Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Sylvania College Center entry rises

Photos and story by Karen Kane

Amid the rubble and fencing blocking off the entry to the Sylvania Campus’ Amo DeBernadis College Center (CC) is a sight to behold. Rising into the sky are a half dozen inclined wooden trusses that will support massive glass panels.

The trusses are the bones of the CC’s newest renovation – the east entry. Thanks to the voter-approved, $374 million bond measure passed in 2008, the building will have a much more visible and light-filled main entrance.

The dramatic, angled area will top a courtyard designed to feature the campus’ 30 foot-tall totem – “The Welcome Pole.” Carved by Richard Hunt, a Canadian First Nations artist from the Kwakwaka’wakw (formerly “Kwakiutl”) nation of British Columbia, the pole had been located outdoors on the north end of the campus.

Not only will the entry add a significant amount of light to the CC’s open mall area, it will protect the totem, which has seen damage from the elements as well as tap-happy Northern flickers, a species of woodpecker often seen in Sylvania’s wooded setting.

View photos of the trusses being installed, and read more about this and other projects made possible by the bond at the Sylvania campus.

PCC’S 2008 voter-approved $374 million bond program is increasing opportunities for residents to access quality, affordable higher education close to where they live and work. Additional classrooms, updated equipment and technology, and advanced workforce training programs are helping to pave the way for future employment options. For more information, visit the bond website