Director

<p>Portlandia was inspired by the city seal of Portland, which features a woman dressed in a flowing gown welcoming traders into the city's port. The pose of the figure was considered somewhat controversial at the time, but&nbsp;Kaskey nevertheless won the Henry Hering Medal from the National Sculpture Society for his work. Portlandia remains the sole intellectual property of Kaskey and cannot be reproduced in any commercial form without his permission.&nbsp;</p><p>Since 1985, there have been numerous campaigns to relocate the sculpture to a more visible area. Many argue that the sculpture is hidden and often ignored by residents and visitors because it is situated several stories above ground level. Each time Kaskey has refused to allow Portlandia to be relocated, citing that the piece was designed specifically for that location. The figure is maintained by the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC), which oversees art-related activity throughout the greater Portland metropolitan area.<br></p>

"Walking Portland, Oregon" by Sybilla Avery Cook-- Please see the link below for more information 

Book

Why the Portlandia statue failed to become an icon.

More Info

Video

Since its dedication in 1985, this sculpture was intended to become an iconic symbol of the city of Portland. Despite being 26 feet tall and the second-largest hammered copper sculpture in the US, it's quite easy to miss as one walks past the Portland Building because it has been placed on the building's facade above street level and a large awning. Sculptor Reymond Kaskey designed Portlandia to reflect its nautical heritage and included the provision that no one could use the sculpture or its image in any commercial fashion. Perhaps befitting its nautical message of welcoming commerce to the port city, the sculpture was crafted in Maryland and arrived in Portland's port in 1985. At the same time, there is great irony that a statue honoring commerce cannot be depicted by any commercial firm-a fact that has prevented the statue's likeness from adorning postcards, t-shirts, and other items that might lead to more people seeing the statue as a symbol of the city. 

Portlandia 

This short tour starts at the iconic Portlandia sculpture and includes numerous historical buildings, museums, and landmarks as it winds its way west and north through some of the most interesting and historic parts of the city. 

Portlandia Walking Tour: Highlights of Downtown Portland

Contributor

<p>The Ambassador is one of the oldest and most celebrated residences in Portland. Built in 1922, it was designed by famed Northwest architect Carl L. Lind and is listed on the National Record of Historic places. Ownership of the building was transferred several times and in 1978 the Ambassador Apartments were converted to condominiums.</p><p>The nine-story building is built in Jacobean style – an early phase of English renaissance architecture with a free and fanciful use of columnns, pilasters, round-arch arcades and flat roofs with openwork parapets -- featuring Columbian brick facing and cast Boise sandstone trim. It features tiers of bay windows and a crenelated parapet in the eastern recess. Noted lighting designer Fred C Baker designed the original exterior lighting fixtures located in the entrance recesses on either side of the front door. The front door with sidelights is also original.</p><p>The building is “H” shaped. The ground floor contains commercial units in the verticals of the “H” while the cross bar contains residential common areas. The front hall contains elevators and stairways while the back hall features an office, mail-room, guest room and manager’s apartment. The basement includes a laundry room, bicycle storage room and individual storage units. The building also features controlled access and a rooftop deck available to all residents.</p><p>Originally, the upper eight floors offered 6 units per floor – three in every vertical – each with two bedrooms and one bath. Due to alterations, there are currently 45 residential units including 1 studio, 3 one-bedroom units, 33 two-bedroom units and 8 three-bedroom units. Most units have been remodeled from the original footprint and no two are alike.</p><p>The Ambassador is located in downtown’s Cultural District, near the Portland Art Museum, Park Blocks and Portland State University. The light rail and streetcar are conveniently located within a short walking distance.</p>

The Ambassador is one of the oldest and most celebrated residences in Portland. Built in 1922, it was designed by famed Northwest architect Carl L. Lind and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Ownership of the building was transferred several times throughout the 20th century. Most recently, the Ambassador was converted to condominiums in 1978. 

