The Portland Building

At 1120 SW 5th Ave, the Portland Building is a 15-story city office designed by Michael Graves and completed in 1982. Its colorful postmodern exterior reworks classical details such as keystones, pilasters and belvederes. Look up Fifth Avenue to see Portlandia, the copper statue of the goddess of commerce attached to the building. Public hearings and ceremonies give the civic interior a closer look in use, though access to office areas is restricted.

A landmark of postmodern design

Michael Graves designed the Portland Building as a city office building. It opened in 1982 and became a major example of postmodern architecture. Graves’s design challenged the plain, box-like look associated with modern office buildings by bringing back recognizable classical forms.

The exterior uses several colors and includes keystones, pilasters and belvederes. These details give the building a distinctive profile among downtown Portland’s civic buildings. Take time to look over the façade rather than focusing only on the statue.

Portlandia and the civic interior

Portlandia, the goddess of commerce, is attached to the building and faces Fifth Avenue. The wrought-copper statue is more than 30 feet tall and is described as the second-largest of its kind in the United States, after the Statue of Liberty.

The building is used for public hearings and ceremonies, including civic proceedings and swearing-in events. Access to office areas is restricted, so a public event is a useful way to see the building in active civic use. City Hall is a few minutes’ walk away on SW 5th Avenue and makes a natural addition for visitors interested in Portland’s architecture.