Current Project | GPB Construction

Alberta Row Townhouse, Rowhouse, Condo Portland Oregon, Northeast.

By Phil Favorite

Right in the heart of the Alberta Arts District*, a cleverly designed collection of luxury rowhouses will connect residents to their eclectic neighborhood and its fun mix of shops, galleries and restaurants in a fresh and exciting way.

The first phase of Alberta Row, the next project by local infill leader GPB Construction, features designs with studio spaces built directly at street level, complete with roll-up glass front doors that open to courtyards fronting Northeast Alberta Street at 26th Avenue.

These gated front courtyards will connect residents with the action on Alberta yet can provide a buffer when they want more privacy.

With an impressive "walk score" of 80*, the rowhouses will sit within blocks of some of the city's hottest restaurants, favorite gathering places and popular grocery stores, including New Seasons. They'll also face the well-celebrated sidewalks of Alberta's Last Thursday monthly street fair, and are just steps from mass transit and Zipcar.

The rowhouses are simply the latest incarnation of the flexible spaces his projects are known for, but builder Guy Bryant designed his Alberta Row units as residences first and foremost. Each studio still serves as an excellent work space but also could function as a family room with easy patio access.

"You can have an artist's studio, a gallery, a home office, or just an entertaining space where people can come to your party without necessarily having to go up into your private home," Bryant says.

The main living areas are on the second level for increased privacy. They will be open and light-filled with ceilings soaring 16 feet to an upper-level loft that offers a front-to-back overview of the home. Southern-facing rear sliding glass and skylights will bathe the spaces in light, and a rear deck off the great room provides a second outdoor living area.

Another feature that's unique for a rowhouse is a two-car garage. "I could see someone benefiting from that, particularly someone who uses their studio as a workspace," Bryant says. "They could use the garage for staging, shipping, storage, delivery or pickup as well as a place for their own car."

But it's the front of Alberta Row that will speak most to the Alberta Arts lifestyle.

"I design my projects from the ground up to make the best possible use of the site and its surrounding neighborhood," Bryant says. "I thought the best use of the land was a residential home but with a cool indoor-outdoor space that makes that great connection to Alberta."

For 17 years as a writer and editor at The Oregonian, one of the West Coast's largest newspapers, Phil Favorite brought the stories of Portland's real estate and homebuilding markets to millions of readers. The owner of Favorite Media LLC, he currently writes about trends and personalities in the local construction scene at The Main Story