Montgomery Park (Portland, Oregon) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Montgomery Ward & Company Building
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Montgomery Park in 2012, east façade
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 Location in Portland, Oregon
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| Location | 2741 NW Vaughn Street, Portland, Oregon |
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| Area | 8.59 acres (3.48 ha) |
| Built | 1920; expanded 1935–36 |
| Architect | W. H. McCaully |
| NRHP reference No. | 85001184 |
| Added to NRHP | June 6, 1985 |
Montgomery Park is a very large office building in Portland, Oregon. It used to be a huge warehouse and store for Montgomery Ward. This company sold many things through catalogs, like a giant online store before the internet!
The building was finished in 1920. It is so important that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's a special historical landmark. The land where it stands was once used for the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in 1905. Montgomery Ward used this building from 1920 until 1985. Today, it's one of the biggest office buildings in Portland.
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What Was Montgomery Park Used For?
When it was built in 1920, this building was the largest in Portland. It had about 569,000 square feet of space! In 1935–36, a big new section was added. This made the building even larger, adding 229,000 square feet. It changed from an L-shape to a U-shape.
The building has nine floors and a basement. Floors four through nine were mostly used as warehouse space. This is where all the products were stored. The second and third floors were for offices and processing mail orders. The first floor was for loading and unloading goods. Trucks and even trains could bring items right into the building!
Selling Goods to Customers
At first, there wasn't much retail shopping at this location. But in 1936, more space was added for a store. You could buy many different things there, including tires.
After World War II, fewer people shopped at this store. Many customers started going to new shopping malls in the suburbs. So, Montgomery Ward began opening stores in those malls. The store at this location closed in July 1976. After that, the building was only used for warehouse work and a "catalog overstock outlet."
In 1978, the company built a new warehouse. By 1982, they closed the old warehouse in Northwest Portland. This meant about 500 jobs were lost. Only a small "clearance outlet" store stayed open. Finally, in July 1985, that store closed too.
How the Building Was Transformed
In 1984, a company called Norcrest China bought the building. It was owned by brothers Bill and Sam Naito. They decided to fix up the building. They wanted to turn it into a place for trade shows, parties, and offices.
As part of the changes, they renamed the building "Montgomery Park." Bill Naito liked this name because it saved money! The huge neon sign on the roof used to say "Montgomery Ward." To change it to "Montgomery Park," they only had to change two letters: the "W" and "D" became "P" and "K." The sign was changed in May 1986. Most of the renovations were finished around that time. The building then opened for its new uses, including trade shows.
Images for kids
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The main entrance in 2012, on the building's west side.
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Windows above the central atrium.
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A bank of elevators inside the building.
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The large rooftop sign glows red at night.
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A view from the Fremont Bridge, with mountains in the distance.
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An aerial view of the building from the west-southwest.
