Olds, Wortman & King

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Olds, Wortman & King was established in 1851 as Olds & King in Portland, Oregon, it was one of the oldest companies in the Northwest. Mr. Wortman joined the firm in the 1860s. The company built their large store at Morrison, Alder, Tenth, and West Park Streets downtown in 1910. It was the first store in the Northwest to occupy an entire block. The company was bought in 1925 by Schlessinger Department stores and the name was shortened again to Olds & King. The company was reorganized again in 1933 and renamed Schlessinger's. In 1943 it was again renamed as Western Department stores Inc., then Rhodes Department Store in the 1950s. The store closed for good in 1974 and became a multi-level shopping center and later home to the Western Culinary Institute.