Caffe Viale

 

Caffe Viale’s newest cafe is an adaptive reuse of an original 1978 bus shelter on the Downtown Portland Transit Mall. Original features of the shelter (the last one of its kind) were preserved, with subtle additions designed to have minimal visual impact. Sliding glass doors on each side of the shelter maintain the transparency and openness of the original design, while allowing it to be secured after hours. Steel and glass countertops on both the sidewalk and street sides provide a place for customers to enjoy their coffee and conversation while under the protection of the shelter’s iconic curved glass roof. Caffe Viale’s bus shelter cafe has become a small but potent urban engine, energizing both the streetscape and pedestrians, while preserving a chapter of Portland’s transit history.