In less than two weeks, the eclectic Spoken Moto watering hole in Bend will be scooped up, put on a flatbed and driven the 1.5 miles to Second Street and Hawthorne Avenue, where it will get a second chance to serve up a cup of joe.

Through an agreement with the Portland owners of Spoken Moto, Kurt Alexander, a Bend developer, will begin the process of moving the building and rebuilding it at a new site called The Catalyst. Alexander is working through plans to build an event space and food court anchored by Spoken Moto, which was slated to be torn down to make way for a 315-unit residential and retail development project.

“We’re bringing back the Spoken Moto vibe in an area that is called the Central District,” said Alexander, who owns Petrich Properties and is the developer of the Second Street food pod where Spoken Moto will be relocated to. “Right now people drive right through this area.”

Through the help of a $450,000 Visit Bend Sustainability Grant, Alexander is able to preserve a piece of Bend’s past and anchor his event space and food truck pod. The move is slated to begin on March 18. Once the building is cut from its foundation on Industrial Way, it will be trucked to the new location and be suspended over the site until a new foundation is built, Alexander said.

Spoken Moto has become such a dynamic place for the Bend community, said Michelle Andersen, CEO of Sortis Holdings coffee businesses. During the temporary closure, staff is working to preserve the structure and spirit of the business, Anderson said. 

The Spoken Moto building was called the Pine Shed and was used as a mechanic repair shop for mill trucks and equipment when Bend was a booming lumber-mill town, according to the Deschutes County Historical Society. In 2015, Killian Pacific, a Washington developer, rehabilitated it along with the box factory.

“Reclaiming the historic Pine Shed from its roots as a simple storage warehouse into what it is now —a dynamic gathering space for friendship, coffee and creativity —has been instrumental to Spoken Moto’s story,” Andersen said. 

 Breezie Deese, a manager of Spoken Moto, said she was so happy it wasn’t goodbye. 

 “We’ve known the housing development was coming,” Deese said. “We searched and realized that there was nothing we could move into that would maintain the brand, the old grimy and eclectic look.”

That was until Alexander stepped in. Alexander is president of the Bend Central District Business Association, and sees this area as a second downtown, a place that can attract music talent, farmers markets and other events. Bend’s Central District is part of plan that includes bike routes, street trees and wider sidewalks that create a home for mix-used residential and commercial building similar to downtown Portland.

“We are excited to support the development of The Catalyst in the Bend Central District, a bustling community meeting and gathering place,” said Kevney Dugan, Visit Bend CEO. “Re-homing Spoken Moto is a meaningful way to pay tribute to Bend’s past as a logging town. Those who live in and visit Bend will greatly benefit from this project as it aligns with our city’s goals to create a complete community in the Bend Central District.”

The plan for this area is to create a synergy that complements downtown and is a draw for visitors and residents, Alexander said. Having an established business to anchor The Catalyst hub will help the space thrive, he said.

Spoken Moto is now owned by Top Dead Center LLC, according to Oregon Secretary of State filings. It was founded by Brian Gingerich and Steve Buettner in 2015 as a motorcycle repair shop and evolved to include coffee, beer and kombucha.

“This corner is important to connecting Second Street and downtown,” Alexander said. “The larger goal is how we connect the west side to the east side. The parkway and the railroad tracks are scars through our city. One way is to build connectivity and the Bend Central District is the best way to build that in.”

The city has big plans for the Central District area. The city purchased the former Rainbow Motel on Franklin Avenue to address the needs of a transitional shelter in the short term, but with a long view as the future site of city hall, which is now on NW Wall Street.

“This move (of Spoken Moto) is one of the many upcoming exciting investments in Bend’s core area,” said Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler. “Small businesses are often pioneers in redeveloping areas and I think Spoken Moto will be a great addition to this already vibrant neighborhood.”

Daniel Elder, Campfire Hotel general manager, is excited that an event space and food pod will be adjacent to the hotel. The hotel is in the process of planning an on-site restaurant called Fire on the Mountain, a hot wings shop that has locations in Portland and Denver. But The Catalyst space will offer hotel guests a short walk to all kinds of activities, Elder said. Currently guests can walk to the Humm Kombucha taproom or Oregon Spirit Distillers, both of which are located on Second Street.

“It will be great for us and for the rest of the Bend Central District,” Elder said. “It will be fantastic and provide an opportunity for collaboration. Spoken Moto fits the brand in the community and vibe of the Central District.”