.gif)
Portland City Hall (Oregon)
Encyclopedia
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 87000 square feet (8,082.6 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.
was founded in downtown Portland, with the women-only St. Helens Hall on the current block of City Hall.
The city hired Henry 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.
This board terminated Hefty and hired the architectural firm of Whidden and Lewis
to design a new building. Ion Lewis and William Whidden were originally from Boston, but were in Portland for the Portland Hotel
project, and Whidden had been employed with McKim, Mead, and White
. The board also persuaded the state legislature to authorize an additional $500,000 in bonds to complete the project. Whidden & Lewis designed a four-story structure in a neo-Renaissance style that included a clock tower
. Designed to be located in the center portion of the building, the tower was to rise five-stories above the rest of City Hall with a total height of 200 feet. Due to costs, the clock tower was never built. A domed cupola
also designed by Whidden and Lewis was never built. The original building design was praised for the details and symmetry.
In 1893, construction at the site was re-started. City Hall was built with un-reinforced masonry walls and slurry concrete floors to save on costs. Construction on the new structure was finished in 1894 or 1895 and the city government occupied the building. Once completed, the building was one of the first large buildings in the Pacific Northwest
to have electric wiring, have centralized heating, include public elevators, or be considered fireproof. William S. Mason was the first Portland mayor in the new City Hall, with a total of 34 people working in the building at opening. His successor, Sylvester Pennoyer
, called the new building "expensive, unseemly and unhealthful."
Funding for the city hall came from several sources. In 1889, the Oregon Legislative Assembly
approved a sale of $175,000 worth of bonds by the City of Portland to finance the construction of a new city hall. The building ultimately cost $575,000.
When built, the surrounding area was composed of dirt roads and private residences. The Southern Pacific Railroad's 1868 west side rail line ran down Fourth Avenue past City Hall and the county courthouse. The city and county governments fought the railroad to remove the dirty and noisy steam locomotives from this route, succeeding in 1912. Southern Pacific's electric interurban line continued on the tracks until the 1930s. In 2007, light rail lines were added on Fifth Avenue for the MAX Green Line
, with trains scheduled to once again run past City Hall.
Until 1902 the Portland Public Library, which started as a reading room for sailors and then as a subscription library, was housed in the building. In 1928, the city began one of a series of renovations on the building to increase floor space. That year one of the two light wells were filled in, blocking off natural light to the lower floors. The city added a new elevator in 1931. The next remodel started in 1933, and lasted through 1937. During this construction the second light well was filled in for more space, and a penthouse apartment
was built on top of the roof.
In 1910, the city installed a large boulder on the southeast portion of the grounds. The Oregon Railway and Navigation Company had found the 15,000 year old boulder in 1897 and moved it to Portland. The ten ton Wallula Stone was discovered in the Columbia River Gorge
, and was covered with petroglyph
s. It was returned to the Umatilla
tribe of Native Americans in Eastern Oregon
in 1996. The old elevators inside were replaced again in 1946, and in 1948 a runaway truck destroyed part of the stone railing on the Fifth Avenue side, which was then fixed.
In the 1960s the mayor's office was refurbished, a new roof was installed, and new trees were planted on the grounds. In 1964, the city remodeled the City Council chambers on the second and third floors. Part of the work was to install new lighting to allow television broadcasts from the chamber, while other work added drop tiles to the ceiling, hiding the domed roof.
In the early morning hours of November 21, 1970, a dynamite fueled bomb exploded underneath the portico, doing $170,000 in damage. Though no one was injured, windows were blown out, the Council Chamber (located above the blast) was damaged, all of the columns of the portico were damaged and replaced, and the Liberty Bell replica was a complete loss. A new bell was purchased for $8,000 and later moved to Terry Schrunk Plaza
. No one was ever arrested or claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Later in the decade, Portland upgraded City Hall by adding fire sprinklers and smoke detectors. In 1973, the sandstone exterior was cleaned and sealed to prevent moisture from eroding the fragile stone. It was later learned that this process was harmful as the silicon coating sealed the moisture inside the rock. In 1974, City Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places
. The following year the rooftop penthouse was converted into an employee break room that included an outdoor deck. In 1978, the city constructed a wheelchair ramp to provide access to the handicapped.