The Ambassador

<p>The
University Club was officially founded in May 1898 as an elite male society,
inspired by many such gentlemen’s clubs in vogue throughout the city and in
London’s West End. However, unlike many similar clubs in the city women were
allowed to become members almost as soon as the club opened. However, many
chose not to join – partly due to the imbalance (or in some respects complete
lack) of facilities catering to them. “Women” were restricted to the wives of
male members, and they had to access their area of the building by a separate
entrance. To this day many parts of the building remain “male-only”. After its
founding, the club moved between temporary and a series of purpose-built venues
for their events, until a growing number of members forced them to seek a
larger space. </p>

<p>Two
exceptional architects were commissioned to build the structure. Morris Homans
Whitehouse was born in Portland in 1867, and studied architecture at MIT. After
a series of apprenticeships he met the engineer J. Andre Fouilhoux. Born in
Paris in 1879, Fouilhoux had studied at the Sorbonne and the Ecole Centrale des
Arts et Manufacterers before immigrating to the United States in 1904. Together
they founded an architectural firm that would go on to design many notable
buildings in the city, including the Gearhart Hotel, the Federal Courthouse,
and the Multnomah Stadium. They even assisted Trowbridge and Livingston in the
designs for the Oregon State Capital in 1936.</p>

<p>Construction
began in 1912 and was completed the following year. Whitehouse and Fouilhoux designed
the University club in a Jacobean (also known as Jacobethan) Revival style. It
features many characteristics inspired by 17th century English buildings,
but fuses these with Renaissance influences. The structure is made of dark red
masonry laid in an English bond, with internal steel supports holding up the
gabled roof of asbestos shingles. The ground plan is square in form, and four
stories high. It features handsome oriels and Palladian windows, and above the
front entrance pediment can be spotted the club’s initials carved into the
brickwork. </p>

<p>Entering
from the north east, visitors can admire the “Muller Mosaic Floor” of ruddy
ceramic tiles depicting heraldic insignia. The walls are covered in fir panels
and finished with an eggshell plaster. On the ground floor was the lounging
room, which contained a marvelous marble fireplace with dark stained-fir
mantelpiece. This leads into the card and domino room, which features an
intricately carved rosette at the center of the ceiling. The basement contains
the boiler closet and wine storage, in addition to further spaces for
socializing and recreation, including a billiard room and card room. On the
first floor is a medievalesque bar for the male members, known as the “Tap
Room”. It is fitted with a grand Baronial-style fireplace and a mock clerestory
encircling the room.&nbsp; The women’s area
consisted of a reception hall, dining room, and lounge on the first floor. The
dining room was particularly beautiful, hung with wallpaper showing scenes from
life in Ancient Rome. The second floor has a large hall leading into lounges,
the reading room – complete with its original opal glass and bronze
incandescent lighting – and the writing room. The main dining room is also
accessible from here, easily the most striking room in the building.&nbsp;&nbsp; The space is two stories high, with a
beautiful inlaid hardwood floor, central Elizabethan balcony, and ceiling
supported by imposing timber beams.&nbsp; The
upper two stories were used as bedrooms during the club’s early days, and also
contained a two-story squash court.</p>

<p>The
University Club is in an excellent condition, having remained fully operational
since its origins. Limited modifications have been made to the interior: the
squash court was converted into the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning
unit in the 1950s, and an additional bar was installed in the 1960s. It serves
as a fine location from which to explore nearby attractions, including the
Ambassador, Paramount Theatre, the Ladd Carriage House, Portland City Hall, and
the Federal Courthouse – also designed by Whitehouse and Fouilhoux.</p>

Located in Portland's downtown core is the University Club, designed by the well known Portland-based architecture firm, Whitehouse & Fouilhoux. Erected in 1913, this building served as an all-male social space for the city's elite. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in July 1979

