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List of tallest buildings in Portland, Oregon facts for kids

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Portland, Oregon, is the biggest city in the state of Oregon. It's home to many tall buildings, also known as high-rises or skyscrapers. Imagine buildings so tall they seem to touch the clouds! Portland has 34 of these impressive structures that are at least 250 feet (about 76 meters) high. Four of them are even taller than 492 feet (about 150 meters).

The very tallest building in Portland is the Wells Fargo Center. It stands at 546 feet (166.4 meters) and was finished in 1972. You can find it in Downtown Portland. The second tallest is the U.S. Bancorp Tower, which is 536 feet (163.4 meters) tall and was completed in 1983. The KOIN Center is the third tallest, reaching 509 feet (155.2 meters) and also finished in 1983.

Even though the The Oregonian Building was Portland's tallest from 1892 to 1913 (it was 194 feet tall with its clock tower), people usually say the story of skyscrapers in Portland began with the Wells Fargo Building in 1907. This building was 182 feet tall and had 12 floors. The Wells Fargo Center was the first building in Portland to be taller than 492 feet.

As of August 2017, three buildings were being built that were planned to be at least 250 feet tall. Portland's skyline is quite impressive! When you look at buildings that are already built or are being built and are over 492 feet tall, Portland's skyline ranks second in the Northwestern United States (after Seattle). It's tied for fifth place on the Pacific Coast with San Diego (after Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Las Vegas). Across the whole United States, Portland's skyline is ranked 22nd.

South Downtown Waterfront - Portland, Oregon Wells Fargo Center KOIN Center PacWest Center Edith Green – Wendell Wyatt Federal Building (pre-renovation) Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse One Main Place Umpqua Bank Plaza
Skyline of Portland's south downtown in 2010 (Use cursor to identify buildings)
Skyline of Portland seen from the southeast side of the Hawthorne Bridge in 2007
Panorama of the Lloyd District in 2007

Portland's Tallest Buildings

As of December 2024, Portland has 34 high-rises that are at least 250 feet (about 76 meters) tall. This height includes spires and other architectural parts, but not antenna masts.

