Wells Fargo Building (Portland, Oregon)

Wells Fargo Building
Wells Fargo Building (Portland, Oregon) is located in Portland, Oregon
Wells Fargo Building (Portland, Oregon)
Location within Portland, Oregon
Alternative names
Porter Building
US National Bank Building[1]
General information
TypeCommercial offices
Location309 SW 6th Avenue
Portland, Oregon
Coordinates45°31′18″N 122°40′39″W / 45.521620°N 122.677575°W / 45.521620; -122.677575
Construction started
1905
Completed
1907
Height
Roof56.4 m (185 ft)
Technical details
Floor count12
Floor area20,903 sq ft (1,942.0 m2)
Design and construction
ArchitectBenjamin Wistar Morris III
Wells Fargo Building
Portland Historic Landmark[2]
Architectural styleNeo-Renaissance
NRHP reference No.86002839
Added to NRHPOctober 9, 1986
References
[3][4]

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.[5] Completed in 1907, the steel-framed building is considered the city's first true skyscraper.[1][5] At 12 stories and with a height of 182 feet (55 m),[6] it was the tallest building in Portland[3][4][5] exclusive of towers,[6] and remained so until the completion of Yeon Building in 1911, which took the title of the tallest office building in Oregon that year.[7] 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.[6]

In 1946,[8] the building was purchased by the United States National Bank of Portland, whose headquarters was located in a smaller building located directly adjacent, immediately to the south. U.S. National Bank used the Wells Fargo Building to expand its downtown Portland headquarters.[9]

In 1986, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.[10]

See also

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 Culverwell, Wendy (November 18, 2007). "Portland's first skyscraper passes the century mark". Portland Business Journal. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  2. ↑ Portland Historic Landmarks Commission (July 2010), Historic Landmarks -- Portland, Oregon (XLS), retrieved November 13, 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Emporis building ID 122629". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Wells Fargo Building". SkyscraperPage.
  5. 1 2 3 King 2001, pp. 24–25.
  6. 1 2 3 "Yeon Skyscraper Starts March 10". (February 6, 1910). The Sunday Oregonian, Section 4, p. 12.
  7. ↑ King 2001, p. 20.
  8. ↑ "$875,000 Annex for U. S. National; Porter Building Pioneers City's Steel Construction". (September 26, 1946). The Oregonian, p. 18.
  9. ↑ Pratt, Gerry (October 28, 1970). "Bank Offers Bonus: New Life to Old Area". The Oregonian. p. 38.
  10. ↑ "Oregon National Register List" (PDF). Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. June 6, 2011. p. 42. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 25, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2023.

Books

  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Wells Fargo Building (Portland, Oregon) at Wikimedia Commons
  • Portland Business Journal: Portland's first skyscraper passes the century mark