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Kevin Cavenaugh must get a kick out of starting arguments.
Two years ago, the founder of Portland's Guerrilla Development unveiled the Fair-Haired Dumbbell, the mixed-use complex at the east end of the Burnside Bridge with sloping roofs and a psychedelic paint job straight out of a Dr. Seuss ayahuasca trip. Depending on whom you ask, the building is either a quirky bright spot on a rapidly homogenizing skyline or an affront to the concept of architecture itself.
Related: Portland Finally Has Architecture Worth Arguing About.
His next project is poised to draw similar reactions. Dubbed the "Tree Farm," the six-story office building at Southeast 3rd Avenue and Morrison Street already attracts rubberneckers on the Morrison Bridge, and its main accoutrement isn't even visible yet: 70 self-irrigated strawberry trees, which will eventually sprout from steel planters positioned above and below each window.
As Cavenaugh told Portland Monthly, he expects the end result to look like "a big-ass Chia pet." It's slated for completion this spring.
1. Because we're creating new neighborhoods…
2. Because we made voting even easier…
3. Because a doomed building is now a temporary work of art…
4. Because we're still No. 1 in semi-factual superlatives…
5. Because you can finally get a beer for less than $10 at Moda Center…
6. Because our news anchors don't take crap from internet trolls…
8. Because we are the champions of cyclocross…
11. Because we're turning wastewater into beer…
14. Because we let you stop and smell the weed…
15. Because we're a world hub for slap-tagging…
16. Because even Texans are impressed by our barbecue…
17. … and you can get almost any style of pizza here…
18. … and also, we've perfected the soy curl…
19. Because we're dedicated to keeping our strippers healthy and limber…
20. Because our gynecologists are building a better speculum…
21. Because our airport keeps getting more awesome…
22. …and so does Movie Madness…
23. Because we're making Halloweens more inclusive…
24. Because the city's most daring developer is growing strawberry fields in the sky…
25. Because we're bringing the pay phone back, minus the "pay" part…
27. Because hardcore foosball players finally have a home…
28. Because we're home to the largest astrology school in the United States…
29. Because this is the best place in the country to be a witch…
30. Because we believe no kitty should be left behind…
31. Because the barred owls are taking over…
32. Because the best Trail Blazer in history is playing in front of us…