Welcome to the ‘New’ Benson Polytechnic High School

Sept. 19, 2024.

By: Fred Leeson

Visitors to Benson Polytechnic High School

It would be wonderful to think that the hundreds of people who lined up to tour the renovated Benson Polytechnic High School were all dedicated preservationists.

More accurately, the visitors were mostly Benson grads from many decades who returned “home,” so to speak, to see what was new and what remained of the school they once attended.  Indeed, there was plenty of old AND new as the public got its first look at the sixth Portland high school to undergo thorough renovation.

For sure, the costly renovation was a preservation victory that will allow the building completed in 1916 to achieve many more years of vocational and pre-college education.  The most historic parts of the building – the foyer, west wing, gymnasium and auditorium -- retain their historic look and feel.

Benson foyer

Several ancillary buildings that were added periodically over the years on the eastern side of the main hall were removed and replaced by new facilities including an attractive outdoor plaza between the historic wing and the new additions.

“They did take out a lot of history,” said one alum who graduated in 2000.  Regardless, she was pleased that the historic wing was carefully restored and reinforced for earthquake protection.

Benson auditorium

It is a lesson that preservationists wish the Portland School Board would apply at the historic Cleveland High School in Southeast Portland.  The school board has voted to demolish Cleveland and replace it with a new building.  A better model is the sort of careful preservation/renovation projects already carried out Benson and at Grant, Roosevelt, Franklin, and McDaniel High Schools.

School district voters have yet to consider a bond measure that would pay for the Cleveland project.  In the meantime, preservation advocates hope there is still a chance for the school board to change its mind, especially if a preservation/renovation plan comes in with a better price tag.

In the meantime, take a careful look at Benson the next time you drive buy.  The building has been a valued piece of East Portland history for 108 years, and well worth keeping for its bygone architectural style and the countless memories created within it. 

New plaza looking east

Fred Leeson is a former president of the Bosco-Milligan Foundation and a member of the foundation's Board of Advisors.