Graves was added into the competition after Johnson threw out the entry from architect Gunnar Birkerts for having not been Postmodern enough.

"[14] In 2014, some city commissioners expressed the view that the building should be demolished due to extensive water infiltration and structural issues.

The consensus among the city commissioners was mixed, with one member calling the building a "white elephant", while others opposed the demolition.

[17] In July 2016, plans to renovate the building moved ahead, with the city council choosing a contractor and setting a maximum cost of $140 million for the work, not including estimated non-construction expenses of up to $55 million, such as for the leasing of office space for around 1,300 city employees who will be temporarily displaced during the renovation work.

[20] The teal colored tiles of the lower three floors would be replaced with larger terracotta rainscreen tiles, the existing painted concrete facade would be covered by a new aluminum rainscreen cladding, the existing dark tinted windows would be replaced with clear glass windows, and the stucco garlands on the side of the building will be rebuilt using formed aluminum.

[20] The building envelope was replaced using a unitized curtain wall, allowing the design to reflect Graves's original while repairing years of moisture seeping into the facade and preventing further water damage.

[29] As of August 2020, renovation work on the interiors of the first floors was continuing but was expected to be finished by the end of the year.

[31][32] The roof was proposed in 2005,[33] part of an experiment through Oregon State University to test Sedum spathulifolium as a water-absorbing plant for the northwest.

[36] As of October 2009, the Portland Building housed these municipal bureaus and departments: Office of Cable Communications & Franchise Management, Bureau of Environmental Services, Facilities Services, Bureau of Human Resources, Office of Management and Finance, Mt.

"[14] Nearly a quarter century later, Oregonian columnist David Sarasohn revisited the theme, noting that the "huge blue tiles, colored glass and odd pastel flourishes meant to evoke early modern French paintings" actually resembled "something designed by a Third World dictator's mistress' art-student brother.

"[39] These laypersons' appraisals were bolstered by Italian-born modernist architect Pietro Belluschi, who called the building "totally wrong" and declared: "It's not architecture, it's packaging.

In the estimation of architectural critic Paul Goldberger: "For better or for worse, the Portland Building overshadows other things.