597 N Dekum Street

Years: 1988 - 1990

HOUSE OF LIGHT

HEARING SET FOR AIDS HOSPICE < HOUSE OF LIGHT PROPOSAL TO HELP ADULT VICTIMS, HIV-POSITIVE KIDS< INVOLVES ROSEMONT SCHOOL SITE December 13, 1988 | Oregonian, The Author/Byline: JAMES MAYER “A proposal to use the Rosemont School site in North Portland as a nursing home and hospice for AIDS patients will come before a Portland land-use hearings officer Tuesday.
House of Light Inc., a non-profit organization, purchased the 7.6-acre site at 597 North Dekum St. in November from the Sisters of the Good Shepherd in St. Paul, Minn., for $1.2 million.
Jeri Hendrix, chairwoman of House of Light, said the group would provide residential care for babies and young children who test positive for antibodies to the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS, as well as adults who are suffering from acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
The organization would try to find foster homes for the HIV-positive children, she said. If they contract the disease, they would then move back to the home for the medical care required, Hendricks said.
The group said it planned to remodel a 19,000-square-foot classroom building on the property, which was formerly known as Villa St. Rose, at a cost of about $800,000.
The organization also plans to remodel a 40,000-square-foot, four-story former convent building for administrative, counseling and educational services. Plans also call for additional work on a 31,000-square-foot laundry building on the property.
Villa St. Rose was built in 1916 by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd as an industrial school for girls. The original convent building included dormitories, eating areas and classrooms. The laundry building was added shortly after Villa St. Rose opened and was operated by students to help offset the school's operating expenses.
A new building with eight classrooms, private offices and a gymnasium was completed in 1945, and a swimming pool was added in 1955. Rosemont School has occupied the facility since 1980.
City planner Susan Feldman said the Planning Bureau recommended approval of the request for a conditional-use permit. The hearing will be at 2 p.m. in the Portland Building.
Feldman said the proposal was a positive step for the reuse of the institutional site, and it wouldn't have a major impact on the neighborhood.
The House of Light has agreed to improve North Dekum Street. The plans also call for construction of a 108-car parking lot.
Margaret Regan, chairwoman of the Piedmont Neighborhood Association, said the group voted to postpone a recommendation on the project until January. Because it will miss the land-use hearing by doing so, the association will aim its recommendation toward the state licensing agencies, Regan said.
Although no general recommendation will be made, the association will express a concern at the hearing Tuesday about expansion of the facility into the residential neighborhood, Regan said.
Other neghborhood concerns involve traffic and parking. Worries also have been raised about medical waste, and the funding sources for the House of Light.
Regan said residents are worried that the organization will fail to obtain the money to complete the project after the school moves out.
``Personally, I have no objection to House of Light. I think it's a work of mercy,'' Regan said. She said about 100 people attended a recent open house sponsored by House of Light. ``I think they made great efforts to answer all the questions,'' she said.
Hendricks said the organization was working with the state Children Services Division and the state Health Division on the required licenses. She said the facility would have to comply with all the regulations that apply to any hospital involving medical waste or procedures dealing with infection.
Hendricks said the organization was seeking funds through grants and foundations and planned to develop a donations program.
``Our goal is to be self-sufficient from fees,'' she said.

  • March 6, 1989 by LUCINDA DILLON The Oregonian reported: GROUP PURSUES AMBITIOUS PLAN FOR BIG AIDS HOSPICE

    HouseofLightInc. has a simple goal -- to help babies and adults with the AIDS virus and related disorders get the love they need in a medically sound environment.
    But it has had trouble raising money, and the new organization is struggling to make good the dream to build a huge AIDS hospice in North Portland.
    And while service agencies in Portland support House of Lightand its goals, some wonder if the project is realistic. AIDS experts question whether enough patients.”

  • July 1990, Just Out newspaper reported, “Problems plaque House of Light”

The problems with funding etc. continued into August 1990 per Just Out. See below.

Further research needs to be done. No further articles have been found in the rest of 1989 in The Oregonian as well as no further were found in Just Out except the ones above.