Rank Name Image Height
ft (m)
Floors Year Coordinates Notes
1 Wells Fargo Center Wells Fargo Center (2012) in Portland, Oregon.JPG 546 (166.4) 40 1972 45°30′51.3″N 122°40′45.8″W / 45.514250°N 122.679389°W / 45.514250; -122.679389 (Wells Fargo Center) This was the tallest building built in Portland in the 1970s. It's also the tallest office building in the city.
2 U.S. Bancorp Tower US-Bank-Tower-Streetlevel.jpg 536 (163.4) 42 1983 45°31′21.6″N 122°40′33.2″W / 45.522667°N 122.675889°W / 45.522667; -122.675889 (U.S. Bancorp Tower) This was the tallest building built in Portland in the 1980s.
3 KOIN Tower KOINCenterPortland.jpg 509 (155.2) 35 1984 45°30′47.3″N 122°40′39.6″W / 45.513139°N 122.677667°W / 45.513139; -122.677667 (KOIN Center)
4 Park Avenue West Park Avenue West Tower Feb 2016 - Portland, Oregon.JPG 502 (153) 30 2016 45°31′21.6″N 122°40′33.2″W / 45.522667°N 122.675889°W / 45.522667; -122.675889 (Park Avenue West) This was the tallest building built in Portland in the 2010s.
5 Block 216 Block 216 from Burnside st.jpg 460 (140.2) 35 2023 45°31′15.2″N 122°40′50.7″W / 45.520889°N 122.680750°W / 45.520889; -122.680750 (Block 216) Construction started in July 2019 and the building opened on August 15, 2023.
6 PacWest Center PacWestCenterPortland.jpg 418 (127.4) 30 1984 45°30′55.1″N 122°40′48.3″W / 45.515306°N 122.680083°W / 45.515306; -122.680083 (PacWest Center)
7 Fox Tower Fox Tower North-East Face - Portland, Oregon.jpg 372 (113.4) 27 2000 45°31′6.3″N 122°40′51″W / 45.518417°N 122.68083°W / 45.518417; -122.68083 (Fox Tower) This was the tallest building built in Portland in the 2000s.
8 Standard Insurance Center Standard Insurance Center - Portland, Oregon (2016).jpg 367 (111.9) 27 1970 45°31′0.9″N 122°40′40.7″W / 45.516917°N 122.677972°W / 45.516917; -122.677972 (Standard Insurance Center)
9 Cosmopolitan on the Park Cosmopolitan on the Park from Tanner Springs Park (2017).jpg 340 (103.6) 28 2016 45°31′54.8″N 122°40′55″W / 45.531889°N 122.68194°W / 45.531889; -122.68194 (Cosmopolitan on the Park) This is the tallest building in Portland where people live.
10 The Ardea The Ardea Apartments in 2013 - Portland, Oregon.jpg 330 (102.1) 31 2008 45°29′45.4″N 122°40′13.2″W / 45.495944°N 122.670333°W / 45.495944; -122.670333 (The Ardea) This is the tallest apartment building in Portland's South Waterfront area.
11 John Ross Tower JohnRossCondosPortland.jpg 325 (99.1) 32 2007 45°29′48.6″N 122°40′12.2″W / 45.496833°N 122.670056°W / 45.496833; -122.670056 (The John Ross Tower) This building also reached the maximum height allowed in the South Waterfront area.
Mirabella Mirabella Portland in March 2016.jpg 325 (99.1) 30 2010 45°29′51.5″N 122°40′12.6″W / 45.497639°N 122.670167°W / 45.497639; -122.670167 (Mirabella) This building also reached the maximum height allowed in the South Waterfront area.
14 Multnomah County Central Courthouse Multnomah County Central Courthouse from east in July 2021.jpg 324 (98.8) 17 2020 45°30′50.4″N 122°40′30.0″W / 45.514000°N 122.675000°W / 45.514000; -122.675000 (Multnomah County Central Courthouse)
15 Congress Center Congresscenterpdx.jpg 321 (97.8) 23 1980 45°30′59.5″N 122°40′45.7″W / 45.516528°N 122.679361°W / 45.516528; -122.679361 (Congress Center)
16 Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse Hatfield courthouse - temporarily unobstructed northern view just after AOUW Temple demolition, Dec. 2017.jpg 318 (96.9) 16 1997 45°30′57.3″N 122°40′34.5″W / 45.515917°N 122.676250°W / 45.515917; -122.676250 (Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse) This was the tallest building built in Portland in the 1990s.
17 Moda Tower ODSTowerPortlandOR.jpg 308 (93.9) 24 1999 45°31′6.2″N 122°40′28.9″W / 45.518389°N 122.674694°W / 45.518389; -122.674694 (Moda Tower)
18 The Meriwether, West Building The Meriwether tower from east - Portland, Oregon.JPG 303 (92.4) 24 2006 45°29′50.5″N 122°40′9.4″W / 45.497361°N 122.669278°W / 45.497361; -122.669278 (The Meriwether, West Building)
19 Eleven West Eleven West, Portland, Oregon, U.S. (façade from NE).jpg 300 (91) 24 2023 45°31′17″N 122°40′58″W / 45.521504°N 122.682841°W / 45.521504; -122.682841 (Eleven West)
20 Lloyd Center Tower LloydCenterTower.jpg 290 (88.4) 20 1981 45°31′55.5″N 122°39′26.2″W / 45.532083°N 122.657278°W / 45.532083; -122.657278 (Lloyd Center Tower)
21 1000 Broadway 1000Broadwaystreet.JPG 288 (87.8) 23 1991 45°31′0.7″N 122°40′50″W / 45.516861°N 122.68056°W / 45.516861; -122.68056 (1000 Broadway)
22 NV NV, PDX, 2017.jpg 288 (87.7) 26 2016 45°31′57.3″N 122°41′2.4″W / 45.532583°N 122.684000°W / 45.532583; -122.684000 (NV)
23 Portland Plaza Portland Plaza.jpg 272 (82.9) 25 1973 45°30′46.6″N 122°40′48.9″W / 45.512944°N 122.680250°W / 45.512944; -122.680250 (Portland Plaza)
24 One Main Place One Main Place.jpg 270 (82.3) 20 1980 45°30′55.8″N 122°40′31.7″W / 45.515500°N 122.675472°W / 45.515500; -122.675472 (One Main Place)
Edith Green – Wendell Wyatt Federal Building Edith Green - Wendell Wyatt Federal front 2012 Building2.JPG 270 (82.3) 18 1974 45°30′51.9″N 122°40′37.4″W / 45.514417°N 122.677056°W / 45.514417; -122.677056 (Edith Green – Wendell Wyatt Federal Building)
26 Union Bank Tower Union Bank of California Tower in Portland from NE in 2016.jpg 268 (81.8) 15 1969 45°31′15.9″N 122°40′45.3″W / 45.521083°N 122.679250°W / 45.521083; -122.679250 (Union Bank Tower) This was the tallest building built in Portland in the 1960s.
27 Twelve West Twelve West building.jpg 266 (81.1) 22 2009 45°31′20.1″N 122°41′1.6″W / 45.522250°N 122.683778°W / 45.522250; -122.683778 (Twelve West)
28 Aster Tower Hassalo on Eighth close - Portland, Oregon.JPG 265 (80.8) 21 2015 45°31′49″N 122°39′25.6″W / 45.53028°N 122.657111°W / 45.53028; -122.657111 (Aster Tower)
The Meriwether, East Building The Meriwether east tower from the south 2016.jpg 265 (80.8) 21 2006 45°29′51.4″N 122°40′6.6″W / 45.497611°N 122.668500°W / 45.497611; -122.668500 (The Meriwether, East Building)
30 Umpqua Bank Plaza Umpqua Bank Headquarters - Portland, Oregon.JPG 263 (80.2) 19 1975 45°30′48.4″N 122°40′31.4″W / 45.513444°N 122.675389°W / 45.513444; -122.675389 (Umpqua Bank Plaza)
31 Broadway Tower Broadway Tower from NE - Portland, Oregon (2019).jpg 258 (78.6) 19 2018 45°30′52″N 122°40′58″W / 45.51444°N 122.68278°W / 45.51444; -122.68278 (Broadway Tower)
32 200 Market 200 Market - Portland, Oregon.JPG 257 (78.3) 19 1973 45°30′41″N 122°40′43.9″W / 45.51139°N 122.678861°W / 45.51139; -122.678861 (200 Market)
33 Harrison Tower Apartments, West Tower Harrison West Condominium Tower - Portland, Oregon.JPG 256 (78) 25 1965 45°30′37.6″N 122°40′45.5″W / 45.510444°N 122.679306°W / 45.510444; -122.679306 (Harrison Tower Apartments, West Tower)
34 Benson Tower Benson-Tower-NW Portland-Oregon 2008-May.jpg 250 (76.2) 26 2007 45°30′52.7″N 122°41′9″W / 45.514639°N 122.68583°W / 45.514639; -122.68583 (Benson Tower)

