think th a t’s o p tim istic,” said PPS Public Information O fficer Lew Frederick in response to Lew is a s sertion. "T h ey m ay be signing som ething but it’s not a contract yet. At this point w e h av en ’t heard an y th in g o fficial.” The Portland School B oard will ultim ately decid e the issue at a fu ture m eeting, Frederick said. The school district put the p ro p erty up for sale w ith the priority being given for "historic p reserv a tion, support for the arts and n eig h borhood and com m unity goals in choosing a p urchaser.” “ W hat it cam e dow n to w as that photo by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver Ethos, Inc. said all along that they Two non-profit community organizations are competing to take over the abandoned Masonic w anted to restore and renovate the Temple next to Jefferson High School in north Portland. One proposal calls for a music program, building. The other group it w anted the other a business park with fitness facility. to tear it d o w n ," L ew is said. ECC School ofC ham pions Foun- dation Founder A lvin M anus dis agreed. “ W e have not m ade that d eter m ination. W e w ould certainly like to be able to save the building, but it has got to be cost effective for us," M anus said. "W e w ant to turn the building into a headquarters w hich w ill be part o f an effort that will stim ulate the econom ic and academ ic vitality o f the com m unity that T hom as Jefferso n H igh S chool serv es." M anus said. Included in the foundation pro posal w ould be a m ajor m edical carrier prom oting fitness for life and sports m edicine program s, w hich w ould work hand in hand with pro gram s at Jefferson H igh School, he said. The M asonic L odge w as built in 1923. It w as dam aged by a fire in 19 8 1 and sold to the Portland Public School District in 1987 for $80,000. “The back co m e r w as burned. The main issue is the bui Iding needs seism ic repair to survive an earth quake," Lew is said. Plans Submitted for African American Museum The D.C. Museum will open in 2011 as a Smithsonian affiliate. It will include many historical images and rememberences such as those above. (A P )— A presidential com m is- sion subm itted plans to C ongress last w eek for an A frican American m useum on the N ational Mail in W ashington. D.C. The report clears the way m em bers o f C ongress to introduce leg islation to approve the site and the initial m oney to build the 350,000 square foot m useum. “The tim e is right. The tim e is now ,” said Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga„ a longtim e civil rights activist who has been fighting for more than a decade to get the m useum. “ U ntil we understand the full A frican A m erican story, w e cannot understand ourselves as a nation and as a p eople," Lewis said. The museum w as first authorized in 1929. But plans never made it o ff the ground, and the House and Sen ate never approved funding. Sen. Sam B row nback, R-Kan., w ho will co-sponsor the bill to cre ate the m useum , said he has spoken to leaders in both houses and be lieves it can finally win approval. “ I see this m useum as an integral A c tre s s C ic e ly T y so n , w ho served on the presidential com m is sion, recalled visiting m useum s as a child, but not one focused on A frican A m erican history. “ The young people today will finally have the opportunity to visit a national m useum that conveys to them w ho they are, w hat they are, and w hy they are,” T yson said. She said the prom inent site, on congressionally controlled land near the Capitol Reflecting Pool, is fitting. T he m useum site w as the place w here black and w hite Civil W ar veterans m arched together to cel - US Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan ebrate the 50th anniversary o f the — union victory. part in the healing o f our n atio n ’s The plan calls for the m useum to racial w ounds," B row nback said. affiliate with the S m ithsonian Insti B row nback said he will w ork si tution. m ultaneously to get both the site It w ould open in 2011 and is and the $225 m illion in initial fund expected at attract tw o m illion visi ing approved. tors a year. / see this museum as an integral part in the healing o f our nation’s racial wounds. The right loan for wherever you're headed next. Nothing makes you feel more confident than knowing you're on the right path. That's why our Wells Fargo personal bankers work directly with you to find the home equity, personal loan or line of credit that fits your needs. Plus, all our loans and lines have flexible terms, competitive rates and affordable payment options to help you get where you want to go. 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