The 1980s saw additional renovations. The auditor's office and the mayor’s office were both renovated, though work on the mayor's office halted when funds were exhausted. The city expanded the office of the city's attorney, and in 1982 the Portland Building was finished across the street. This allowed the city to move many city offices into a single location. Work was also completed on the exterior, while a new roof was finished. In 1985, the building began a conversion from steam heating.
In January 1995, the City Council voted to remove parking from the grounds of City Hall. Previously, the landscaped yard surrounding the building had been paved to allow the city council members to park their vehicles on site. That month also marked the 100th birthday of the structure.
s, with an estimated cost of $16 million. Work was to include replacing the concrete floors, structural upgrades, and restoring the original light corridors
that penetrated all four floors of the building. In March 1995, plans were made to renovate the then-100-year-old structure. The estimated $22 million project was proposed due to the building failing to comply with the city codes for earthquakes and fires.
Some preparatory work for the renovation began in November 1995. On May 3, 1996, City Hall closed and offices relocated for the renovation project. The offices were temporarily housed in the former State Office Building (now Fifth Avenue Building) nearby on Fifth Avenue. Bing Sheldon served as the architect on the remodel. Drake Construction served as the contractor
for the project with SERA Architects as the design firm.
On June 17, 1996, a 120 feet (36.6 m)-long boom portion of a construction crane crashed at the construction site, scraping the stone on the east side of the building, but not injuring anyone. Due to the fragile sandstone exterior, the damage on the rotunda was not repaired. In January 1997, construction crews finished the demolition portion of the project and finished the structural reinforcement part before they began the interior construction phase.
Designers restored the light corridors inside the building during the remodel. These two central light courts allowed more natural lighting
into the interior of the building. Additionally, the old Fourth Avenue entrance was restored, and the address was changed to 1221 S.W. Fourth Avenue. Renovations also restored the original look of the City Council chamber, with council members now facing the windows.
The original red and white marble from the floors was saved and reinstalled on top of the new concrete slab flooring. New marble was used on the fourth floor. Other changes included the addition of central air conditioning, insulation of the roof and exterior walls, and the replacement of the old single-pane windows. Public restrooms were added on the east side on each floor. During construction, the usable floor space in the building was reduced from 50370 square feet (4,679.5 m²) to 48128 square feet (4,471.2 m²). Restoration of the interior included work on the wrought-iron frame of the stairwell, uncovering the copper plating that decorated the walls in the stairwell, and work on the wrought-iron frame of the elevator shafts. Additionally, nearly 40% of the building's structural steel was replaced, the plumbing was replaced, HVAC systems were added, concrete slabs replaced the concrete slurry floors, new electrical systems were installed, shear concrete walls were added, as were new security, fire, and life safety systems.
On March 30, 1998, City Hall reopened to the public. There were concerns over the cost of the project that increased from around $15 million to a final cost of nearly $30 million. The city had approved $28.1 million before the project started. Of the $29.3 million final cost of the project, construction costs totaled $19.9 million. Of that amount, $17 million was to bring the building up to modern fire and safety standards. Additional funds were spent on artwork
, a temporary location for offices, and new furniture among other costs. Reasons given for the additional costs varied from new problems uncovered during the remodel, a booming construction market at the time, and delays in starting the project.
Financing of the renovations came from local bonds
, with approximately $3 million per year coming from the general fund to pay the debt off. Prior attempts at raising private funds for the project had failed. The project was named as the top public project and was an honorable mention in the renovation category for 1998 by Northwest Construction magazine.
with a sandstone exterior. The interior of City Hall covers 87500 square feet (8,129 m²), with 48128 square feet (4,471.2 m²) of usable space. Measured along Fifth Avenue, it is 180 feet (54.9 m) wide. Viewed from above the building is similar in shape to the letter E, with the rotunda as the middle protruding portion of the building. There are two wings that extend toward Fourth Avenue, one on the far north and the other on the far south, each only a single story in height where it is closest to Fourth. The rotunda is three stories high, with the portico
comprising the first floor. Granite columns imported from Scotland
are used to support the portico. Portland City Council chambers occupy the two other floors inside of the rotunda, on the east side of the building.
