Architecture of Portland, Oregon

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.

[1] Well-known architect Pietro Belluschi began his career in Portland with the prolific firm of A.E.

Other notable architects and firms who have worked in Portland are Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM), Michael Graves, Cass Gilbert, Rapp and Rapp, Daniel Burnham & Co., Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects (ZGF) and Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works.

Local architects that have had a large influence on Portland's architecture include Francis Marion Stokes and his father William R. Stokes (combined works include over 270 buildings from 1882 to the 1960s), the Victorian-era architect Warren H. Williams (architect of several surviving cast-iron buildings including the Blagen Block as well as the stick-gothic Old Church) and Whidden & Lewis (architects of Portland City Hall, the long demolished Portland Hotel, the Weinhard Brewery Complex, the Failing Office Building, several office buildings on SW 3rd Ave. and numerous residences).

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.

[4] The large doorstep at the building's entryway required the largest slab of granite ever shipped to Portland at the time.

[21][22] The next year, the KOIN Tower, Portland's third tallest building, was completed as part of a redevelopment project.