New Buildings in Portland

As of January 2019, there were four buildings being built in Portland that were planned to be at least 250 feet (about 76 meters) tall. By July 2025, some of these projects have been completed.

Name Height
ft (m)
Floors Year Notes
Block 41 250 (76.2) 23 2023 Construction started in 2021 and was completed in late 2023.
Block 44 250 (76.2) 23 2025 Construction started in mid-late 2023 and is expected to be completed in mid-late 2025.

Future Buildings in Portland

As of January 2019, there were four buildings planned for Portland that would be taller than 250 feet (about 76 meters). These buildings are going through the necessary steps to start construction soon.

Name Height in ft (m) Floors Notes
Toyoko Inn 357 (108.8) 32 Still in early planning stages.
Press Blocks 250 (76.2) 23
Broadway Corridor 400 (122) N.A. Old buildings are being moved or taken down to make way for this project.
Pearl Block 24 265 (80.8) 23 Currently being reviewed for its design.
Riverplace phase 1
150 SW Montgomery St
325 (99) 30 The City of Portland Design Commission approved this project on March 3, 2022. Building permits were obtained, and construction started around October–November 2022.
OMSI redevelopment 250 (76) NA In the final planning stages before being proposed to the city.
NW 12th & Quimby
(Block 24)
294.5 (89.8) 23 The design for this building has been approved.
Burnside One 350 (106.7) 30 In the early planning stages.

History of Portland's Tallest Buildings

Northwestern National Bank Building circa 1913
The American Bank Building was the tallest building in Portland from 1913 to 1927.

Since 1892, when The Oregonian Building was finished, nine different high-rises have held the title of Portland's tallest building.

Current name Years as tallest Height
ft (m)
Floors Reference
The Oregonian Building 1892–1913 (21 years) 194 (59.1) 12
Yeon Building 1911–1913 (2 years) 194 (59.1) 15
American Bank Building 1913–1927 (14 years) 207 (63.1) 15
Public Service Building 1927–1962 (35 years) 220 (67.1) 16
Hilton Portland Hotel 1962–1965 (3 years) 241 (74.5) 22
Harrison Tower Apartments, West Tower 1965–1969 (4 years) 256 (78) 25
Union Bank Tower 1969–1970 (1 year) 268 (81.8) 15
Standard Insurance Center 1970–1972 (2 years) 367 (111.9) 27
Wells Fargo Center 1972–present (53 years) 546 (166.4) 40

More About Buildings

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Anexo:Edificios más altos de Portland para niños

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List of tallest buildings in Portland, Oregon Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.