University Club

The carriage house stands as a reminder of Portland's early history as it transitioned from frontier town to a modern city, of which the carriage house's owner, William Ladd, served as its 5th (and youngest) mayor from 1854-55, and for another six months as temporary mayor in 1859. Like numerous people who made their fortunes in Portland in the late 19th century, the story begins with a journey from the east to San Francisco as part of the gold rush. Once that dream of finding gold failed to materialize, the Portland potential lured Ladd, as it did many,&nbsp;to Portland. &nbsp;<br><br>Ladd arrived in Portland with little money, but upon selling a box of liquor -- for $2,000 -- he had previously procured, he was able to open a general store, serving a need for a town boasting of less than 850 people and&nbsp;had only been given its charter from the territorial board three months prior -- but &nbsp;town growth seemed imminent. Those meager beginnings led to numerous other business ventures that speak volumes about Portland's early history; he invested in such industries as&nbsp;lumber, railroads, mills, steamships, and&nbsp;&nbsp;telegraphs.&nbsp;<br><br>Ladd was the founder of the Oregon Iron Works and Oregon Central Railroad Company. He was also the leading spirit and investor behind the Oregon Telegraph Company&nbsp;and the Portland Hotel.&nbsp;Ladd also donated much of his money, considering charity as a tithing and following the Old Testament ideals of tithing one-tenth of his income. He also served as a leader towards founding the &nbsp;Library Association of Portland, including donating the land necessary to build it. Moreover, he helped the town develop the River View Cemetery, as well as the Portland Water Commission, which helped residents enjoy clean water, a necessity for any growing town in the 19th century (and today, obviously).&nbsp;<br><br>By the late 1870s, after serving as the town's mayor and amassing a fortune, he succumb to paralysis. Already a lover of animals, he suddenly found himself in need of them to move around town. With his great wealth, he commissioned builders to construct a lavish carriage house that became an integral part of his large estate&nbsp;<br><br>Ladd's death in 1893 led to a slow erosion of his estate as parts of it were sold off, demolished, and/or repurposed. While his mansion was mansion was demolished, the carriage house was left vacant and fell into disrepair. It was scheduled for demolition in 2007 to make room for the&nbsp;construction of new apartment buildings. Preservationists sprung into action to save the historic building, renovating the structure and seeking a plan for its future usefulness.&nbsp;<br>

The Ladd Carriage house, built in 1883, served William Ladd, the city's 4th mayor who also became the wealthiest businessman in the Pacific Northwest by the 1880s. Ladd donated much of his wealth to charity. After becoming paralyzed in 1876, his horses and carriages was of the utmost importance to Ladd and his attention to their well-being are evident in the design of this carriage house. The building is all that remains from the expansive Ladd estate, which included a large (now demolished) mansion across the street from the carriage house. 

Ladd Carriage House, Portland

<p>The Oregon Historical Society opened its first office and museum in Portland City Hall and began to develop a research library and a historical artifacts collection. In 1917, the society moved into Portland’s Public Auditorium, which is now the Keller Auditorium. In 1966, they moved to its current location at the corner of South West Jefferson and Park in downtown Portland. The artifacts collection consists of over 85,000 artifacts, including ancient objects from the earliest settlements and objects that illustrate exploration in the Oregon Country. These objects also show the growth of business and industry, the development of artwork, crafts, and naval history in the area.&nbsp;The Research Library consists of one of the country’s most widespread collections of state history materials, including maps, books, film or videotape, and other documents. The Research Library’s photographic collections include over 2.5 million images from pre-statehood to the present day.&nbsp;</p><p><span>The <i>Oregon Historical Quarterly</i> journal has been published continuously since 1900. Over 150 books on Oregon history, politics, and culture, as well as biographies, field guides, and exhibit catalogs, have been published by the Oregon Historical Society since the press was established in 1929.&nbsp;The Oregon Historical Society Education Programs include internet resources to enhance classroom curriculum. The programs also include folklife cultural programs that emphasize the diversity and beauty of arts and traditions.</span></p><p>Many artists in Oregon are working to capture and understand the landscape of Oregon through photography. The beauty of Oregon’s landscapes has inspired generations of artists, and these photographers carry forward the human ambition to depict the relationship between their own existence and nature’s elegance. This exhibition features the stirring works of ten contemporary landscape photographers and draws from the Oregon Historical Society’s extensive collections to provide an appropriate examination of the land, its people, and the artists.</p><p>The museum offers many exhibits such as Plastics Unwrapped, Working on the River: A History of Dredging, Oregon My Oregon, Oregon Voices: Change and Challenge in Modern Oregon History,&nbsp;and Clink! A&nbsp;<i>Mini</i>-Taste of Oregon Wine. Plastics Unwrapped discovers how material culture has changed, and it allows people to learn about how life was like before everyone used plastics. Working on the River: A History of Dredging allows you to learn about the people, as well as the machines that were instrumental in Oregon’s geography and history. Oregon My Oregon features important pieces from Oregon’s collection of artifacts. Oregon Voices: Change and Challenge in Modern Oregon History offers information about today’s technology and stories from technology of the past. Clink! A Mini-Taste of Oregon Wine offers a&nbsp;tasting gallery for visitors to taste and learn about wine.&nbsp;</p><span><span> </span> </span>

