Architecture of Portland, Oregon facts for kids
Portland, Oregon, has many interesting buildings. They show off different styles and were designed by talented architects.
Many buildings in Portland are not super tall. This is because the city blocks are quite small (about 200 feet by 200 feet). Also, there are rules about building height. These rules help protect amazing views of nearby Mount Hood from Portland's West Hills. Even though these rules limit how big buildings can be, they help make Portland a great place to live. The city is known for its smart urban planning.
Lots of old buildings in Portland have been saved and given new uses. This includes many buildings made with shiny glazed architectural terra-cotta.
Portland is a leader in building "green" or sustainable buildings. These buildings are designed to be good for the environment. In 2009, Portland had the second-highest number of "green" buildings in the U.S. These buildings are certified by a program called LEED. Only Chicago had more.
Contents
Who Designs Portland's Buildings?
Many famous architects have helped shape Portland. An architect is someone who plans and designs buildings.
Famous Architects in Portland
One well-known architect, Pietro Belluschi, started his career in Portland. He designed many buildings in the city until the 1980s. Other important architects and firms who worked here include Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) and Frank Lloyd Wright. You might have heard of Frank Lloyd Wright, as he is very famous!
Local architects also had a big impact. Francis Marion Stokes and his father William R. Stokes designed over 270 buildings together. Warren Heywood Williams designed several buildings made of cast iron architecture, like the Blagen Block. The firm Whidden & Lewis designed Portland City Hall.
Portland's Tallest Buildings
Portland has several tall buildings, often called skyscrapers. These are the tallest ones in the city as of April 2016:
- Wells Fargo Center (546 feet / 166 meters, finished 1972)
- U.S. Bancorp Tower (536 feet / 163 meters, finished 1983)
- KOIN Center (509 feet / 155 meters, finished 1984)
- Park Avenue West Tower (501 feet / 153 meters, finished 2016)
- PacWest Center (418 feet / 127 meters, finished 1984)
- Fox Tower (376 feet / 113 meters, finished 2000)
- Standard Insurance Center (367 feet / 112 meters, finished 1968)
- Cosmopolitan (338 feet / 104 meters, started 2014)
- John Ross Tower (325 feet / 99 meters, finished 2007)
- The Ardea (325 feet / 99 meters, finished 2008)
- Mirabella Portland (325 feet / 99 meters, finished 2010)
- Congress Center (325 feet / 98 meters, finished 1980)
- Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse (318 feet / 97 meters, finished 1997)
- Moda Tower (308 feet / 94 meters, finished 1999)
- The Meriwether, West Building (303 feet / 92 meters, finished 2006)
- Lloyd Center Tower (290 feet / 88 meters, finished 1981)
- 1000 Broadway (288 feet / 88 meters, finished 1991)
Other Cool Buildings in Portland
Here are some other important buildings in Portland:
- The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall: This is a beautiful old theater that was restored. It's next to the Heathman Hotel.
- The Benson Hotel: An elegant and historic hotel that has been restored.
- Pietro Belluschi's Equitable Building: This building was very modern for its time. It was the first building to be covered in aluminum and the first to have full air conditioning.
- Lloyd Center mall: Oregon's largest shopping mall, opened in 1960.
- The Meier & Frank Building: A huge department store building covered in glazed terra-cotta.
- The Moda Center: This is where the Portland Trail Blazers basketball team plays.
- The Oregon Convention Center: Its two tall spires are easy to spot on the east side of the city.
- The Pioneer Courthouse: This is the oldest federal building in the Pacific Northwest. It's also the second oldest west of the Mississippi River.
- The Pittock Mansion: A popular place for tourists to visit, offering great views.
- The Portland Building: Designed by Michael Graves, this building is a famous example of Postmodern architecture.
- Union Station: An active train station with a tall, 150-foot clock tower. It's built in a style called Florentine.
- The United States National Bank Building: A large bank building from 1917. It still looks almost exactly as it did when it was built.
- Cast iron architecture: Portland has one of the largest collections of buildings made with cast iron in the U.S. Many are in Old Town. A good example is the Grand Stable and Carriage Building.
Portland's Many Bridges
Portland is famous for its many bridges, especially those crossing the Willamette River.
Bridges on the Willamette River
- St. Johns Bridge (1931; a suspension bridge)
- Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge 5.1 (1908; a swing bridge that became a vertical-lift bridge in 1989)
- Fremont Bridge (1973; a tied-arch bridge)
- Broadway Bridge (1913; a bascule truss bridge, which means it opens to let boats pass)
- Steel Bridge (1912; a double-deck vertical lift bridge made of steel)
- Burnside Bridge (1926; a bascule drawbridge)
- Morrison Bridge (1958; a bascule drawbridge)
- Hawthorne Bridge (1910; a through truss, vertical lift bridge)
- Marquam Bridge (1966; a through truss bridge)
- Tilikum Crossing (2015; a cable-stayed bridge)
- Ross Island Bridge (1926; a cantilever truss bridge)
- Sellwood Bridge (2016; a deck arch bridge)
Bridges on the Columbia River
- Glenn L. Jackson Memorial Bridge (1982; a concrete box girder bridge)
- Interstate Bridge (1917/1958; a through truss, vertical lift bridge)
- Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge 9.6 (1908; has a 450-foot swing section)
Other Bridges
See Also