On the roof of City Hall are 4 feet (1.2 m) ornamental urns, originally made of limestone. During the last remodel they were replaced using lightweight material for pedestrian safety. The building features dentil
molding where the roof meets the walls, and the fourth floor has a balcony with paired Tuscan columns on the west side. Additionally, the exterior features keystones
over the windows on the first and second floors, plus a balustrade
along the roof line. Inside the High Renaissance building, the columns of the lobby are covered with a fake marble coating called Scagliola
. The lobby has marble flooring and oak woodwork. In the atrium the walls are covered in a white tile that was re-discovered during the 1996 remodel.
The Pettygrove Room on the second floor is named for Francis W. Pettygrove, the Portland founder who won the coin toss to name the city
. The main stairway at City Hall has 77 steps, with iron handrails and tile steps. The building sits 70 feet (21.3 m) above sea level. Artwork in the building includes works by Norie Sato, a mural by Michael Brophy in the Council Chamber, a constantly changing work called the "Visual Chronicle of Portland" located on the main floor, and changing exhibits.
The Governmental Relations office and the office of the city's attorney are on the fourth floor. On the third floor are the mayor's office, the ceremonial Rose Room, a balcony for the Council chambers, Audit Services, and the city's affirmative action office. The second floor contains the city council chambers, two conference rooms, and four commissioners' offices. On the main floor is the lobby, the Office of Neighborhood Involvement, an information desk, and offices for the city auditor, council clerk, and city treasurer. The grounds of the building include a rose garden
, trees, a vegetable garden, and other landscaping.
Government of Portland, Oregon
The Government of Portland, Oregon, a city in the U.S. state of Oregon, is based on a city commission government system. Elected officials include a Mayor, a City Council, and a City Auditor. The mayor and commissioners are responsible legislative policy and oversee the various bureaus that...
of Portland, Oregon
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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The four-story Italian Renaissance
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
-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
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 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
Downtown Portland
Downtown Portland, the city center of Portland, Oregon, United States, is located on the west bank of the Willamette River. It is in the northeastern corner of the southwest section of the city and is where most of the city's high-rise buildings are found....
, 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
Wells Fargo Center (Portland, Oregon)
Wells Fargo Center is an office building located in Portland, Oregon, United States. The tower rises 546 feet with 40 floors of office space and three levels of parking below the surface...
, and to the north is the Portland Building. Terry Schrunk Plaza
Terry Schrunk Plaza
Terry Schrunk Plaza is a park located in downtown Portland, Oregon. Located across from City Hall, the park is named after former Portland mayor Terry Schrunk and neighbors the Plaza Blocks consisting of Chapman Square and Lownsdale Square....
(named for a former mayor
Terry Schrunk
Terry Doyle Schrunk was an American politician who served as the mayor for the city of Portland, Oregon, from 1957–1973, a length tying George Luis Baker who also served 17 years . Prior to becoming mayor, he had been the sheriff of Multnomah County since 1949. In his 1956 campaign for mayor, he...
) is across Fourth Avenue to the east. In addition to more than 87000 square feet (8,082.6 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.
Late 19th century
The 1890-current City Hall replaces an earlier building at Second and Ash streets. In 1869, the Oregon Episcopal SchoolOregon Episcopal School
The Oregon Episcopal School is a private, coeducational college preparatory school in the Raleigh Hills suburb of Portland, Oregon.-History:...
was founded in downtown Portland, with the women-only St. Helens Hall on the current block of City Hall.
The city hired Henry 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.
This board terminated Hefty and hired the architectural firm of Whidden and Lewis
Whidden and Lewis
Whidden & Lewis was a prominent architectural firm in Portland, Oregon, United States around the beginning of the 20th century formed by William M. Whidden and Ion Lewis. Their residential buildings were mostly in the Colonial Revival style, while their commercial buildings were primarily in the...
to design a new building. Ion Lewis and William Whidden were originally from Boston, but were in Portland for the Portland Hotel
Portland Hotel
The Portland Hotel was a late-19th-century hotel in Portland, Oregon, United States that once occupied the city block on which Pioneer Courthouse Square now stands. It closed in 1951 after 61 years of operation.-History:...
project, and Whidden had been employed with McKim, Mead, and White
McKim, Mead, and White
McKim, Mead & White was a prominent American architectural firm at the turn of the twentieth century and in the history of American architecture. The firm's founding partners were Charles Follen McKim , William Rutherford Mead and Stanford White...