The Oregon Historical Society opened its first office and museum in Portland City Hall and began to develop a research library and a historical artifacts collection. In 1917, the society moved into Portland’s Public Auditorium, which is now the Keller Auditorium. In 1966, they moved to its current location at the corner of South West Jefferson and Park in downtown Portland. The artifacts collection consists of over 85,000 artifacts, including ancient objects from the earliest settlements and objects that illustrate exploration in the Oregon Country. The museum offers many exhibits such as Plastics Unwrapped, Working on the River: A History of Dredging, Oregon My Oregon, Oregon Voices: Change and Challenge in Modern Oregon History, and Clink! A Mini-Taste of Oregon Wine.

Oregon Historical Society Museum 

<div>Similar to other major cities, Portland was home to an ornate movie palace designed by Chicago's Rapp &amp; Rapp. This theater company once held nearly 400 theaters across the nation. The interwar period for the U.S. coincided with the eventual "roaring twenties," which included &nbsp;a move from vaudeville and nickelodeons to movies -- and opulent movie houses arrived in almost every major city as a result. &nbsp;The "Schniz" opened its doors in 1928.<br><br></div><div>The theater boom began during World War I as motion pictures grew in popularity as an accepted art form. Nickelodeons had catered to busy workers with little means to spend on luxury items. As well, movies were not highly regarded by the middle and upper classes, as they continued to enjoy live theater productions. During World War I, and especially during the Interwar Period, movies received better favor from affluent Americans. Thus, the places that showed the films needed to reflect the needs and desires of those with money to spend, a more common occurrence during the economic growth o of the Roaring Twenties; more than 4,000 movie palaces opened from 1914-1922 alone.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Like many movie palaces that arose during the Interwar Period in America, the Paramount enjoyed a rich design filled with plenty of luxuries. From French-paned windows, crystal chandeliers, and velvet drapes to grand pianos, artwork, marble floors and high-end carpeting; the intricate details were likely awe-inspiring to those entering the facility. The theater also boasted of its exceptionally large candy counter and two lounges, both with paid attendants -- one for men, one for women. Men took advantage of its fireplaces, telephones, radios, and phonographs while women were able to use dressing tables, mirrors, maids, and hairdressers.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The theatre weathered the Great Depression by employing a wide variety of sales gimmicks, such as employing roving musicians and hiring psychics to perform or provide services. During World War II, war bonds were sold at special shows. After World War II, the middle class steadily moved to suburban communities, and television grew immensely popular, leaving movie palaces without many customers.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The Portland theater remained functional through the 1960s, but the palace almost met its demise in 1971 when John Haviland, owner of the Park Haviland Hotel, sought to purchase the block of which the theater sits and promptly demolish it. Public outcry prevented him from moving forward with the demolition. Thus, he leased the hall to a company that specialized in hosting Rock concerts during the 1970s. Famous '70s musicians and bands such as Heart, Tom Petty, and Elvis Costello, played there, but Haviland felt the rent was far too cheap and, instead, proposed to turn the theater into a casino.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>He claimed that he was losing money on the property, notably because, he felt, the youth attending rock concerts did not spend money within the theater. So, in March 1975, Haviland sold the pipe organ, antique furniture, 16th century suit of armor, mirrors, China, Oriental rugs, original oil paintings, lighted gold-leaf music stands, and three grand pianos. Over the course of the next decade, the theater changed hands, fell into disrepair, and eventually the city condemned the building in 1982. A condemnation hearing jury determined that Portland had to pay the owner $4.1 million as compensation for the building; The theater cost $500,000 to build in 1928, but by 2006 had been assessed at more than $32,000,000.00.</div><div><br></div><div>By 1984, the building received a large facelift and renovation, turning it into the music venue that remains in place today. When the performing arts center was opened in 1984, the name changed to the Portland Theatre building after Arlene Schnitzer.</div>

This movie theater opened in 1928 at a time when theaters lined Broadway street. Chicago's architectural firm, Rapp & Rapp, designed this theater and nearly 400 other theaters and movie palaces across the nation during the early 20th century. Today, the historic structure is known as Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. 

