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Refind Furniture

Rebuilding Center

3625 N Mississippi

(503) 445-1756

http://www.rebuildingcenter.org/

Corinna's Blog
 
The year 1906 in Portland was a year that saw very few cars on the road. It would still be another eight years before Henry Ford would perfect the assembly line and give birth to the Model T. But Portland was home to a very complex street car line -- and to an industrious home building effort. It was about that time, a hundred years ago, that a pair of side by side houses were built on SE Garfield street. When they came down recently, disassembled by a team from The ReBuilding Center, they revealed a treasure. Old growth timber. Huge slabs of hundred year old wood, cut from trees that were a hundred years older than that. With out the efforts of the Rebuilding Center that kind of prize could very well wind up in the land fill. But, thanks to their work, it is recycled by those who appreciate it.
Their newest project is "refining" that wood into furniture. A visit to their "Refind Furniture Studio" yields several tables made from the wood found on Garfield Street. Plus some beautiful pieces from an even more rare find of old growth red wood. Furniture designer Kirby Jones explains that they use no nails. Instead they use high quality techniques designed to help their pieces be passed from generation to generation.

The funny part of the morning came when I realized just how cold I was. Looking up I realized that most of the vaulted roof at the ReBuilding Center is completely open to the outside. When I asked about it, Kirby agreed, yes it does get cold. But this time a year ago this was an open lot. Apparently all great things take time.