The Pioneer Courthouse is the oldest extant federal building in the Pacific Northwest. The planning phase for the building began in 1869 as architects E.B. St. John and John H. Holman worked together to design the structure. This Italianate courhouse was completed in 1875 and remains one of the most significant landmarks in the city of Portland.
Named for Charles Jackson, the founder of the building's original tenant, the now defunt Oregon Journal, the building opened its doors in 1912. The newspaper remained in the building until 1948, when it moved to larger quarters -- the former Portland Public Market building on the Portland waterfront. The building's most striking feature is the impressive clock tower, a common feature of newspaper buildings of the early 20th century.
This building housed an all-male private club established in 1867. Hundreds of the city's most prominent business owners and bankers were members during the first century of its operation, until it started expanding its membership criteria in the 1960s. The structure itself is a fine example of the Georgian Revival style, designed by local architects Whidden & Lewis. The Arlington Clubhouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in August 2010.
The Auto Rest Garage is testament to the burgeoning automobile industry of suburban Portland in the early twentieth century. The building was used as the show- and sales-room of the Stutz and Columbia Six Automobiles company, until the rising popularity of Henry Ford's Model T forced the company to close. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in September 1996.
It was the largest Elks Temple in the country at the time of its construction and use, and is considered one of the best examples of early 20th century Italian Renaissance architecture in the country. The building was listed a Portland Historic Landmark in 1970 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Opened in 1922, the Telegram Building served as the Portland Evening Telegram headquarters and production plant. The Telegram began operations in 1877 and was one of the four major Portland newspapers at the time of the building's completion. The Great Depression significantly affected the newspaper, resulting in fewer advertisers and subscribers. The Telegram merged with another Portland newspaper during the Depression but this measure was not enough to reverse the fortunes of the Times-Telegram. The new paper ceased operations in 1939. The building was vacant for much of the 1930s but was also home to a number of businesses during that decade and the post-war period. The building has been well-preserved and is now home to a bank.
This historic five-building complex once housed the Weinhard City Brewery (or Weinhard Brewery). A German Immigrant with a brewing background, Henry Weinhard arrived in the U.S in the 1850s. By the turn of the 20th century, had amassed a fortune selling beer in the Pacific Northwest. Weinhard established his brewery at this location in 1862. The brewery merged with the Blitz Brewing Company in 1928. Today, part of the complex is once again home to a local brewery.
Established in 1971, Powell's City of Books has become both a beloved Portland institution and the world's largest independent bookstore. Book lovers visiting the city often make room in their baggage for a cache of used books, and many first-time visitors consider a visit to Powell's to be something like a trip to a book-lovers mecca. The flagship store covers an entire city block in the downtown Pearl District with its own coffee shop and 68,000 square feet of bookshelves and spaces for reading. Together with its four other Portland locations, Powell's inventory includes more than four million titles and visitors purchase a total of several thousand books each day, in addition to the store's online sales.
This historic hotel was built from 1892-1894. Although construction began during a period of rapid growth, the hotel opened during a recession. By the turn of the century, a German immigrant and two-time Oregon State Treasurer purchased the lease of the Imperial Hotel. As the city and national economy recovered, the Imperial Hotel became the center Oregonian society and politics. The building was acquired by Kimpton Hotels in 1989.
The Benson Hotel, built in Portland by lumberman Simon Benson in 1913, who capitalized on the California population and building boom by supplying timber to the state. The hotel was constructed as an annex to the adjacent Oregon Hotel (since demolished) to the south and originally called the New Oregon Hotel. Conceived as a high-end hotel in downtown Portland with an opulent interior, The $1 million, 200-room hotel boasted the latest in modern conveniences, including private baths, automatic door switches, electric lights, and telephones in each room. Over the years, the hotel has been home to celebrities, business leaders, politicians, and many U.S. presidents.
Built in 1907, the twelve-story Wells Fargo Building remains today as one of Portland's best-preserved skyscrapers. At the time, the Wells Fargo building demonstrated Portland's growth, as well as the power of banks coming out of the Gilded Age, especially due to the success of the Lewis and Clark Exposition of 1905, which spurred tremendous economic growth, increased population, and a construction boom.
One of Portland’s most prominent hotels, the Multnomah Hotel (now Embassy Suites), existed as the city's (and one of the region's) largest hotels until the early 1960s. During its heydey, the hotel played home to numerous events, hosted nine U.S. Presidents, Queen Marie of Romania, Charles Lindbergh, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Elvis Presley in 1957.
Built in 1893 near the historic Old Town district, the magnificent six story Sherlock Building has a fascinating biography. From its mysterious origins, the building acquired more quotidian functions as retail space, but remains one of the finest structures designed by the Portland-based architecture firm, McCaw, Martin and White. Today it serves as the headquarters for the Portland Church of Scientology. The building was added to the National register of Historic Places in October 1977.
Initially residential quarters of the archbishop of Portland, the building has a long and fascinating biography, serving at different times as a speakeasy, the meeting hall of a Chinese Tong, and an architect’s studio. It is one of the best-preserved Victorian Gothic residences in the state of Oregon.
The Dekum building was completed in 1892 by Fank Dekum, an immigrant to the United States who had lived and worked in a variety of US cities before making his fortune in Portland. Dekum arrived as a child in Bavaria in the 1830s and his journey provides a window into the lives of many other immigrants as well as the San Francisco Gold Rush, the establishment of German bakeries throughout the US, and the way many business leaders found success through finance, real estate, and the railroad industry.
Built in 1893, the stylish, commercial Hamilton Building existed as one of Oregon's first buildings constructed in the Classical Revival form. The building was home to offices of many local companies as well as physicians and other professionals. At the time of its completion, the Hamilton building was just north of the city's early masonic hall. That building was demolished in the 1920s.
Currently known as the 620 Building, the 12-story building emerged during Portland's rapid expansion following the success of the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition. Originally erected as a six-story building in 1907, six more stories were added in 1913. Its presence within Portland's modern landscape stands as a reminder of Portland's 1905-1915 economic book, as well as the prominence of its namesake, Henry Failing and the Failing family
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
Get a QR Code for this tour
This tour starts at historic Pioneer Square and makes a loop through the northern half of Portland's downtown. The tour includes stops at several monuments, over a dozen historic buildings, museums, and iconic Portland institutions such as Powell's Books.
