NCNM Campus
NCNM's building was constructed in 1912 as an elementary school in the Portland Public Schools (PPS) system, named Failing School, as a replacement for an 1883-built wooden school building with that name, located about two blocks away (torn down in 1922). It was designed by Whitehouse & Fouilhoux, the architectural firm of Morris H. Whitehouse and Jacques Fouilhoux. A distinctive feature is the sundial, instead of a traditional clock, adorning the south façade near the roof.
Failing School closed in spring 1959, and starting in fall 1959 the building was used by PPS for a vocational training program for graduates. In 1961, this program was renamed Portland Community College and the building renamed the Adult Education Center. The building was extensively renovated in 1964 for expansion of PCC's vocational programs. In 1971, by which time PCC was independent of PPS, the latter sold the building to PCC, and the community college continued to use it for several years, later calling it Ross Island Center.
In June 1996, Bill Naito's company, H. Naito Corporation, purchased the building from PCC, with tentative plans to convert it into condominiums, with Bill Naito saying that part of his motivation was to save the historic structure. Naito died suddenly in May 1996, and the plans to convert the building were dropped as being too costly. A few months later, in September 1996, the Naito Corp. sold the building to the National College of Naturopathic Medicine.
Read more about this topic: National College Of Natural Medicine