By Midge Pierce
PDX Main Street, a grassroots group launched six years to advocate good design elements for new builds along SE’s commercial corridors, is accepting nominations for its 2020 Awards.Â
The Awards seek to recognize exemplary architecture and design, with categories including Best Main Street New Construction, Adaptive Reuse, Art & Innovation, Missing Middle Housing, Culturally Important Preservation, and Best Main Street Champion(s) / Community Leaders.Â
PDX Main Street founder Heather Flint Chatto and her co-visionary Linda Nettekoven, in collaboration with architects, artists, activists and others, developed a toolkit of architectural elements to help empower community members during times of growth and change.Â
The initiative began with the rapid transformation of SE Division St. When Flint Chatto came on the scene, SE Division was beginning to morph from a sleepy byway immortalized in song to a bustling three-mile, mixed use strip of shops, restaurants and apartments.Â
Since then, the duo has expanded their influence to include all SE commercial corridors. They’ve lobbied the city to lower height thresholds that trigger design reviews of Eastside buildings too.Â
To nominate a recipient for the 2020 PDX Design Awards, submit a photo and address by March 21 along with reasons you feel the building/firm/person is notable to: ilovepdxmainstreets@gmail.com. Winners will be announced in April at Portland Design Week. Learn more about the Awards at pdxmainstreets.org/awards.