The scale of many projects is relatively small, as a result of the relatively small size of downtown-Portland blocks (200 feet by 200 feet) and strict height restrictions enacted to protect views of nearby Mount Hood from Portland's West Hills. Although these restrictions limit project size, they contribute to Portland's reputation for thoughtful urban planning and livability.
Portland is a leader in sustainable architecture and is known for its focus on urban planning. As of 2009, Portland has the second highest number of LEED-accredited "green" buildings of any city in the U.S., second only to Chicago.[1]
Portland has four main concentrations of high-rise buildings: Downtown, the Lloyd District, South Waterfront, and the Pearl District. Downtown high-rises have a wide-range of building types including office, residential, lodging, municipal, and retail. Lloyd District high-rises have historically been primarily office, although smaller residential and lodging buildings have been added in recent years. South Waterfront and the Pearl District are almost entirely residential. Additionally, Lloyd District has been home to a federal building, and Portland's Oregon state office building (and the adjacent Oregon Square), since 1959 and 1992, respectively.[2][3]
Early 20th century
The first "true skyscraper" in Portland was the Wells Fargo Building, completed in 1907. It is a 182 feet (55m)steel-framed building, although the tallest building from 1892 to 1911 was the Oregonian Building, if it's clocktower is included.[4] The large doorstep at the building's entryway required the largest slab of granite ever shipped to Portland at the time.[5]
In 1911, the Yeon Building was completed, which was the tallest building in the city for two years. The building was clad in glazed terra-cotta, and culminates in a colonnade on the top floors. For a time, the building was illuminated by light sockets built into the cornices, but they were later removed.[5] In 1913, the Yeon building was surpassed in height by the American Bank Building, which remained the tallest, at 207 feet (63m), for 14 years.[6]
The late 20th century saw a massive increase of modern skyscrapers. International style and modernist architecture dominated most of the buildings in this time period. Beginning in 1962, multiple buildings were completed, seemingly competing for tallest building. In Portland's timeline of tallest buildings, half of them were built in the 1960s and 1970s. The Hilton Portland Hotel was the tallest from 1962 to 1965.[7] A carpenters strike halted the project temporarily during construction.[8] The West Tower of the Harrison Tower Apartments, a modernist building reminiscent of New York City housing projects, was tallest from 1965-1969.[9] The Union Bank Tower, followed by the Standard Insurance Center, both International style office buildings, were tallest for less than one year and two years, respectively.[10][11]
In 1972, the Wells Fargo Center was completed, and has been the tallest building in the city since.[12][13]
The Portland Building is often considered one of the "ugliest buildings in the world"
In 1982, the City of Portland completed the Portland Building.[14] The building provides office space for city employees to supplement the limited space in Portland City Hall. The building, designed by Michael Graves, was unique for its inclusion of a variety of surface materials and colors, small windows, and inclusion of prominent decorative flourishes.[15] When designing the building, MayorFrank Ivancie wanted a building that stood out, echoing concerns from many in the community that the modernist style made downtowns look boring and lacking of character.[16] The west side of the building is perched by the statue of Portlandia, the "personification of Portland" featured on the Seal of Portland. It is the second largest copper repoussé statue in the United States, after the Statue of Liberty.[17] The Portland Building is often referred to as "one of the ugliest buildings in the world."[18][19]
In 1983, the U.S. Bancorp Tower was completed. Designed by Pietro Belluschi, the building is notable for it's unique pink color and windows that can absorb or reflect light differently depending upon how much light is upon them, earning it the nickname "Big Pink" by locals. Because of the unique street grid and the way the building was designed, the building looks either extremely slender or wide depending upon one's viewing angle.[20] Since its construction, "Big Pink" has remained the second tallest building in Portland.[21][22]
The next year, the KOIN Tower, Portland's third tallest building, was completed as part of a redevelopment project. The building is unique for it's orange brick exterior and steel, sloping roof.[23]
The city has had 9 recorded tallest buildings, the longest of which has been the Wells Fargo Center since 1972. The current tallest high-rises and skyscrapers in Portland (as of January 2025) are:
The Shanghai World Financial Center is a supertall skyscraper located in the Pudong district of Shanghai. It was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox and developed by the Mori Building Company, with Leslie E. Robertson Associates as its structural engineer and China State Construction Engineering Corp and Shanghai Construction (Group) General Co. as its main contractor. It is a mixed-use skyscraper, consisting of offices, hotels, conference rooms, observation decks, ground-floor shopping malls. Park Hyatt Shanghai is the tower's hotel component, comprising 174 rooms and suites occupying the 79th to the 93rd floors, which at the time of completion was the highest hotel in the world. It is now the third-highest hotel in the world after the Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong, which occupies floors 102 to 118 of the International Commerce Centre.
Wells Fargo Center is a 40-story, 166.4 m (546 ft) tower and a five-story adjacent office building with three levels of parking below the surface in Portland, Oregon. The tower became the tallest building in the state of Oregon when it was completed in 1972.
Wells Fargo Center is a skyscraper located in Downtown, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was built in 1998 and was the tallest skyscraper in Utah until 2024 when the 451 feet Astra Tower was completed. It stands 24 stories above street level and 121.9 m (400 ft) at roof level, 128.7 m (422 ft) at its highest point excluding the antenna.
The Wells Fargo Building is a historic office building in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. The large doorstep at the building's entryway required the largest slab of granite ever shipped to Portland at the time. Completed in 1907, the steel-framed building is considered the city's first true skyscraper. At 12 stories and with a height of 182 feet (55 m), it was the tallest building in Portland, exclusive of towers, and remained so for four years. The clock tower of the 1892-completed Oregonian Building, which measured 194 feet (59 m) in height, made that building the tallest in the city overall.
Three Sixty West is a skyscraper complex in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It comprises two towers, joined at ground level by a podium. Tower B, the taller of the two, rises to 260 metres (853 ft) with 66 floors and Tower A rises to 255.6 metres (839 ft) with 52 floors. Tower B is a hotel / Office space, and private residences are located in Tower A. The podium accommodates amenities such as restaurants and ballrooms. Tower B is the 14th tallest building in India and Tower A the 21st tallest. Tower B is among the tallest commercial skyscrapers in the country.
↑ Weiner, Ed (October 18, 1981). "The most famous building in Seattle is in Portland: Michael Graves' new building is an architectural milestone and is anything but boring". The Seattle Times, p. E1/E4.
↑ Crick, Rolla J. (October 7, 1985). "Thousands bid ‘Portlandia’ warm welcome: Statue lifted successfully to final spot". The Oregonian. p. A1.
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