United States Customhouse (Portland, Oregon)
U.S. Custom house | |
Portland Historic Landmark[2] | |
Location | 220 NW 8th Ave., Portland, Oregon |
---|---|
Coordinates | 45°31′30″N 122°40′37″W / 45.52500°N 122.67694°W |
Area | less than one acre |
Built | 1898–1901 |
Architect | Edgar M. Lazarus |
Architectural style | Italian Renaissance Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 74001714[1] |
Added to NRHP | May 2, 1974 |
The U.S. Custom house is a historic
The building was used for filming as the exterior of the Portland Police station in the NBC series Grimm.
Building history
Fueled by Portland's economic development during the late 19th century, the U.S. Custom House was constructed to accommodate the city's burgeoning prosperity and status. In 1875, the
The building was designed in the office of
In 1938, the east and west wings gained fourth floors to accommodate additional office space. In 1968, when the U.S. Custom Service moved into the Old Post Office Building at 511 NW Broadway, the North Pacific Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers occupied the building, until they moved to a new location in December 2004. The building's scale and distinguished design aesthetically enhances its neighborhood and serves as an anchor on the margin of the North Park Blocks, a row of seven blocks originally intended as open space in the late 19th century. In 1970, upon the recommendation of the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission, the City Council designated the U.S. Custom House as a Historic Landmark. In 1973, the U.S. Custom House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.[1][2]
Current Use
After the US Custom was vacated in 2004 the Custom House was considered for an International School though ultimately this was determined not to be feasible and the Property was put up for auction. After an extended process the Property was purchased at auction by Eastern Real Estate LLC in March 2012 with a bid of $4.74 million,[3] with the sale finalized in October 2012.[4] In April 2015, WeWork announced plans to expand to Portland, leasing the Custom House for use as shared office space.[5] In conjunction with WeWork's leasing the entire Custom House building the Property was renovated in phases and WeWork opened for business in 2017. The property was intricately restored under the dedicated guidance of local architect, Dick Kirschbaum, of GBD Architects. Eastern Real Estate sold the Property in Q4 2017 to a new owner. WeWork left the Customs House location in 2021, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the massive protests in response to the murder of George Floyd, and the situation regarding homeless people in downtown Portland.[6]
Architecture
Portland's U.S. Custom House is a large edifice, encompassing a full block bounded by NW Broadway, Everett and Davis Streets, and Eighth Avenue, near the downtown. The four-story building is symmetrical, H-shaped in plan, featuring pavilions extending to the north and south from the central mass. An elegant one-story granite loggia of five tall, arched openings with rusticated walls and a scrolled parapet encloses the entry courtyard and opens onto Eighth Avenue and the North Park Blocks beyond.[2]
The U.S. Custom House is an exemplary display of the
A distinctive feature that evokes the interpretative style of the mid-16th-century Italian Mannerist architecture is the ornamentation of the fenestration. This is most prominent with the second- and third-story windows’ display of the "Gibbs surround," which is characterized by keystones and spaced blocks surrounding large windows. Here, this motif is composed of terra-cotta displaying bead and reel decoration, elaborately carved quoins, keystones, and Doric order moldings. Framing the second- and third-story bays of the north and south pavilions are two-story engaged Corinthian columns, supporting a continuous architrave, which is capped with a dentiled cornice and a parapet of alternating brick panels and open balusters.[2]
Italian Renaissance Revival finishes and details are reflected on the interior spaces of the Custom House. Arched doorways, marble-clad piers, and beams with classical plaster moldings define the three bays of the first-floor entry vestibule, extending into the first- floor lobby where they are articulated with groined vaults and paneled arch soffits. Marble
A grand
Typically, the office spaces include plaster finishes with oak baseboards, chair rails, and
Significant events
- 1898-1901: The U.S. Custom House is constructed.
- 1901: The building is opened.
- 1937-1939: The north and south pavilions gain a fourth floor.
- 1968: The U.S. Custom Service moves into the old Post Office Building, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers becomes the primary tenant.
- 1970: The building is designated as a Portland Historic Landmark.
- 1973: The building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1977: The interiors are rehabilitated.
- 1992: An extensive GSA exterior preservation project renews masonry work, windows and courtyard entry doors.
Building facts
- Architect: James Knox Taylor and Edgar Lazarus
- Construction Dates: 1898–1901; 1937–1939
- Landmark Status: Portland Historic Landmark; Listed in the National Register of Historic Places
- Location: 220 NW Eighth Avenue
- Floor Area: 99,742 sq.ft[7]
- Architectural Style: Italian Renaissance Revival
- Primary Materials: Granite, Roman brick, terra-cotta
- Prominent Features: Mannerist exterior detailing, featuring "Gibbs Surrounds"; cast-iron staircase
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System – U.S. Custom house (#74001714)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "GSA - Find a Building". U.S. Custom House, Portland, OR : Building Overview. U.S. General Services Administration. August 24, 2009.
- ^ Culverwell, Wendy (March 14, 2012). "U.S. Custom House buyer steps forward". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
- ^ Culverwell, Wendy (October 3, 2012). "U.S. Custom House sale closes". Portland Business Journal by Wendy Culverwel. Retrieved 2012-10-02.
- ^ Njus, Elliot (April 10, 2015). "Shared office provider WeWork will expand to Portland, take over vacant U.S. Custom House". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
- ^ Rogoway, Mike (February 6, 2021). "WeWork will close U.S. Custom House co-working space, latest blow to Portland's core". OregonLive.com.
- ^ "220 NW 8th Ave Portland, OR". CrediFi. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
Attribution
- This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the General Services Administration.
External links
- Media related to U.S. Customhouse (Portland, Oregon) at Wikimedia Commons