The building opened in 1928 as a vaudeville venue, named the Portland Publix Theatre. Two years later the building name changed to the Paramount Theater when the owners reached an agreement with Paramount films to run their movies exclusively. Affectionately referred to as the Schnitz by locals; it stands as a reminder of the Roaring Twenties, a time of economic prosperity, a transition from a rural nation to one dominated by cities, increased leisure time for the white middle class and the influence of Hollywood on American culture. 

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (a.k.a. Portland Publix Theater and Paramount Theatre). 

<p>The
Arlington Club was founded as an elite male society, inspired by the
gentleman’s clubs in vogue during the late 19th Century in London’s
West End. Portland was still a developing city, having only been established on
the western bank of the Willamette River by settlers of the Oregon Trail in the
early 1840s. By the 1859 – when Oregon was admitted into the Union – the city
had grown to a population of about eight hundred, at which point various groups
emerged differentiated by their wealth and social status. Up until the present
day, the clubhouse has served as a center for social gatherings between
bankers, lawyers, utility and business leaders, and railroad moguls.</p>

<p>The Arlington
society was first conceived by thirty five local business and community leaders
in December, 1867. They wished to create an all-male, socially segregated
institution at which the elite of Portland could socialize, relax, and
communicate with one another about the development of the city. Their first
meeting house was located at the J.C. Ainsworth House on Third and Pine, but in
1888 the members decided to fund a permanent club building. This was located at
West Park and Alder, and featured a four-lane bowling alley, coffee shop,
billiard room, and library.</p>

<p>The list of
founding members had around one hundred names, but by 1908 membership had grown
to more than four hundred. Using membership fees (amounting to $200 per
entrance, per night) the club funded the construction of a new, larger
structure at which they could hold their meetings. The building was designed by
Whidden &amp; Lewis, an architectural firm managed by William Marcy Whidden and
Ion Lewis, who are also well-known for having constructed the City Hall and the
Multnomah County Courthouse. Construction finished in 1910, at a cost of $254,000,
during the heyday of the Lewis and Clark Exposition period of development. The
building itself is four stories tall, made of brick and terra cotta. It was
constructed in a neo-classical style.</p>

<p>Membership
was strictly reserved for the city’s elite males. Although they were permitted
to bring female guests into the club each Wednesday evening in the month of
May, women were not allowed become members or be admitted to the building at
other times. However, as the city grew in size and demographic diversity the
Arlington Club began to invite more social groups to attend its social
gatherings. It was only in 1990 that members voted to allow women to join the
society, the first of whom was admitted in March the following year. In 2010
the first female president of the society was elected, in the build up to the
centenary celebration of the club’s founding.</p>

<p>Located at
the center of Portland’s cultural district, the Arlington Club continues to act
as a non-profit meeting place for the city’s most prosperous business leaders. The
mission of the society remains unchanged; it is a place where one can “fraternize
for mutual enjoyment and relaxation" and which provides a “meeting place
for discussing their own and Portland's destiny". Members visiting the
city can rent overnight accommodation at the clubhouse.</p>

This building housed an all-male private club established in 1867. Hundreds of the city's most prominent business owners and bankers were members during the first century of its operation, until it started expanding its membership criteria in the 1960s. The structure itself is a fine example of the Georgian Revival style, designed by local architects Whidden & Lewis. The Arlington Clubhouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in August 2010.