. The board also persuaded the state legislature to authorize an additional $500,000 in bonds to complete the project. Whidden & Lewis designed a four-story structure in a neo-Renaissance style that included a clock tower
Clock tower
A clock tower is a tower specifically built with one or more clock faces. Clock towers can be either freestanding or part of a church or municipal building such as a town hall. Some clock towers are not true clock towers having had their clock faces added to an already existing building...
. Designed to be located in the center portion of the building, the tower was to rise five-stories above the rest of City Hall with a total height of 200 feet. Due to costs, the clock tower was never built. A domed cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
also designed by Whidden and Lewis was never built. The original building design was praised for the details and symmetry.
In 1893, construction at the site was re-started. City Hall was built with un-reinforced masonry walls and slurry concrete floors to save on costs. Construction on the new structure was finished in 1894 or 1895 and the city government occupied the building. Once completed, the building was one of the first large buildings in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
to have electric wiring, have centralized heating, include public elevators, or be considered fireproof. William S. Mason was the first Portland mayor in the new City Hall, with a total of 34 people working in the building at opening. His successor, Sylvester Pennoyer
Sylvester Pennoyer
Sylvester Pennoyer was an American educator, attorney, and politician in Oregon. He was born in New York, attended Harvard Law School, and moved to Oregon at age 25. A Democrat, he served two terms as the eighth Governor of Oregon from 1886 to 1895. He joined the Populist cause in the early 1890s...
, called the new building "expensive, unseemly and unhealthful."
Funding for the city hall came from several sources. In 1889, the Oregon Legislative Assembly
Oregon Legislative Assembly
The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the House of Representatives, with 60 members elected to...
approved a sale of $175,000 worth of bonds by the City of Portland to finance the construction of a new city hall. The building ultimately cost $575,000.
When built, the surrounding area was composed of dirt roads and private residences. The Southern Pacific Railroad's 1868 west side rail line ran down Fourth Avenue past City Hall and the county courthouse. The city and county governments fought the railroad to remove the dirty and noisy steam locomotives from this route, succeeding in 1912. Southern Pacific's electric interurban line continued on the tracks until the 1930s. In 2007, light rail lines were added on Fifth Avenue for the MAX Green Line
MAX Green Line
The MAX Green Line is a light rail route in the MAX Light Rail system in Portland, Oregon, United States, extending to Clackamas, Oregon. Construction began in early 2007, and the line opened on September 12, 2009. The average daily ridership in June 2010 was 19,500 increasing to 23,200 by April...
, with trains scheduled to once again run past City Hall.
20th century
In 1902, two Port Orford cedar trees were planted on the east side of City Hall. One tree was planted on the north side and the second tree on the south side of the building to reinforce the symmetrical aspects of the building. The south tree was replaced in 1999 due to poor health. In 1910, the city added passenger elevators to the open stairwells.Until 1902 the Portland Public Library, which started as a reading room for sailors and then as a subscription library, was housed in the building. In 1928, the city began one of a series of renovations on the building to increase floor space. That year one of the two light wells were filled in, blocking off natural light to the lower floors. The city added a new elevator in 1931. The next remodel started in 1933, and lasted through 1937. During this construction the second light well was filled in for more space, and a penthouse apartment
Penthouse apartment
A penthouse apartment or penthouse is an apartment that is on one of the highest floors of an apartment building. Penthouses are typically differentiated from other apartments by luxury features.-History:...
was built on top of the roof.
Columbia River Gorge
The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to deep, the canyon stretches for over as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range forming the boundary between the State of Washington to the north and Oregon to the south...
, and was covered with petroglyph
Petroglyph
Petroglyphs are pictogram and logogram images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, and abrading. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions of the technique to refer to such images...
s. It was returned to the Umatilla
Umatilla (tribe)
The Umatilla are a Sahaptin-speaking Native American group living on the Umatilla Indian Reservation, who traditionally inhabited the Columbia Plateau region of the northwestern United States....
tribe of Native Americans in Eastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity, thus the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost counties in the state; in other contexts, it includes...
in 1996. The old elevators inside were replaced again in 1946, and in 1948 a runaway truck destroyed part of the stone railing on the Fifth Avenue side, which was then fixed.
In the 1960s the mayor's office was refurbished, a new roof was installed, and new trees were planted on the grounds. In 1964, the city remodeled the City Council chambers on the second and third floors. Part of the work was to install new lighting to allow television broadcasts from the chamber, while other work added drop tiles to the ceiling, hiding the domed roof.
