Pacific Power has released a document detailing this plan. The original PDF is attached and the text replicated below.
Pacific Power is demolishing and removing the brick substation building located across the
street from the Dishman Community Center on NE Knott St. in Portland. Below are
answers to anticipated questions about the project.
Q. What is the history of the building?
A. The Knott substation building was built in 1906 for Portland Railway Light & Power, which
became Portland General Electric. In the 1960s, the building and adjoining substation property
were acquired by Pacific Power & Light as a part of a separation of utility service territories in
Portland.
The building was being used as a control center until a fire in 1995 made parts of the building
unusable. It was then used for training until 2000 when site conditions made its continued use
unsafe.
Q. Why is it being demolished?
A. The building is no longer safe for use. It is also targeted for break-ins, which is dangerous
given its location within an energized substation.
Q. When will it be demolished and how long will it take?
A. The physical demolition began in mid-December 2025 and is expected to take approximately
45 working days.
Q. What will go in place of the building?
A. The area the building currently occupies will be backfilled with the same material that covers
the rest of the substation site. No new structures are planned in place of the building.
Q. Why couldn’t the building be preserved as a historic site?
A. The building no longer serves any purpose for providing electricity service and has too much
damage to restore.
Q. What steps will Pacific Power and its contractor take to ensure the surrounding
neighborhood won’t be harmed by debris, dust or other impacts of the demolition?
A. The contractor will bring the building down using a slow, methodical process that gradually
deconstructs the building into its footprint rather than via a more dramatic sudden demolition.
Other community protection measures will include use of barricades, site fencing, setbacks to
limit access and use of water to suppress dust.
Q. What street or sidewalk closures will occur and for how long?
A. Current plans will close one lane of NE Knott St. from the substation building area east to NE
Rodney for about four weeks starting the week of December 27, 2025. The sidewalk on NE Knott
on the substation side of the street will also close during that time from the building area east to
NE Rodney. During this time the traffic lane on NE Knott on the Dishman Community Center
side of the street will remain open for the entire block. The sidewalk on the Dishman Community
Center side of the street will also remain open throughout the project.
Q. Will access to Dishman Community Center be affected?
A. The approved traffic management plans for the project should allow full access to Dishman
Community Center during the project. The traffic lane closest to the community center on NE
Knott will remain open, which will provide access to the pull-out area in front of Dishman. Both
lanes on NE Knott between the entrance and exit to the parking lot and N. Williams Ave. will also
remain open.
Q. What other changes will take place at the substation as part of the project?
A. The existing chain link fence around the entire substation will be replaced with a black
wrought iron high-security fence that should be more attractive and provide better security.
Q. Who can I contact with questions or if an issue comes up during the project?
A. RiverLine Power – Project Manager – Dylan Stoller – 360-360-2611
Pacific Power – Regional Business Manager – Bob Gravely – 503-568-3174
