Belong Art Community completed construction in late March 2022!
All apartments are occupied.
The photos below are a visual history of Belong’s development
2019 aerial site view
Overgrown site
Sept. 2019 site street view - 1920s house had been an office, then abandoned
Cleaning up the site to be good neighbors
Safe removal of asbestos & lead before demolition
Lead paint was on siding - all hand removed and safely disposed of
Ready for demolition
Keeping the dust down
Nearly gone
Front facade still there, but the rest down
No more house
Site clearing
Basement concrete removal
Basement filled in with "engineered fill"
Bare site looking toward 41st
Bare site looking west - NERD was the last graffiti artist before construction began
Site prepped for framers
Sections in concrete floor prevent cracking
"Chalklines" show where wall panels will install
Metal structure welded in on 1st floor
1st floor walls arrive on a large flatbed trailer
Really large & flexible forklift does all the heavy (and high) lifting
Squeezing wall panels between the utility pole and the lobby wall
Staging wall panels for installation
Looking through the Club/Cafe to the west wall before framing
Plumbing "stubs" showing through the concrete slab
First of the 1st floor wall panels installed
Looking out from the Resident Club/Cafe
Looking into the Resident Club/Cafe
Lobby & stairwell structure
Fitness Therapy Studio
Music Therapy Studio
Art Therapy Studio
Art Therapy Studio + 1st floor 1-BR apartment
2nd floor sub-floor installed (looking east)
2nd floor sub-floor installed (looking west)
Art Therapy Studio fully framed
Looking into fully-framed Club/Cafe
Looking out from fully-framed Club/Cafe
Wall Modules Staged - On a VERY Tight Site
2nd floor wall panels being installed
2nd floor framed from next door
Forklift handing off 2nd floor ceiling beam
2nd floor framed from across 41st Avenue by Trader Joe's
3rd floor joists ready to lift
2 floors is max for ladders
Stairs will be installed behind these walls as the 3rd floor is framed - week of May 3rd
3rd floor framing - east end
3rd floor framing from across 41st
Cutting stairway sides
Stairway sides ready to install
It's a long way up there now
Stair installation begun
3rd floor framing south side
Example of the robust wall panel assemblies
Can just see 3rd floor walls along the north side
3rd floor framing from across 41st
No graffiti on the site anymore, but a nice piece of art on the stairs to the job trailer
Bruce is our weekend/day security person
We have stairs!
As usual, the site is very full
A view of the 3rd story from NE
L4 = 4th level wall panels
View from by Trader Joe's
View from across Sandy Blvd @ César E Chávez Blvd.
View from Trader Joe's - with 4th floor on the west end
4th Floor in process
View from Trader Joe's w/4th floor framed
View from south sidewalk with 4th floor framed
View looking NE with 4th floor framed
5th floor walls going up!
New Belong banner (there'll be a permanent sign at completion)
Belong emerges on the Hollywood District skyline
View from W/SW at a distance
View from Trader Joe's
Looking west from the 3rd floor landing
Unit 303 in process
Looking SE from Unit 303
Stair tower climbing toward 5th floor
View from E/NE
View from 40th Avenue
View toward Downtown from Unit 401
View SE from Unit 401
View east from Unit 401
View NE from Unit 401
Base of elevator tower
Elevator tower from the west
Beams between stair & elevator towers
2nd floor terrace
Plumbing plus electrical "box out" (making sure switches and outlets are in the right spots
View from across 40th Avenue
Belong from across 41st Avenue
Belong from Trader Joe's
Final "finish" selections (countertops, cabinets, floors, blinds, windowsills & paint)
Looking across 4th floor terrace to elevator tower
SW view from the 4th floor terrace
View of Downtown & West Hills from 4th floor terrace
View SE from 4th floor terrace
Beams supporting a terrace
On-site early and tough to find place to store - showers
Onsite early and stored in two studios - windows
Most of the windows are here
View from Trader Joe's with elevator tower almost complete
Workers finishing terraces & elevator tower
Looking back at elevator tower on 2nd floor walkway
Looking past elevator at 2nd floor walkway
2nd floor walkway framed - finished surface will be lightweight concrete
2nd floor terrace looking southeast
West (emergency) stair tower being installed
Looking back from 3rd floor west stair landing
West stair tower up to 3rd floor - the last of the wall panels to be lifted by the big forklift
Sidewalk clear for the first time since framing began - panels are all installed!
