Portland State Magazine, Spring 2021

Taking to 10 the Sky In 1966, the architectural frm Campbell, Michael and Yost came in with a “daring” approach to expanding Portland State that featured twice as many buildings and numerous skybridges, mod- eled after the University of Illinois at Chicago.Tat was too much for the Portland Development Commission, says Ellen Shoshkes, urban studies and planning adjunct faculty. “Tey balked at the skybridges.” Over the course of several years, though, plans for Portland State’s expansion continued to shift and refne, ultimately resulting in a skybridge network connecting seven buildings that contained nearly half of the University’s classrooms, as well as ofces, storage and two parking structures. Te frst skybridge opened in 1970. Installing a skybridge network signaled a new focus on pedestrian access and safety—at the time, even the Park Blocks were not yet closed to cars—and a marked shift away from vehicle-focused design. —KATY SWORDFISK UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES Portland State in 1960, where he taught for 13 years. His students included many of Oregon’s sculpture luminaries —James Lee Hansen, Manuel Izquierdo, Charles Kelly, Lee Kelly and Donald Wilson—creating a lasting cultural legacy. His works adorn spaces throughout Portland, including Council Crest Park, the Portland Art Museum and Temple Beth Israel. At the statue’s dedication, Littman thanked the city for the newly installed refecting pool and benches “that we may on some nice summer afternoon, sit here and contemplate the changing patterns of light and shadows as the sun moves slowly around the sculpture and brings it to life.” —KAREN O’DONNELL STEIN The Nude 11 in the Park Blocks While strolling the Park Blocks, it’s hard to miss the sculpture of a semi-reclining nude in the angular refecting pool across from Cramer Hall. “Farewell to Orpheus,” by the late Professor Frederic Littman, was installed in 1973 as part of urban renewal eforts that transformed the South Park Blocks into a pedestrian-only zone. Dedicated in 1975, the cast-bronze sculp- ture captures the moment when Eurydice—wife of Orpheus, the mythical Greek prophet—is forced to return to the underworld. Eurydice’s fate is the unfortunate result of Orpheus’ love; after she dies of a snakebite, he persuades Hades, the god of the underworld, to release her. Hades’ only condition is that Orpheus avert his eyes from her until they reach the land of the living. When Orpheus steals a glance, she is ripped away forever. Frederic Littman was one of Oregon’s most infuential artists. Born in Hungary in 1907, he enrolled at prestigious fne arts schools in Budapest and Paris, but like many Jewish artists, was forced to fee Nazi persecution as World War II began. He landed in New York in 1940 and joined SPRING 2021 // 27