In the early morning hours of November 21, 1970, a dynamite fueled bomb exploded underneath the portico, doing $170,000 in damage. Though no one was injured, windows were blown out, the Council Chamber (located above the blast) was damaged, all of the columns of the portico were damaged and replaced, and the Liberty Bell replica was a complete loss. A new bell was purchased for $8,000 and later moved to Terry Schrunk Plaza
Terry Schrunk Plaza
Terry Schrunk Plaza is a park located in downtown Portland, Oregon. Located across from City Hall, the park is named after former Portland mayor Terry Schrunk and neighbors the Plaza Blocks consisting of Chapman Square and Lownsdale Square....
. No one was ever arrested or claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Later in the decade, Portland upgraded City Hall by adding fire sprinklers and smoke detectors. In 1973, the sandstone exterior was cleaned and sealed to prevent moisture from eroding the fragile stone. It was later learned that this process was harmful as the silicon coating sealed the moisture inside the rock. In 1974, City Hall was added to 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...
. The following year the rooftop penthouse was converted into an employee break room that included an outdoor deck. In 1978, the city constructed a wheelchair ramp to provide access to the handicapped.
The 1980s saw additional renovations. The auditor's office and the mayor’s office were both renovated, though work on the mayor's office halted when funds were exhausted. The city expanded the office of the city's attorney, and in 1982 the Portland Building was finished across the street. This allowed the city to move many city offices into a single location. Work was also completed on the exterior, while a new roof was finished. In 1985, the building began a conversion from steam heating.
In January 1995, the City Council voted to remove parking from the grounds of City Hall. Previously, the landscaped yard surrounding the building had been paved to allow the city council members to park their vehicles on site. That month also marked the 100th birthday of the structure.
Renovation
Discussions about the need to upgrade and renovate City Hall began anew in 1988. In 1994, proposals were made to remodel and update the structure to meet modern building codeBuilding code
A building code, or building control, is a set of rules that specify the minimum acceptable level of safety for constructed objects such as buildings and nonbuilding structures. The main purpose of building codes are to protect public health, safety and general welfare as they relate to the...
s, with an estimated cost of $16 million. Work was to include replacing the concrete floors, structural upgrades, and restoring the original light corridors
Atrium (architecture)
In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...
that penetrated all four floors of the building. In March 1995, plans were made to renovate the then-100-year-old structure. The estimated $22 million project was proposed due to the building failing to comply with the city codes for earthquakes and fires.
General contractor
A general contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and communication of information to involved parties throughout the course of a building project.-Description:...
for the project with SERA Architects as the design firm.
On June 17, 1996, a 120 feet (36.6 m)-long boom portion of a construction crane crashed at the construction site, scraping the stone on the east side of the building, but not injuring anyone. Due to the fragile sandstone exterior, the damage on the rotunda was not repaired. In January 1997, construction crews finished the demolition portion of the project and finished the structural reinforcement part before they began the interior construction phase.
Designers restored the light corridors inside the building during the remodel. These two central light courts allowed more natural lighting
Sunlight
Sunlight, in the broad sense, is the total frequency spectrum of electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun. On Earth, sunlight is filtered through the Earth's atmosphere, and solar radiation is obvious as daylight when the Sun is above the horizon.When the direct solar radiation is not blocked...
into the interior of the building. Additionally, the old Fourth Avenue entrance was restored, and the address was changed to 1221 S.W. Fourth Avenue. Renovations also restored the original look of the City Council chamber, with council members now facing the windows.
The original red and white marble from the floors was saved and reinstalled on top of the new concrete slab flooring. New marble was used on the fourth floor. Other changes included the addition of central air conditioning, insulation of the roof and exterior walls, and the replacement of the old single-pane windows. Public restrooms were added on the east side on each floor. During construction, the usable floor space in the building was reduced from 50370 square feet (4,679.5 m²) to 48128 square feet (4,471.2 m²). Restoration of the interior included work on the wrought-iron frame of the stairwell, uncovering the copper plating that decorated the walls in the stairwell, and work on the wrought-iron frame of the elevator shafts. Additionally, nearly 40% of the building's structural steel was replaced, the plumbing was replaced, HVAC systems were added, concrete slabs replaced the concrete slurry floors, new electrical systems were installed, shear concrete walls were added, as were new security, fire, and life safety systems.
