Gorman & Company Corporate Office

Project summary:

The 19,000 square foot building was built in 1921, for a budget of $71,000. In the early 1990Õs, the building was vacated and used primarily for storage. It was placed on the National Historic Register in 1998. Gorman & Co. purchased the building in 2005, and was renovated into the corporate office of Gorman & Co., a development company that specializes in historic urban renovation projects.

The $3 million renovation fully changed the interior spaces and brought all infrastructure of to modern codes. Many of the building's original fixtures were retained, and where original items such as the windows could not be used, replicas were made. Not only is the building restored with sensitivity to its historic charm, the building is very environmentally friendly with green products such as bamboo (further enhanced by the fact that the restoration is fundamentally an environmentally conscious move). The building is able to communicate the innovative culture of the company, but also communicates the company's sense of humor and fun with a full court basketball court in the center of the space, a staff lunchroom that looks like a 1950Õs diner (complete with wallettes mounted at each booth and a full-sized jukebox too), and a staff bar directly off the conference room.

The Oregon community is benefiting greatly from the restoration of the building. Gorman & Co. has installed a trophy case holding school memorabilia and offers the space for community meetings, basketball games, and other celebrations.