Portland City Hall (Oregon)
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Portland City Hall
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Portland Historic Landmark
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| Location | 1221 SW 4th Avenue Portland, Oregon |
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| Coordinates | 45°30′54″N 122°40′45″W / 45.515014°N 122.679122°WCoordinates: 45°30′54″N 122°40′45″W / 45.515014°N 122.679122°W |
| Built | 1895 |
| Architect | Whidden & Lewis |
| Architectural style | Italianate, Renaissance |
| NRHP Reference # | 74001711 |
| Added to NRHP | November 21, 1974 |
Portland City Hall is the headquarters of city government of Portland, Oregon, United States. The four-story Italian Renaissance-style building houses the offices of the City Council, which consists of the mayor and four commissioners, and several other offices. City Hall is also home to the City Council chambers, located in the rotunda on the east side of the structure. Completed in 1895, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 21, 1974. City Hall has gone through several renovations, with the most recent overhaul gutting the interior to upgrade it to modern seismic and safety standards. The original was built for $600,000, while the 1996 to 1998 renovation cost $29 million.
Located in downtown Portland, City Hall sits on an entire city block along Fourth and Fifth avenues at Madison and Jefferson Streets. To the south is the Wells Fargo Center, and to the north is the Portland Building. Terry Schrunk Plaza (named for a former mayor) is across Fourth Avenue to the east. In addition to more than 87,000 square feet (8,100 m2) of interior space, the exterior consists of landscaped grounds. The main entrance is located on Fourth Avenue, though for a time it was located on the Fifth Avenue side.
The 1895-to-present City Hall replaced an earlier building at Second and Ash streets. In 1869, the Oregon Episcopal School was founded in downtown Portland, with the women-only St. Helens Hall on the current block of City Hall.
The city hired Henry J. Hefty to design the building; his design was "a huge ostentatious structure that appeared to be modeled on the Kremlin." The city purchased the block in 1890 for $100,000, and construction began in 1892, but was halted due to dissatisfaction with the design. After the foundation and basement of the building had been built, the new City Hall Commission canceled the contract and tore out the basement and first floor at an expense of $125,000.
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