Auditorium and Music Hall

	Auditorium and Music Hall
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	The building's exterior in 2013
Location	Portland, Oregon, USA
Coordinates	45°30′59″N122°40′34″W / 45.51650°N 122.67620°W
Built	1895
Architect	Frederick Manson White
NRHP reference No.	80003357
Added to NRHP	22 February 1980

Last updated June 14, 2024

The Auditorium and Music Hall is a historic building in Portland, Oregon, in the United States, designed by English architect Frederick Manson White. It was built by Emil C. Jorgensen^[1] and was completed in 1895. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

History

The Auditorium and Music Hall building has served several purposes throughout its lifetime since it was built for Emil C. Jorgenson in 1895. Originally, the first floor was occupied by a liquor wholesale business, the second floor was used for a dance hall, and the third floor was a mini concert hall. The next owner renovated the third-floor space into apartments, and the dance hall became a boxing gymnasium. It remained this way until 1960.^[1] Around the 1980s, the architectural firm Boutwell, Gordon, Beard, Grimes,^[1] invested $2 million to update and renovate the building. They renovated the first floor to resemble the building's original design, created offices on the second and third floors for their own personal use, and leased the top floor to other professionals.^[1]

Description

Located in downtown Portland, near the waterfront area on lot 6, block 23,^[2] the Auditorium and Music Hall building is on the east side of SW Third Avenue, in the middle of the block between Salmon and Taylor Streets.^[2]

The foundation of the four-story building is composed of pilings, concrete footings, and brick piers. Walls and arches support the first floor of timber, while iron columns support the second floor of concrete and wood.^[2] The roofing is reinforced with timber trusses that cover the width of the building, creating space for the concert room's high ceilings, which feature a cove ceiling over a "space 27ft high, 42ft wide, and 72ft long."^[2]

The building incorporates the Romanesque Revival style, evidenced in the design of its façade, influenced by works produced by Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Henry Hobson Richardson. The terra cotta detailing on the façade is notable on the side arch capitals on the third floor. The plant motifs, seen directly on the stone capitals at the first level, are "organized in geometric patterns [and] display the strong influence of Louis Sullivan; a significant aspect of these decorative elements is their variety."^[2] This influenced White's design of the Auditorium building, which has elements of the Richardsonian Romanesque Revival style. Described as "interspersed with other coloured stones to accentuate doorways and windows. Rectangular blocks with little ornaments other than the play of voids and solids across the surface project enormous power and a sense of timelessness."^[3] This is seen in the design of the auditorium building's façade.

Historical significance

Social life in Portland greatly influenced the design Frederick White incorporated into the Auditorium Building. During the 1840s and continuing into the 1880s, the population of Portland increased. As the city grew, the population developed a taste for various refined social and cultural activities.^[4] Starting in the 1850s, these activities included: music, theater, "parties, candy pulls, church socials, [and] dances."^[4] The population increased and the enjoyment of these activities easily expanded throughout the city. The arrival of the first transcontinental railway to Portland in 1883 made travel easier for performers, drawing more of them to the Portland area to satisfy demand.^[4]

Throughout the city of Portland several different types of theaters were developed to best fit the varieties of plays and operas that were traveling to perform in the city. By the year 1890, "Portland had six good-sized theaters with a total seating capacity of about 6,200. It also had a number of smaller places featuring various types of popular entertainment."^[5] The Auditorium, being one of these smaller buildings, catered to smaller performances. White's intentional inclusion of an auditorium and dance hall into the design was done directly to accommodate the social desires and attractions fitting to the era in which it was built.

The architect

The architect of the Auditorium building was Frederick Manson White, born in Derby, England on March 18, 1863.^[6] He studied architecture in Paris, France at the École des Beaux-Arts where he adopted French, English, and Spanish styles of architecture. White was called to Portland, Oregon where he established a name for himself in the field of architecture. He is most famously known for buildings throughout the Portland area such as: the Portland Armory, First Presbyterian Church, the Dekum Building, and the Imperial Hotel.^[6] The Auditorium Building was his first independently commissioned project, and his design of the auditorium building stands as a testament to his skill and imagination as an architect. White was known for his work in the Richardsonian Romanesque style.

National Register of Historic Places

In February 1970, the Auditorium building was nominated by the Portland Historical Landmark Committee, and placed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) list^[7] to protect it from future renewal. It became a part of the NRHP because of the building's representation and connection to the Romanesque revival style, the significance of its design, and because the physical location of the Auditorium and Music Hall in downtown Portland is historically relevant.

Related Research Articles

Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to feature more simplified arches and windows than their historic counterparts.