The Arlington Clubhouse

<div>The Jackson Tower, circa 1912, harken back to an era when the newspaper industry enjoyed tremendous popularity. During the decades leading up to, and after, the turn of the 20th, in major cities and frontier lands, written in English and foreign languages for immigrants, newspaper companies appeared in droves. One of those papers, the <i>Oregon Journal,</i> built what became known as the Jackson Tower.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>On July 23, 1902, Sam Jackson purchased the rights to the <i>Portland Evening Journal</i> and merged it with a paper he already managed, the <i>East Oregonian</i>. He subsequently changed the name of the entire operation to the <i>Oregon Journal</i>. As per the norm in the early 20th century, newspapers engaged in competition with other publications Jackson's paper competed with the Oregonian and the Telegram.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The paper's front page, on October 22, 1911, reported its own plans to build the Journal Building (now known as Jackson Tower). One attractive feature involved a two-story-deep basement that housed high-speed presses viewable by onlookers walking by the building; the pressed printed nearly 72,000 newspapers per hour. The <i>Oregon Journal </i>obtained the building permit on December 13, 1911 and by August 19, 1912, the newspaper published its first edition from the new home.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The 1905 Lewis &amp; Clark Exposition had a profound effect on Portland's rise from frontier city to a major metropolis, but it also affected the city's architectural style. The Journal Building employed some of the features emanating from that exposition, notably the use of more than 2,400 25-watt light bulbs to illuminate the building. The most striking visual element to the outside decor involved the large clock tower that rang bells on each quarter hour. The clock remained mechanically operated until 1922 when the Standard Electric Time Company electrified the clock. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The newspaper remained in the building until 1948, when it moved to the larger Public Market Building located near the waterfront, though the building remained the property of the <i>Oregon Journa</i>l. In &nbsp;1951, the building was named Jackson Tower after its founder, C. S. Jackson. However, on July 1, 1958, the Jackson family sold the building to Theodore Bruno who modernized the building, investing over $300,000 in improvements. The renovations to Jackson Tower included updated tenant spaces, a newly designed lobby, a steam-cleaned exterior, and the construction of a 100-car garage in the basement, as well as the installation of high-speed elevators.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The 1970s saw changes to both the building and the newspaper -- the building was sold twice, as was the paper. The building went through several changes and updates throughout the 20th century, but the paper folded in the mid-1980s. The building reminds us all of a time when print newspapers were incredibly influential in American culture -- it was the heyday of print journalism. Today's era is much different, so one can only imagine what is being constructed today that will remains standing in 2117 as a reminder of the current digital news era.&nbsp;</div>

Named for Charles Jackson, the founder of the building's original tenant, the now defunt Oregon Journal, the building opened its doors in 1912. The newspaper remained in the building until 1948, when it moved to larger quarters -- the former Portland Public Market building on the Portland waterfront. The building's most striking feature is the impressive clock tower, a common feature of newspaper buildings of the early 20th century.  

The Jackson Tower Building

Completed in 1875, Pioneer Courthouse is the second-oldest federal courthouse in the American West and has served as a symbol of the city of Portland for nearly a century-and-a-half.&nbsp;Daniel Lownsdale used a large supply of leather in exchange as he purchased the land where the courthouse stands from Portland founding&nbsp;fathers Asa Lovejoy and Francis Pettygrove in 1848. The federal government purchased the land two decades later for the purpose of building this courthouse and transferring the federal court in this area from Salem to Portland. Construction occurred between 1869 and 1875.<br><br>The building has been home to hundreds of important decisions in federal cases involving land and other property disputes, Native American treaties, railroads, laws regarding immigration and the infamous 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, mining, timber and forestry, and banking and commerce. One of the more interesting cases of the early 20th century heard at this courthouse, the Ninth Circuit judges found that students had a constitutional right to attend a parochial school in a 1923 case where leaders of the KKK attempted to abolish Catholic schools. Ten years later, this was the court where federal cases related to the exclusion of Japanese-American citizens and immigrants were heard. The court sent two cases to the US Supreme Court, which decided that the federal government could detain and relocate Japanese-American citizens in a pair of cases that have since been overturned.&nbsp;<br><br>Numerous U.S. Presidents have toured the building, including Benjamin Harrison, Theodore Roosevelt, and William Howard Taft. The building was supposed to be demolished and replaced by a newer structure in the 1940s. However, owing to the outbreak of World War II, the 1939 federal law authorizing the demolition of the courthouse and construction of a new facility was delayed and residents decided to preserve the building in the interim.&nbsp;

The Pioneer Courthouse is the oldest extant federal building in the Pacific Northwest. The planning phase for the building began in 1869 as architects E.B. St. John and John H. Holman worked together to design the structure. This Italianate courhouse was completed in 1875 and remains one of the most significant landmarks in the city of Portland.  

