- This page was last modified on 13 June 2025, at 08:26. Suggest an edit.
Olds, Wortman & King facts for kids
|
Olds, Wortman & King Department Store
|
|
Olds, Wortman & King building in 2011.
|
|
 Location in Portland, Oregon
Location in Oregon
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 921 SW Morrison Street Portland, Oregon |
|---|---|
| Area | 0.92 acres (0.37 ha) |
| Built | 1910 |
| Architect | Charles Aldrich; Doyle, Patterson & Beach (interior) |
| Architectural style | 20th Century American Commercial |
| NRHP reference No. | 91000057 |
| Added to NRHP | February 20, 1991 |
Olds, Wortman & King was a well-known department store in Portland, Oregon. It was also called Olds & King. The store first opened in 1851 under a different name. It became Olds & King in 1878.
Over the years, the store changed names a few times. It was Olds, Wortman & King in 1901, then Olds & King again in 1944. Finally, it became Rhodes in 1960. The store moved around downtown Portland several times. In 1910, it settled into a big new building at 10th and Morrison. This building was a department store until 1974. Today, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Since 1976, the building has been known as The Galleria.
Contents
A Store's Long History
The story of Olds, Wortman & King began in 1851. A small store was opened by Henry W. Corbett in downtown Portland. This was the city's very first general merchandise store. It sold many different kinds of goods.
Later in the 1850s, the store moved. It was run by brothers Robert and Finley McLaren. Henry W. Corbett still supplied many of the goods. In 1856, John Wilson bought the store. Wilson's store moved again in 1868.
In 1878, Wilson sold the store to William Parker Olds. William had worked there since 1869. He bought it with his stepfather, Samuel Willard King. The business then became Olds & King. At this time, the store was located on 3rd Street. It moved a few more times in the 1880s and 1890s, but always stayed nearby.
In 1890, John Wortman joined the company. Later, Hardy C. Wortman also became a part-owner. Because of this, the store was renamed Olds, Wortman & King in 1901. The store had been at 5th and Washington since 1891. But the business grew so much that they started planning a bigger building in 1908.
The Landmark Store Building
Between 1909 and 1910, the company built its large new store. It was located in downtown Portland, covering a whole city block. This block was bordered by Morrison, Alder, 10th, and 9th streets. The new building was five stories tall, plus a basement.
It was the first store in the Northwest to take up an entire city block. The land where the store was built used to be the home of Sylvester Pennoyer. He was a former Oregon governor and Portland mayor.
The new store opened on July 30, 1910. About 25,000 people visited on the first day! The old store closed when the new one opened. Some people thought the new location was too far from the main business area. But within a few years, the business district had moved westwards.
Inside the Modern Store
The inside of the building was designed by Doyle, Patterson & Beach. The store had a large atrium in the middle. This open space was topped by a big skylight. The store also had many modern features for its time.
There were six elevators that moved up and down in open shafts. They were inside iron cages facing the atrium. Each elevator had an elevator operator. The store also had glass display cases with "hidden electric lights." A telephone system allowed instant credit checks for customers. This made buying things on credit much faster.
The store also had a fancy tea room with mahogany furniture. There was a nursery and playroom for children. On the roof, there was a roof garden. In 1926, the main aisles were updated. Their hardwood floors were replaced with marble.
Outside the Store
The outside of the building is white. It has simple terra cotta designs. At street level, there are rusticated columns. Each of the roof's four corners has a tall flagpole. The store had four entrances, one on each side of the block.
Changes in Ownership
In 1925, the B.F. Schlesinger Company bought Olds, Wortman & King. At that time, it was one of Portland's biggest retail businesses. It employed 1,200 people. In 1941, B.F. Schlesinger Company changed its name to Western Department Stores, Inc..
In 1944, the Portland store's name was shortened to Olds & King again. From 1946 to 1951, the store went through a big remodeling. This included replacing the old elevators with new ones. The central atrium was also closed in 1949.
Western opened a second Olds & King store in Portland in 1956. It was in the new Gateway Shopping Center. In 1960, Western changed its name to Rhodes Western. All of its stores that weren't already called "Rhodes" were renamed.
In 1969, the Rhodes chain was taken over by AMFAC Merchandising Corporation. The Gateway Rhodes store became a Liberty House store in 1973. The downtown Rhodes store was the last one in Portland with the Rhodes name. It closed on February 2, 1974. The building was empty for some time after that.
The Galleria Today
In 1975, Portland developers Bill Naito and Sam Naito bought the building. They started turning it into a multi-level shopping center. They named it The Galleria. It opened in 1976. The Galleria was an indoor shopping area with many small stores and restaurants. It was seen as downtown Portland's first shopping mall.
Retail shops and restaurants were on the first three floors. Floors 4 and 5 were rented out to companies that sold clothes wholesale. Just three months after opening, The Oregonian newspaper called The Galleria "the most exciting development" in downtown Portland in decades.
In the 1970s, many shoppers were leaving city centers for new suburban malls. The Naitos hoped to bring people back downtown with projects like The Galleria. During the renovation, the central atrium was reopened. A large central stairway was also added. By 1977, 48 businesses were renting space there. The "recycled landmark" was very popular with shoppers.
However, when Pioneer Place opened in 1990, it hurt The Galleria. It started a slow decline for the mall. Most of the retail stores have since been replaced by other types of businesses.
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. It was listed as the "Olds, Wortman and King Department Store." Today, the 5th floor is home to the Portland location of the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. The 4th floor has Sanford–Brown Portland. The ground floor has a Brooks Brothers store and a Le Cordon Bleu restaurant.
A MAX light rail station, Galleria/SW 10th Avenue station, opened next to the building in 1986. Since 2001, the Portland Streetcar line has passed by The Galleria on 10th Avenue.
In 2011, Target Corporation considered opening a Target store on the second and third floors. This would be Target's first store in a busy urban area in Portland. The city's Historic Landmarks Commission approved the changes. Construction started in February 2012, and the Target store opened in July 2013.
Images for kids
-
William P. Olds
-
The Galleria at night