The Oregon Commercial Historic District is a historic district in Oregon, Illinois, that has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2006. The district is roughly bordered by Jefferson, Franklin, 5th and 3rd Streets in Oregon. It is one of six Oregon sites listed on the National Register and one of three to be so listed since the turn of the 21st century. The other two are the Oregon Public Library, listed in 2003, and the Chana School, listed in 2005.

Old Main, at 400 East Tyler Mall on the Tempe campus of Arizona State University, is the oldest building on the campus. It was built in 1898 and was designed by W. A. McGinnis in the Victorian Queen Anne style with Richardsonian Romanesque influences. Along with the Administration/Science Building and a third building no longer extant, Old Main defined the first quad on the campus of the Arizona Territorial Normal School; Arizona would not become a state for 14 years after Old Main was dedicated.

The Dekum or the Dekum Building is a historic office building in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bank of Hominy</span> United States historic place

The Bank of Hominy, at W. Main St. and S. Price Ave. in Hominy, Oklahoma, is a building constructed in 1906, two years after the Oklahoma oil boom of 1904. It is one of four small bank buildings built in Richardsonian Romanesque style in Osage County, Oklahoma during 1904–1911. The others are Bank of Burbank, Bank of Bigheart, and Osage Bank of Fairfax.

Ware Town Hall is a historic town hall at Main and West Streets in Ware, Massachusetts. It was built in 1885 to a design by the architectural firm of Hartwell and Richardson, and is a prominent local example of Romanesque Revival architecture. The building, enlarged in 1904 and 1935 with stylistically sensitive additions, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

Waldschmidt Hall is an academic building at the University of Portland in Portland, Oregon, United States. Constructed in 1891 as West Hall, the building was originally part of the now defunct Portland University located in North Portland overlooking the Willamette River. The Romanesque style structure built of brick and stone stands five stories tall. The hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and renovated in 1992, the same year it took the current name. Waldschmidt, the oldest building on campus, now houses the school's administration offices and some classrooms.

Frederick Manson White, commonly known as F. Manson White, was an American architect based in Portland, Oregon. White was known for his work in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. Among the buildings he helped design, as part of the firm McCaw, Martin and White, or designed as a sole practitioner, are several that are on the National Register of Historic Places. These include the Imperial Hotel, Waldschmidt Hall at the University of Portland, the Dekum Building, the Auditorium and Music Hall, the Sherlock Building, the Flatiron Building, Woodrow Wilson Junior High School and the John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts in Eugene, the First Presbyterian Church in Medford, and the Corvallis Hotel in Corvallis. White also designed Agate Hall on the campus of the University of Oregon, and the Central Presbyterian Church in Portland.

The U.S. Courthouse & Federal Office Building, Milwaukee, Wisconsin is a post office, Federal office, and courthouse building located at Milwaukee in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. It is a courthouse for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

The Adrian Public Library is a historic structure located at 110 East Church Street in downtown Adrian, Michigan. Originally used as a library, it was designated as a Michigan Historic Site on December 14, 1976, and later listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 6, 1977. It is located within the Downtown Adrian Commercial Historic District and adjacent to the Adrian Engine House No. 1. Today, the building houses the Lenawee County Historical Society Museum.

Frederick Sterner (1862–1931) was a British-born American architect, who designed large residential and commercial buildings in Colorado and New York City. Many of his structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

John Wesley Ross was an architect in Davenport, Iowa. Originally of Westfield, Massachusetts, Ross moved to Davenport in 1874 where he designed several prominent structures. His son, Albert Randolph Ross, was a draughtsman in John W. Ross's office during 1884–7, and became a notable architect in his own right. Ross designed several buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Michigan University Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

Eastern Michigan University Historic District is a historic district on the very south end of the Eastern Michigan University campus. Eastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan in Washtenaw County. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School. Several buildings since its founding have achieved historical significance and eventually establishing it on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The district was established in 1984.

The Hallock–McMillan Building, also known as the Hallock and McMillan Building, is the first and oldest commercial brick building in Portland, Oregon, located downtown at 237 SW Naito Parkway. The building was designed by Absalom Hallock and completed in 1857. It is adjacent to the Fechheimer & White Building. In 1975, it was listed as a "primary landmark" in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) nomination of the Portland Skidmore/Old Town Historic District, the building's designation subsequently "translated" to "contributing property" under post-1970s NRHP terminology.

Justus F. Krumbein was an architect based in Portland, Oregon, United States, whose work included Richardsonian Romanesque designs and Italianate, cast-iron architecture. Little of his work survived the 20th Century.

