Failing Office Building
Encyclopedia
The Failing Office Building is a building in downtown Portland
, Oregon
, United States
that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on October 31, 2007. The building was built during the rapid growth in Portland's business district after the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition
in 1905. It was built with six stories in 1907, with a six-story addition in 1913. It features a reinforced steel-frame structure with facades of yellow brick and glazed terra cotta.
The Failing Office Building is currently known as The 620 Building.
, the fifteenth mayor of Portland. He was the son of Josiah Failing
, also a mayor of Portland. It was originally named the Gevurtz Building, for the ground-floor Gevurtz Furniture Company. In 1918, the Portland Gas and Coke Company signed a lease with the Failing estate, at which time it was named the Gasco Building. Portland Gas and Coke moved their operations to the Public Service Building in 1927, so the building was renamed the Failing Building.
The architects, William M. Whidden
and Ion Lewis
, of the firm Whidden & Lewis, were prominent in Portland around the beginning of the 20th century. Their residential buildings were mostly in the Colonial Revival
style, while their commercial buildings were primarily in the twentieth-century classical style. The commercial buildings often featured brick, along with terra cotta
ornamentation.
In December 2006, Walker Place LLC has purchased the 103077 square feet (9,576.2 m²) Failing Office Building (620 Building) from 620 Associates LLC for $11.35 million.
In 2008, The Failing Building (620 Building) underwent a major facade renovation of the first and second floors. The 1951 ceramic veneer was removed allowing the display windows to be reinstalled. With the addition of new steel awnings, concrete pilasters, and decorative tile, the building's facade was renovated to an approximation of its original 1913 appearance.
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on October 31, 2007. The building was built during the rapid growth in Portland's business district after the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition
Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition
The Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, commonly also known as the Lewis and Clark Exposition, and officially known as the Lewis and Clark Centennial American Pacific Exposition and Oriental Fair, was a worldwide exposition held in Portland, Oregon, United States in 1905 to celebrate the...
in 1905. It was built with six stories in 1907, with a six-story addition in 1913. It features a reinforced steel-frame structure with facades of yellow brick and glazed terra cotta.
The Failing Office Building is currently known as The 620 Building.
History
The building was built for Henry FailingHenry Failing
Henry Failing was a banker, and one of the leading businessmen of the Pacific Northwest of the United States. He was one of Portland, Oregon's earliest residents, and served as that city's mayor for three two-year terms...
, the fifteenth mayor of Portland. He was the son of Josiah Failing
Josiah Failing
Josiah Failing was a businessman and the fourth mayor of Portland, Oregon, United States. Born in New York, he moved to Portland when it was still a small town of a few hundred...
, also a mayor of Portland. It was originally named the Gevurtz Building, for the ground-floor Gevurtz Furniture Company. In 1918, the Portland Gas and Coke Company signed a lease with the Failing estate, at which time it was named the Gasco Building. Portland Gas and Coke moved their operations to the Public Service Building in 1927, so the building was renamed the Failing Building.
The architects, William M. Whidden
William M. Whidden
William Marcy Whidden was a founding member of Whidden & Lewis, a prominent architectural firm in Portland, Oregon, United States.-Early life:...
and Ion Lewis
Ion Lewis
Ion Lewis was a founding member of Whidden & Lewis, a prominent architectural firm in Portland, Oregon, United States around the beginning of the 20th century. The firm was formed with partner William M. Whidden...
, of the firm Whidden & Lewis, were prominent in Portland around the beginning of the 20th century. Their residential buildings were mostly in the Colonial Revival
Colonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
style, while their commercial buildings were primarily in the twentieth-century classical style. The commercial buildings often featured brick, along with terra cotta
Glazed architectural terra-cotta
Glazed architectural terra-cotta is a ceramic masonry building material popular in the United States from the late 19th century until the 1930s, and still one of the most common building materials found in U.S. urban environments...
ornamentation.
In December 2006, Walker Place LLC has purchased the 103077 square feet (9,576.2 m²) Failing Office Building (620 Building) from 620 Associates LLC for $11.35 million.
Renovations
In 1913, Whidden & Lewis oversaw the addition of 6 stories for the Gevurtz Furniture Company. In 1951, JJ Newberry remodeled the first and second floors (Glenn Stanton Architect) of the Failing Building and constructed a new six story building, which replaced the Richmond Building, located just to the east. A ceramic veneer was added which covered the original large window openings on the first and second floors.In 2008, The Failing Building (620 Building) underwent a major facade renovation of the first and second floors. The 1951 ceramic veneer was removed allowing the display windows to be reinstalled. With the addition of new steel awnings, concrete pilasters, and decorative tile, the building's facade was renovated to an approximation of its original 1913 appearance.
See also
- Architecture in Portland, OregonArchitecture in Portland, OregonPortland architecture includes a number of notable buildings, a wide range of styles, and a few notable pioneering architects.The scale of many projects is relatively small, as a result of the relatively small size of downtown-Portland blocks and strict height restrictions enacted to protect views...
- List of Registered Historic Places in Multnomah County, Oregon