Troy Laundry Building (Portland, Oregon) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Troy Laundry Building
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The Troy Laundry Building in 2013
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| Location | 1025 SE Pine Street Portland, Oregon |
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| Built | 1913 |
| Architect | Ellis F. Lawrence |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| MPS | Portland Oregon’s Eastside Historic and Architectural Resources, 1850-1938 |
| NRHP reference No. | 89000102 |
| Added to NRHP | March 8, 1989 |
The Troy Laundry Building is a cool old building in Portland, Oregon. It's located at 1025 Southeast Pine Street. A famous architect named Ellis F. Lawrence designed it way back in the early 1900s. This building is special because it mixes different styles of architecture. It has parts that look like Colonial, Egyptian, and Renaissance Revival designs. People often notice its big windows, tall brick walls, and fancy brick patterns.
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What Makes This Building Special?
The Troy Laundry Building is officially known as "Colonial Revival" in style. But if you look closely, you'll see many other cool features. The building has very tall brick walls and big, double-layered windows. It also has decorative brick designs placed evenly along its walls. These details show how different styles were mixed together.
Renaissance Revival Style
You can also see hints of the Renaissance Revival style. This style was inspired by old Italian buildings. It often uses grand and balanced designs.
Egyptian Revival Style
The building also has parts that look like Egyptian Revival architecture. This style uses ideas and pictures from ancient Egypt. The building's tall stone walls and sharp, angled designs at the top are key parts of this style.
Colonial Revival Style
Finally, the building shows elements of Colonial Revival architecture. This is seen in its angled brickwork and small, stacked windows. Colonial Revival buildings often have a balanced, "symmetrical" look. This style became popular when Americans wanted to remember their country's early history.
A Look Back in Time
The Troy Laundry Company Story
The Troy Laundry company started in 1889. It was founded by John F. Tait, who came to Portland from Scotland. He had learned all about the laundry business there. Mr. Tait was very good at managing, and his business quickly became successful.
The first Troy Laundry building was on the west side of the Willamette River. Sadly, it burned down in a fire. After that, Mr. Tait moved the laundry to a new building on the east side of town.
By 1892, his business had grown a lot. He even had places in Vancouver and Oregon City where people could drop off their laundry. Troy Laundry became one of the two biggest laundries in Portland. They served both businesses and homes. Within 25 years, Mr. Tait had more than 150 people working for him. He was also one of the first in the laundry business to give his workers an eight-hour workday.
By 1913, the laundry needed an even bigger space. So, a new Troy Laundry building was built at 10th and Pine Street. This new building was very modern for its time. It had a large dining room and lounge for employees. It even had its own electricity generators! The building also had new machines, like 44 washers and 22 extractors. It used advanced drying systems, including a "tumbler," which was a new technology back then.
The Troy Laundry company eventually had 10,000 customers. These included homes, factories, and other businesses. They made a lot of money each week.
Meet the Architect: Ellis F. Lawrence
The architect, Ellis F. Lawrence, was born in Massachusetts in 1879. He studied architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This was the first school in the U.S. to teach architecture. After graduating in 1902, Lawrence worked for several architecture firms. He learned a lot from his teachers and bosses.
In 1906, Lawrence planned to open his own office in San Francisco. But he stopped in Portland to visit a friend from MIT. He liked Portland so much that he decided to stay! He soon joined his friend E. B. McNaughton and engineer Henry Raymond in a business partnership. Lawrence became their main designer.
In 1910, he started working on his own. Then, in 1913, another friend from MIT, William G. Holdford, joined him. Later, Ormond Bean and Fred Allyn also joined their team.
Lawrence's first design in Portland was his own home. It was in the Irvington neighborhood. In 1914, he started the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts. He believed that all arts should be connected. Lawrence became friends with many important people in Portland, including John Tait. He also knew famous architects like Frank Lloyd Wright.
- K. Zisman; J. Koler; J. Morrison; B. Grimala; A. Yost (August 15, 1988) (pdf). National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Troy Laundry Building. National Park Service. http://focus.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/89000102.pdf.