The Camden Opera House Block is a historic multifunction building at 29 Elm Street in the center of Camden, Maine, United States. Built in 1893 after the town's great 1892 fire, it is one of its most prominent buildings. It houses town offices, a social meeting hall, and a 500-seat theater. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

Memorial Hall is a historic meeting hall at South Main and Elm Streets in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Built in 1890 as a memorial to the town's American Civil War soldiers, it has served for most of its existence has a meeting place for veterans' organizations, from the Grand Army of the Republic to the American Legion. It is also one of the town's finest examples of Romanesque architecture, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

The Hugh Roy and Lillie Cullen Building is the central administration building of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. Completed in 1900, the Cullen Building was declared a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1962 and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975, together with neighboring Mood-Bridwell Hall.

The K.A.J. and Cora Mackenzie House is a Richardsonian Romanesque revival style building in Northwest Portland, Oregon, situated on the corner of NW 20th Avenue and NW Hoyt Street, just blocks from its partner organization, the William Temple Thrift Store. Although the house is most well-known now for its association with the William Temple community, it was originally commissioned in 1891 by Kenneth A. J. Mackenzie, a medical professional in Oregon, and his wife, Cora Mackenzie, as their private residence. The Portland architecture firm of McCaw, Martin, and White was selected by the MacKenzies to design the house. The Mackenzies owned the house and resided in it until Kenneth A. J. Mackenzie's death in 1920, when it was sold. The house has had several owners since then, eventually being placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. The house has three stories and is roughly 7,100 square feet. The Mackenzie house is a prominent example of the influence of the Richardsonian Romanesque Revival architectural style on the west coast.

Cathedral Historic District, originally the Sioux Falls Historic District, is located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Named for its centerpiece and key contributing property, the Cathedral of Saint Joseph, the district covers the neighbourhood historically known as Nob Hill, where multiple prominent pioneers, politicians, and businessmen settled in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These homes primarily reflect Queen Anne and Mediterranean Revival architectural styles. In 1974, the neighborhood was listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP); at the time of this listing, there were 223 buildings, not all contributing, within the district's boundaries. The district was enlarged in 2023.

References

1 2 3 4 Goetze, Janet (April 3, 1983). "Auditorium Style Reclaimed". The Oregonian.
1 2 3 4 5 "Portland Oregon Historic Landmarks Commission." Manuscript. February 1970. Vertical File A: Portland Buildings. The Oregon Historical Society Davies Family Research Library.
↑ L. E. Panayotids. (1991). Gothic and Romanesque: A question of style. The arrangement of Protestant churches and school houses in 19th century Ontario: The work of Henry Langley. York University (Canada).
1 2 3 Paul Gilman Merriam. (1971). Portland, Oregon, 1840-1890: A Social And economic History. University of Oregon. Ann Arbor. 145.
↑ Paul Gilman Merriam. (1971). Portland, Oregon, 1840-1890: A Social And economic History. University of Oregon. Ann Arbor. 155.
1 2 "Frederick Manson White Genealogy." Typed Script. April 24, 1952. Vertical File A: Portland Buildings. The Oregon Historical Society Davies Family Research Library.
↑ "920 S.W. Third Ave." Undated record. Historic Resource Inventory: City of Portland Oregon. Oregon Historical Society Davies Family Research Library.

External links

NRHP Nomination Form

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[JG-1] 1 2 3 4 Goetze, Janet (April 3, 1983). "Auditorium Style Reclaimed". The Oregonian.

[HLC-2] 1 2 3 4 5 "Portland Oregon Historic Landmarks Commission." Manuscript. February 1970. Vertical File A: Portland Buildings. The Oregon Historical Society Davies Family Research Library.

[3] L. E. Panayotids. (1991). Gothic and Romanesque: A question of style. The arrangement of Protestant churches and school houses in 19th century Ontario: The work of Henry Langley. York University (Canada).

[PGM-4] 1 2 3 Paul Gilman Merriam. (1971). Portland, Oregon, 1840-1890: A Social And economic History. University of Oregon. Ann Arbor. 145.

[5] Paul Gilman Merriam. (1971). Portland, Oregon, 1840-1890: A Social And economic History. University of Oregon. Ann Arbor. 155.

[FMW-6] 1 2 "Frederick Manson White Genealogy." Typed Script. April 24, 1952. Vertical File A: Portland Buildings. The Oregon Historical Society Davies Family Research Library.

[7] "920 S.W. Third Ave." Undated record. Historic Resource Inventory: City of Portland Oregon. Oregon Historical Society Davies Family Research Library.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]