Randy Leonard wants to renovate a historic architectural building in Waterfront Park and lease it to the Rose Festival for offices for $1 a year. The building was originally designed by the modernist Oregon architect John Yeon, and showcased at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

YEON BUILDING: Back in the '50s, and in the future...

The cheap deal for the Rose Festival folks has caused some controversy, because the building was once slated for use by a bike rental company. It's also unclear to others what business Leonard's water bureau has, playing landlord for a property that belonged to the city's parks bureau until yesterday.

But there's no doubt that the history of the building holds special historic interest. Local architecture critic Randy Gragg delivered a presentation to council yesterday detailing the architectural history of the building that you might be interested in watching. Click on yesterday's AM session...the part you're interested is at 124mins-138mins, for the context by Commissioner Leonard, then 138-151mins, for the interesting architectural stuff.

I'm not sure, if I were Yeon, that I'd want the big neon rose on the roof. But I would be pleased that council seems to be finally recognizing, and caring for, a work of international architectural renown.