Pioneer Courthouse, Portland

<div>Currently known as the 620 Building, the 12-story building emerged during Portland's rapid expansion following the success of the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of the famous exploration team's arrival. Originally erected as a six-story building in 1907, six more stories were added in 1913. Its presence within Portland's modern landscape stands as a reminder of Portland's 1905-1915 economic book, as well as the prominence of its namesake, the Failing family.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition attracted 1,588,00 people to Portland and added $8 million to the economy, which roughly equates to $215 million in 2017 when adjusted for inflation. &nbsp;More significantly, the exposition inspired investors to gamble on Portland business opportunities, made easier by the influx of population, which also received a boost from the Exposition. In fact, Portland's population swelled from 110,839 in 1905 to 207,214 in 1910, a number on surpassed in the U.S. by Portland's neighbor to the north - Seattle. &nbsp;By 1915 the number of Portland's residents neared 260,000.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>As is the case with San Fransisco and Seattle, Portland reaped the benefits of its access to the Pacific Ocean, which grew more significant after coast-to-coast railroads allowed trade to Asia and other new markets possible. Moreover, the enormous availability of lumber helped boost the region's economy, including in Portland. &nbsp;Indeed, more timber industries netted more than $10 million dollars in revenue annually for Portland, which increased the city's overall manufacturing boom that pushed 1905 totals of $28,651,00 to $46,861,000 by 1910.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The Failing Office Building exists as a living monument to Portland's early twentieth-century economic boom. By 1910, railroads and the Northern Pacific Terminal Company owned more than half of the city's waterfront property. &nbsp;Henry Failing served as both the city's fifteenth executive, and, ten years later, Portland's mayor, a position once held by his father, Josiah Failing. Fortune found the family through their first business, a general store built in 1868, which transitioned to a hardware store. Meanwhile, &nbsp;in 1869, the family -- along with the family of Emily Corbett, with whom Henry married in 1858, bought a controlling interest in Oregon's first bank formed under the National Banking Act. Shortly thereafter, the family established the hardware business known as Corbett, Failing, and Co.</div><div><br></div><div>The site of the Failing Office Building at the corner of Southwest Sixth and Southwest Alder initially served Henry Failing as his residence. When he passed away in 1898, he left the property to his three daughters who later seized on the opportunity to take advantage of Portland's booming economy and consequently financed the construction of the Failing Building that remains in its original location today. Although the original plans allowed for only six stories, the eventual remodel a few year later allowed for other tenants to occupy space within the Failing Building. Such businesses included The Gevurtz Furniture Company and Portland Gas &amp; Coke Company. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div>

Currently known as the 620 Building, the 12-story building emerged during Portland's rapid expansion following the success of the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition. Originally erected as a six-story building in 1907, six more stories were added in 1913. Its presence within Portland's modern landscape stands as a reminder of Portland's 1905-1915 economic book, as well as the prominence of its namesake, Henry Failing and the Failing family

Failing Office Building

<div>Before the Hamilton Building opened its doors, Portland's business center consisted of office buildings built in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, a more ornate type of architecture, such as with the Dekum Building, located next to the Hamilton and&nbsp;built only months earlier. Changing technology, the "Chicago School of Architecture," the Industrial Revolution, Neo-Classic influence, and the maturity of Portland all led to a change in the manner for which architects designed skyscrapers, notably considering what purpose they served.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The Classical treatment of the Hamilton set a new trend in commercial construction for Portland, which coincided with a trend seen in the U.S. and throughout the world. Indeed, the Chicago World's Fair (The World’s Columbian Exposition), held from May 1 until October 30 of 1893, arguably set the tone for Greek revival architecture's heavy influence on the world for the following thirty years. Daniel Burnham, a Chicago architect integral in the design of the modern skyscraper, led a team of World’s Fair architects who designed the World's Fair pavilions consisting of classic temples that resembled those seen in ancient Greece and Rome. &nbsp;The Hamilton arrived that same year, in 1893, with that same Classical Greek appearance. However, it is important to understand that the Hamilton's design and construction began prior to the Chicago World's Fair. Thus, the trend towards Classic Revival was in motion just as the Hamilton was conceived. &nbsp;</div><div><br>While banks, government buildings, and museums often enjoyed the full Greek-treatment, with lavish columnns and immense ornate detail, commercial buildings tended to be less gaudy, allowing for more function. &nbsp;The Hamilton, compared to buildings on the same block, looks more simple upon first look, but the columnns at the building's base show Greek influence. As well, the move towards commercial building and, eventually, Chicago School skyscraper design was already being seen in buildings such as the Hamilton.&nbsp;</div>

Built in 1893, the stylish, commercial Hamilton Building existed as one of Oregon's first buildings constructed in the Classical Revival form. The building was home to offices of many local companies as well as physicians and other professionals. At the time of its completion, the Hamilton building was just north of the city's early masonic hall. That building was demolished in the 1920s. 

