If you’ve been to Northeast Alberta Street in the last couple of years, you might have noticed the entire block construction site between Northeast 11th and 12th avenues, across from the Radio Room. This is Cascada , which is not pronounced like you‘ve probably been saying it, adding an “ah” sound to the English word “cascade.” Actually, it’s the Spanish word for “waterfall,” pronounced “kas-ka-da.
” That name makes sense when you see the space, even if the waterfalls and fountains aren’t yet operational. Cascada is a project from developer and general contractor SolTerra in collaboration with LEVER Architecture, the firm behind the Adidas headquarters expansion and many other projects in Portland and across the country. A luxury hotel and spa on Northeast Alberta is perhaps an expected turn in the rapid gentrification of a neighborhood that once was the center of life for many Black and Latino families in Portland .
But it will be a first for the neighborhood, which has long been a shopping and eating destination for locals and tourists. Cascada will be part hotel, set to open sometime in 2005, and part wellness spa, likely opening mid-November, according to Danya Feltzin, SolTerra executive vice president. Cascada will also have several retail outlets, a restaurant, juice bar and coffee shop.
That coffee shop, a collaboration with Deadstock Coffee , is set to open Friday. But the main attraction will likely be the pools, of which there are many. First.
