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Join El Dorado as they talk about their Parrott Creek project, a 2023 OAA Citation Award Recipient.

Parrott Creek sits on a 80-acre site consisting of 12,000 square feet of recently demolished buildings that had reached their lifespan with the majority of the land, which includes wetlands, creeks, meadows, and forest, preserved as a resource for nature therapy, indigenous environmental stewardship, and community access. The project team is uniquely incorporating a “trauma-informed design” approach that addresses the relational healing impact between the landscape, spatial design, and the young residents. This design philosophy aims to reduce stressors and create a deeper connection to nature and the environment, where residents can stabilize their lives, develop skills, and foster hope and success.

Speakers

Elisandra Garcia
Director of Engagement, El Dorado

Elisandra Garcia, as the Director of Engagement and Project Designer at El Dorado Architects, brings a wealth of experience in design justice, which is deeply rooted in her personal journey, activism, and education. Born and raised in Ciudad Juárez, México, Elisandra Garcia's background as a first-generation Mexican immigrant and a proud member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community has been an influential force driving her passion for social justice. Her formative years in a border town have afforded her a unique perspective on the profound impacts of urban design, community development, and architecture.

Elisandra holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Texas Tech University and a Master of Architecture with Honors from Washington University in St. Louis. With over a decade of experience in community and stakeholder engagement, coupled with a diverse portfolio of activist and engagement projects spanning both sides of the US-Mexico border, Elisandra stands as an emerging designer, educator, and scholar specializing in Social and Environmental Justice. Elisandra became the Design for Spatial Justice Fellowship recipient from the University of Oregon in 2021 to 2023. Currently, she continues to play a pivotal role as an educator and founder of the Urban Violence Laboratory in Portland. Her commitment to advancing the field of architecture and social justice led her to join the El Dorado Portland office in 2022. Within her role at El Dorado, Elisandra spearheads Engagement and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) metrics. In addition to her work at the firm and university, she holds the position of Fellow at the National Dean’s Equity and Inclusion Initiative with Dumbarton Oaks in Washington DC. Her multifaceted role at El Dorado Architects, coupled with her extensive academic and activist achievements, showcases her profound commitment to the values of inclusivity, equality, and social progress.

David Suttle, AIA
Managing Principal, El Dorado

David Suttle, AIA, is a seasoned architect with a career spanning more than three decades. He has overseen the design and construction of a wide variety of buildings in locations ranging from Texas to New England, Los Angeles to British Columbia, and many places in between. Since 2003 David has been based in Portland, further developing his diverse experience and contributing to important cultural works in the Pacific Northwest.

David has been instrumental in the creation of several notable projects in the Portland area. He has served as project architect throughout design and construction of the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in downtown Beaverton; the Ferment brewery, restaurant and office building on the Hood River waterfront; the Portland Fire & Rescue Station 21 on the Willamette River; and the Pink Martini World Headquarters in Portland's Old Town. His portfolio also features the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Texas; renovations to a 100 year-old warehouse complex in St. Louis, Missouri; and a stainless steel pavilion at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston, Massachusetts.

David's ability to balance a project's timeline and budget with the aspirations of the client has been a hallmark of his work. He consistently delivers buildings that meet the needs and expectations of their users. David's meticulous attention to detail and his love for the collaborative nature of construction have made him a trusted partner to clients, contractors, consultants, and coworkers alike.

Currently, David is serving as the managing principal on Parrott Creek Child and Family Services, a residential counseling and recovery center for traumatized youth in Clackamas County, Oregon. This project exemplifies his dedication to creating environments that support and enhance the well-being of their occupants.

David’s extensive experience, combined with his passion for timeless design and collaborative execution, ensures that his projects are not only functional and beautiful, but also deeply responsive to the needs of their communities.

Autumn Martinez
Cultural Ecologist, Parrott Creek

Autumn Martinez has a background in applied anthropology, archaeology, history, environmental science, and sustainability. Her work centers on the intersection of cultural preservation and environmental sustainability. She is Mexican-American and was raised in Northern California before relocating to Portland to attend Portland State University. She continually seeks to create collaborative spaces that honor heritage and promote environmental sustainability.
Autumn is a Cultural Ecologist at Parrott Creek where she's building on her experience as an Archaeological Field Technician and researcher in Anthropology. She has been supporting the Cultural Ecology project at Parrott Creek with the guidance of Ameyalli Ferguson-Mañon, founder of the project.

About the Cultural Ecology Project:

This project first began in 2020 after Clackamas county transferred ownership of 80 acres of land to Parrott Creek’s private ownership, which opened up many exciting possibilities. Together with a team of Indigenous ecologists from Friends of Tryon Creek, we decided to focus on restoring it to be an ecologically and culturally functioning site as a trauma-healing opportunity for the youth, the community and the land. 
These 80 acres in rural Oregon City feature mixed coniferous forest, an upper grassland prairie, Parrott Creek and one of its unnamed tributaries, as well as a large wetlands area. Parrott Creek is itself a major tributary to Beaver Creek and the Willamette River, flowing in just above Willamette Falls. Historically, these subwatersheds have been known to have populations of juvenile cutthroat, steelhead, coho, lamprey and other anadromous species. Besides providing a home for fish, our project area is also used by amphibians, beavers, coyotes, birds of prey, water fowl, deer, and small mammals.

After millenia of careful land management, gathering, and harvesting by Indigenous peoples, there exists today very limited access to natural areas for cultural use due to colonization. This project hopes to provide such a space, as well as public access for outdoor therapy, environmental education and community engagement centering a culture of environmental stewardship. The Cultural Ecology Project aligns with our overall organizational goal of providing culturally responsive services by ensuring that this work be guided and led by the people and communities who are the experts. Together, we wish to restore the ecosystems at this site to accommodate whole families for gathering, learning, and healing. This plan will be built with the goal of establishing an intact natural area for community use by our social service collective and the BIPOC communities, with a particular focus on the Indigenous community of the Portland Metro area.