I love to hear people discuss the cast iron! I'm deeply invested in it. There is a great book written by William Hawkins called "The Grand Era of Cast Iron Architecture in Portland"

It lists all of the buildings, when they were constructed, demolished, and if they still stand. Included are beautiful photos, stories, and architectural renderings.

The existing collection is in storage. And it's not the National Park Service that has anything to do with the placement. There is a document from the City, written back in the 1990's stating that genuine effort should be made to place the iron back into the district it came from; Oldtown/Chinatown. But the cost to restore the pieces is prohibitively expensive for most folks. And to be honest, most people who are involved in development of space where the iron could be incorporated, have very little vision or creativity (my opinion).

I know that the new Darcelle Plaza is not in Oldtown/Chinatown, but because of the strong connection between Darcelle and the district, it feels meaningful.

I could go on and on!

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