On March 30, 1998, City Hall reopened to the public. There were concerns over the cost of the project that increased from around $15 million to a final cost of nearly $30 million. The city had approved $28.1 million before the project started. Of the $29.3 million final cost of the project, construction costs totaled $19.9 million. Of that amount, $17 million was to bring the building up to modern fire and safety standards. Additional funds were spent on artwork
Work of art
A work of art, artwork, art piece, or art object is an aesthetic item or artistic creation.The term "a work of art" can apply to:*an example of fine art, such as a painting or sculpture*a fine work of architecture or landscape design...
, a temporary location for offices, and new furniture among other costs. Reasons given for the additional costs varied from new problems uncovered during the remodel, a booming construction market at the time, and delays in starting the project.
Financing of the renovations came from local bonds
Municipal bond
A municipal bond is a bond issued by a city or other local government, or their agencies. Potential issuers of municipal bonds includes cities, counties, redevelopment agencies, special-purpose districts, school districts, public utility districts, publicly owned airports and seaports, and any...
, with approximately $3 million per year coming from the general fund to pay the debt off. Prior attempts at raising private funds for the project had failed. The project was named as the top public project and was an honorable mention in the renovation category for 1998 by Northwest Construction magazine.
Details
The four-story building is in the Italian Renaissance style of architectureRenaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
with a sandstone exterior. The interior of City Hall covers 87500 square feet (8,129 m²), with 48128 square feet (4,471.2 m²) of usable space. Measured along Fifth Avenue, it is 180 feet (54.9 m) wide. Viewed from above the building is similar in shape to the letter E, with the rotunda as the middle protruding portion of the building. There are two wings that extend toward Fourth Avenue, one on the far north and the other on the far south, each only a single story in height where it is closest to Fourth. The rotunda is three stories high, with the portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
comprising the first floor. Granite columns imported from Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
are used to support the portico. Portland City Council chambers occupy the two other floors inside of the rotunda, on the east side of the building.
Dentil
In classical architecture a dentil is a small block used as a repeating ornament in the bedmould of a cornice.The Roman architect Vitruvius In classical architecture a dentil (from Lat. dens, a tooth) is a small block used as a repeating ornament in the bedmould of a cornice.The Roman architect...
molding where the roof meets the walls, and the fourth floor has a balcony with paired Tuscan columns on the west side. Additionally, the exterior features keystones
Keystone (architecture)
A keystone is the wedge-shaped stone piece at the apex of a masonry vault or arch, which is the final piece placed during construction and locks all the stones into position, allowing the arch to bear weight. This makes a keystone very important structurally...
over the windows on the first and second floors, plus a balustrade
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
along the roof line. Inside the High Renaissance building, the columns of the lobby are covered with a fake marble coating called Scagliola
Scagliola
Scagliola , is a technique for producing stucco columns, sculptures, and other architectural elements that resemble inlays in marble and semi-precious stones...
. The lobby has marble flooring and oak woodwork. In the atrium the walls are covered in a white tile that was re-discovered during the 1996 remodel.
The Pettygrove Room on the second floor is named for Francis W. Pettygrove, the Portland founder who won the coin toss to name the city
Portland Penny
The Portland Penny is the name subsequently given to a specific coin, a U.S. copper one-cent piece, used to decide the name of Portland, Oregon, United States...
. The main stairway at City Hall has 77 steps, with iron handrails and tile steps. The building sits 70 feet (21.3 m) above sea level. Artwork in the building includes works by Norie Sato, a mural by Michael Brophy in the Council Chamber, a constantly changing work called the "Visual Chronicle of Portland" located on the main floor, and changing exhibits.
The Governmental Relations office and the office of the city's attorney are on the fourth floor. On the third floor are the mayor's office, the ceremonial Rose Room, a balcony for the Council chambers, Audit Services, and the city's affirmative action office. The second floor contains the city council chambers, two conference rooms, and four commissioners' offices. On the main floor is the lobby, the Office of Neighborhood Involvement, an information desk, and offices for the city auditor, council clerk, and city treasurer. The grounds of the building include a rose garden
Rose garden
A Rose garden or Rosarium is a garden or park, often open to the public, used to present and grow various types of garden roses. Designs vary tremendously and roses may be displayed alongside other plants or grouped by individual variety, colour or class in rose beds.-Origins of the rose...
, trees, a vegetable garden, and other landscaping.