Belong frontage clear (for now)
View of SE corner - lobby and club/cafe
View of Downtown and West Hills from 5th floor terrace
Plumbing "piped" - red is hot water, white is cold water, black is drain
Plumbing for a kitchen sink
Looking east on the 4th floor walkway
View to the nice clear sidewalk from the club/cafe
Roof - looking north
Roof - looking SE
Roof framing completed - waterproof layer to be added, then solar panel racks - on the raised beams
Roof - looking SW with elevator tower framed
An access stair (for maintenance and service only) will replace the ladder
Roof - looking west
2 layers of insulation installed - ready for non-permiable roof membrane to be installed on top
Installer explains steps of installation necessary to ensure long term prevention of leaks
Three layers of waterproofing applied
(L-R) Tony Jones (HFD Project Advisor), Doug Circosta (Architect) and John Dragoo (Beaudin Supervisor) inspect test window installation
Window slides right into place
James Koh (Beaudin Project Executive) holds the window for final nailing
View from across 41st with full parapet framed. FDC means Fire Department Connection - and that sprinklers are activated!
Tony inspects the interior side of the window installation
Elevator shaft/pit being prepped for installation of elevator electronics / wiring
Brave worker doing final wall work before windows are installed on east side
LIft JUST fits on sidewalk between Belong building and utility wires (out of picture)
Installing fireblock on north wall before siding
Belong banner moved from north wall
Many of the unit windows now installed!
Windows installed along the walkways
Completed roof
Structure on the left is top of elevator shaft, on the right - room for elevator and solar electronics
All shower underlayment has to be in before "cover" inspection
First stage of installing the west stairs
More posts for the west stairs
Windows on the east side all installed
View from Trader Joe's
Pacific Power chain sawing down the old utility pole
Preparing to pull out the old pole
It's been there for decades and didn't really want to come out
New pole hooked to the gantry truck
Up..
Up...
... and vertical - in place!
1st floor common area doors installed
West stair tower installation underway
Apartment doors all installed
Close-up of apartment door framing
All apartment windows installed + waterproof barrier ready for bricks and siding
Walk-in closet pocket doors all framed (the actual doors come later)
Steel structure + landings installed for west stairway
Meters installed - onto permanent power!
Sheetrock loaded into all apartments - last big lift for the huge forklift
Scaffolding in place - metal siding installation begins
Framers' huge forklift "retired" - this relatively dainty one is for the metal trim installation
Speaking of metal trim...
Entrance canopy frame installed
Masons' scaffold going up - bricklaying starts next week
Fire Department Connection room has a door!
North side scaffolding for metal siding installation
Electric meters covered to protect from brick installation above
West side stairs going up
Framing for lobby door + windows installed (glass comes at end of construction)
Insulation installed in apartments
Insulator doing high work on stilts
Framing for club/cafe "storefront" windows installed
Lobby entry from the inside
Bricklayers making progress
Lobby "porch" showing framing
Masons removing scaffolding after completing bricklaying
Bricklaying complete
Metal siding installation mostly complete on west wall (facing 40th Ave.)
View of Belong from the Hollywood Transit Center
View of Belong from the corner of 41st and Halsey
West stairs completed!
North wall siding installation from across Broadway
North and west wall siding installation from 40th
Siding staged for installation
Details show how siding panels interlock
Belong art ready to be installed on top west corner of north wall
Belong west side with siding seen from the Lloyd District
North wall siding with Belong icon
Resident Club/Cafe "Storefront" glass installed
Lobby/entry glass installed
Looking out through Club/Cafe storefront
Looking out from lobby
Looking up the completed elevator shaft interior
Drywall is now installed building wide. This is looking out through the living room of Unit 304
Bedrooms have lots of natural light, even on a dreary late-December day
Walk-in closet just waiting for its pocket door
Looking in to the Club/Cafe from the porch door
Equipment is arriving! The lobby mailbox "tower" is in the cardboard box
Looking toward the "storefront" and porch
Looking N to S in the Club/Cafe - door on the right goes to the lobby and stairs
Looking out to the snow-dusted West Hills from the 5th floor terrace
Installers working on the last sections of metal siding
City of Portland building inspector on site - yay!
