Common Areas
The common areas at The Elizabeth Lofts are appointed beautifully in the style of the architectural and design features inherent in the building itself. There is a main lobby area that is the hub of the building, as well as a community room, natural gas grill, postal area, and other interior features.
Perhaps the most impressive and appreciated of all the common areas at The Elizabeth is our plaza at the west side of the building. There you will find a park-like atmosphere for residents and Portlandiers to enjoy mature trees, cool pavers, beautiful landscaping, as well as the Lovejoy Columns.
The Lovejoy Columns supported the Lovejoy Ramp, a viaduct that from 1927 to 1999 that carried the western approach to the Broadway Bridge over the freight tracks in what is now the Pearl District. The columns were painted by Greek immigrant Tom Stefopoulos between 1948 and 1952. In 1999, the viaduct was demolished but the columns were spared due to the efforts of the architectural group Rigga. For the next five years, attempts to restore the columns were unsuccessful and they remained in storage beneath the Fremont Bridge.
In 2005, two of the original columns were resited at the plaza of The Elizabeth Lofts at NW 10th Avenue between Everett and Flanders Streets. The Regional Arts & Culture Council was searching for photographs showing the murals in their original location for an ongoing restoration project. In 2006, Randy Shelton reconstructed the artworks on the columns using the photographs for reference.