Designed by Michael Graves, the pioneering Portland Building is at once considered to be a postmodern icon as well as the "ugliest building in Oregon". A rectangular block of four, heavily ornamented, salmon and turquoise facades, the building can easily be likened to a small, fancy French cake. But, beyond the merits of its aesthetics, the 15-story office tower has also been criticized for its structural mishaps that include seismic deficiencies and water intrusions issues.

Concern over these flaws, as well as a healthy dose of po-mo hate, have led to long held discussions regarding its potential destruction. In 2015, the conversation was finally brought to head when the city decided to move forward with a major, $195 million reconstruction of the building.

Photo by Joakim Lord. Courtesy of Docomomo Oregon.

The rebuild, which was approved by the Landmarks Commission due to the building's historical significance, will mean updates to the building's operating systems and seismic retrofits to better protect against earthquakes. It also includes modifications to the exterior that involve dismantling the facade, the process for which began over the weekend.



Rendering of Portland Building restoration (DLR Group)

The redo of the exterior will protect the building from weather while respecting the historical significance of the original design, though it involves the replacement of almost all of the visible materials on the building. The teal colored tiles of the lower three floors are to be replaced with new terracotta rainscreen tiles, around twice the size of the original; the existing painted concrete facade will be overclad with a new aluminum rainscreen cladding system; the existing dark tinted windows will be replaced with new clear glass windows; and the stucco garlands on the side of the building will be re-created in formed aluminum.



This is a far departure from the typical approach to restoring landmarked works, where the goal is to save as much of the extant fabric as possible and not make any radical changes with materials. Lovers of post-modernism and preservationists, like the local DoCoMoMo chapter that acts a watchdog for threatened modern movement buildings, are disappointed with the Historic Landmark Commission's approval of the re-do. The extensive modifications to the outside will likely cause the building's removal from the National Register.