The University of Oregon’s new Portland digs are a few steps closer to a grand opening.

Work is underway to house UO programs in the White Stag Block by spring 2008. The structure, at 70 N.W. Couch St., is made up of the White Stag Building and portions of the adjacent Bickel and Skidmore buildings.

Recent touch ups to the Bickel’s historic wrought iron castings and a fresh, six-color paint job on the Skidmore are some of the most visible strides of the renovations process,said Terri Warpinski, UO vice provost of academic affairs and community engagement.

Less visible to passersby are the completion of seismic reinforcements and the installation of environmentally friendly upgrades such as energy-efficient windows and a 10,000-gallon storm water retention tank designed to control the facility’s runoff.

Academic programs and the library will begin setting up operations in the complex in early 2008. A grand opening for the entire White Stag Block is slated for the spring. With close to 90,000 square feet of available space, the new Portland facility will unite all of the university’s Portland-based academic programs in one place with the exception of the Oregon Executive MBA program, which will remain at 200 Southwest Market St., ste. L101. The White Stag Block will be able to host lectures, exhibits and other public events.

The new location will include numerous state-of-the-art classrooms, labs and studios, new event space for up to 250 people, a new library for architecture and journalism programs, and a new university book store and Duck Shop, which will also feature a café. In addition, the new facility will house administrative offices for seventy-five to 100 employees, including AHA International, a study-abroad program provider that operates under the auspices of the University of Oregon.

The UO won’t be Old Town/Chinatown’s only new tenant in coming years. Mercy Corps, an international aid agency, plans to move into a site neighboring the UO’s in the Skidmore Building.

In addition, the Bill Naito Company, which turned over the keys to the White Stag Building to the UO in fall 2006, has partnered with Beam Development to launch an aggressive campaign to redevelop up to 500,000 square feet in a nine-block area of the Old Town/Chinatown neighborhood. The Oregon College of Oriental Medicine announced in March a commitment to move into the area, as well.

The university is blazing the trail for other high-profile tenants, said Warpinski.

“The university’s leading the way to bring Old Town/Chinatown back to life,” she said. “But the University of Oregon will not be alone. A host of other businesses and organizations are reinvesting or being attracted to the area.”