Building Blocks: Willamette Valley Vineyards location
Author
DJC Staff
Date published
June 1, 2023
View Original Article
Project: Willamette Valley Vineyards tasting room & restaurant
Location: Bend
Size: 3,445 square feet
Start Date: October 2021
Anticipated Completion Date: Fall 2023
Cost: Undisclosed
Owner: Willamette Valley Vineyards
General Contractor: Bremik Construction
Architect: Scott Edwards Architecture
Engineer: Walker Structural Engineering
Project Significance: The historic E.A. Sather Building, originally constructed in 1913 in downtown Bend, is gaining a wine tasting room and restaurant. The 3,445-square-foot, one-story space for Willamette Valley Vineyards will include an interior mezzanine for staff use. The two-story Sather Building has multiple tenants.
Scott Edwards Architecture’s design uses the building’s long, linear form to create three distinct guest experiences – a bottle shop at the entrance, a luxe dining area, and a private wine cellar-inspired dining room in the back. The spatial hierarchy is inspired by the mountains and valley, taking advantage of the existing double-height volume to tie into the material palette associated with the Willamette Valley. This is evident in a darker floor as well as lush, saturated textures and colors in the middle space, and taller elements like the bottle shop wine storage. A double-sided fireplace forms a visual peak, and celestial lighting creates a glow above the banquette seating in the dining room. Wine and the Pacific Northwest region are celebrated throughout.
The existing building gave Scott Edwards Architecture a solid framework to design within, but the project was not without challenges, architect and project manager Rebecca Littman-Smith said. After pulling back layers left from build-outs for previous occupants, the team is reconstructing the infrastructure to support the space for use far into the future. During asbestos abatement, the team uncovered a historic brick wall that will stay exposed and receive a fresh coat of paint. The building is also getting some selective insulation upgrades as well as new plumbing and mechanical elements to meet modern needs.