Evidence of the cold working conditions outside in late December 2021
Sheet metal installers have to be comfortable with heights
As metal siding installation progresses, the Belong logo is added to the south side of the elevator tower
Gypcrete is mixed for pumping onto apartment floors
Note the "stilts" on the worker's boots. Since it comes in as a slurry, the gypcrete is mostly self-leveling. The squeegies are used to make sure the coverage is complete.
Gypcrete is a combination of sand, water, concrete and gypsum
Since the walls have been painted, the installer has to be careful not to splash
Behind the installer, you can see the "sound mat" underlay - which is put in place on the wood subfloor. Once the gypcrete dries (it takes about 3 weeks), the flooring can be installed
It's both a muddy and a dusty process
This loader works in a very tight space to load the sand into the gypcrete mixer
The bags have the mix of concrete and gypsum
Gypcrete looks dry after 48 hours - and workers will be able to walk on it - but it won't be fully dry for 21 days.
Another nice winter day to see the West Hills from a Belong terrace.
New concrete poured to allow access for elevator installation (elevator tower on the left in this picture)
Hard to believe, but a load of gravel was added here to allow operation with less mud. Already muddy again, so ...
This is the membrane on the 3rd floor walkway - ready for the concrete final layer to be poured
Almost all of the south sheet metal siding is installed
Permanent walkway rails are installed
Last of the high level metal installation going on
Concrete set on all the walkways
Belong Board member Master Eric Johnson in front of the area where he'll create a tranquil corner of the Belong courtyard
Tight fit for the lift between Belong and the utility cables
Last mud patch - it gets scraped and graveled next week (will be concrete when completed)
New view from Trader Joe's
Quartz windowsill
Last-minute electrical conduit trenched under the courtyard
Siding with Belong sign about to go up above the lobby door
Yay - elevator equipment arrives
Elevator rails
More elevator equipment
...and more elevator equipment
These are the rooftop "mini-split" HVAC units staged to carry up that steep ladder to the roof for installation
John Dragoo (our Superintendent) directing traffic on a day there were 7 subcontractors on-site
Base of elevator pit
Elevator rail installed
Elevator rails installed
Concrete walkway
Top of elevator rails
more concrete walkway
more concrete walkway
more concrete walkway
Belong entry sign is up!
Belong sign from the sidewalk
Bathroom fixtures installed
Showers too!
Kitchen countertop, sink, faucets
Cupboard, drawer "pulls" (handles) installed
Prepping for Refuse/Recycling building foundation
Ready for concrete
Range and microwave/hood
Fridge (still in protective wrap)
Freezer section
Refrigerator section
Hot water heaters installed!
Club/Cafe not quite ready (it's the only place on site available for recycling until it's hauled away
The north half of the sidewalk and curb is in place!
Elevator doors on the 5th floor
Metal handrails being installed on the west stair
All of the plumbing fixtures are in!
Concrete pad for the generator and refuse/recycling building in place
The elevator waiting on the first floor - final framing around it the next few days, then pre-test and inspection
View east from the west stairs
This backup generator for the elevator is required by code. It starts itself periodically for brief periods to ensure that it's working. We're designing screening to go around it that will be a surface for Belong artists' work.
The Refuse/Recycling building takes shape
Solar panels being installed on the roof
Final concrete pour of the project!
This clever ladder (it's really a conveyor with an electric motor) allows the solar team to get the panels up from the courtyard to the roof access hatch
Concrete finishing in Belong's outdoor art space
Our neighbors (who've been wonderful through the whole project) allowed us to use their driveway as needed - today both for the concrete finishing and for the generator fuel truck
The concrete crew are artists skilled at getting a perfect finish
Our front curb, sidewalk and porch are completed
The elevator is in and just waiting for its pretest and State inspection / sign-off
The solar panels are the last materials we'll need to stage in the courtyard
Final touches to the curb
A view from across 41st
Quartz countertop & stainless steel kitchen sink
Floor close up
Finally - the gypcrete is dry enough to start laying floors. Here you see the whole combo - floor, cabintes, countertop
One of the washer/dryer units that will be installed in each apartment. Since the elevator’s not in yet , the workers have carried all appliances up the stairs - ugh!
Bathroom vanity - note that there’s a light on above - so we have lights now, too!
Cabinets are in about 1/3 or the apartments with the rest coming in next week
Interior doors and other finish carpentry are being installed at the same time as the cabinets - with John Dragoo, our project superintendent, juggling the teams among the apartments