Hamilton Building, Portland

<div>Frank Dekum, a German immigrant who arrived with little wealth, made his fortune and rose to prominence in the city of Portland. Originally born in Bavaria, Germany, in 1829, the Dekum family immigrated to the U.S. in 1837. The family settled in Illinois and in 1852, Frank and his family moved to San Francisco. The following year they moved north the Portland. Frank found work as a worker in a bakery before opening his own business and working as both a realtor and banker. He later worked in insurance before securing a position as a railway executive. He constructed this building towards the end of his life in 1892.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Dekum was born in Palatine, Bavaria, on November 5, 1829, a city from which his family resided for several generations. However, in 1837, &nbsp;the Dekum family, including all seven children, emigrated to America and settled on an Illinois farm. Indeed, the family was among nearly 10,000 new German immigrants to the U.S. &nbsp;<br><br>Nearly a decade later, at age 17, Frank Dekum left his family and moved to St. Louis where he apprenticed with a confectioner, earning three dollars per month (roughly $90/month in 2017 dollars). Hence, nearly three years later, in February 1852, Dekum -- like many people of that era -- left Missouri for California. He took a steamer with his friend Fred Bickel via the Panama Canal, arriving in San Francisco four months later, in mid-June. As did many after the 1849 Gold Rush, Dekum engaged in gold mining, both in French Gulch and Middletown. However, after a year, he returned to San Francisco. One year later, he sailed to Portland, which at the time was nothing more than a small river town comprised of 1,500 inhabitants.</div><div><br></div><div>With gold mining behind him, Dekum went back to his confectionary roots and found employment at a baker. A few months later, &nbsp;he sent for Fred Bickel and together they established Dekum &amp; Bickel in 1855, Portland's first confectionery business, which also included the sale of fruit and a restaurant. The business proved highly successful, remaining in business for 25 years before Dekum sold his interest to Bickel and retired from the firm.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Roughly nine years before retiring from Dekum and Bickel, in 1871, Dekum built the first Dekum Building on the northwest corner of Front and Washington Streets. It was one of a series of real-estate construction projects he headed. Dekum also served as a banker, became involved with was also involved in Portland's banking, including serving as president of Portland Savings. He was also an original stockholder in the local syndicate that completed the Portland Hotel.</div><div><br></div><div>In addition to his business ventures, Dekum served as the German Aid Society's charter member, found in 1865, and later its president. &nbsp;In 1878 he helped organize the Mechanics' Fair Association, including spearheading the development of its Exposition Building. Lastly, Dekum was heavily involved in conservation and environmental protection, including forming the German Song Bird Society.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Towards the end of his life, Dekum put his time and effort into building the Dekum Building, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Dekum spared no expense in building his prized skyscraper, which opened in 1892. Unfortunately, he died two years after its completion, dying at the age of 64 in 1894.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The eight-story building's rough cut stone at the base, red brick in the upper stories, terra cotta ornamentation, and reliance on large, stone block arches proved to be a favorite type of architectural design in Portland from 1889 to 1895. The style, known as the Richardsonian Romanesque style, was the creation of a popular Portland architectural firm, McCaw &amp; Martin.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>When the Dekum Building opened in 1892, the department store Lipman, Wolfe &amp; Co. occupied the first two floors while the remaining largely served as offices for physicians, dentists, and lawyers. Over the years, the building went through many ownership changes and renovations. Today, the Dekum Building stands as one of the oldest buildings still standing on Southwest Third Avenue. When compared to the Hamilton Building, located next door and built only one year apart, one is easily able to ascertain the shift in architectural style in Portland from Richardsonian Romanesque and toward classic detailing.</div>

The Dekum building was completed in 1892 by Fank Dekum, an immigrant to the United States who had lived and worked in a variety of US cities before making his fortune in Portland. Dekum arrived as a child in Bavaria in the 1830s and his journey provides a window into the lives of many other immigrants as well as the San Francisco Gold Rush, the establishment of German bakeries throughout the US, and the way many business leaders found success through finance, real estate, and the railroad industry.  

Portlandia Walking Tour: Highlights of Downtown Portland

Portlandia

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information