Portland Public Service Building
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The Portland Building is a 15-story municipal office building located at 1120 SW 5th Avenue in downtown Portland, Oregon. It opened in 1982.
Michael Graves' building, with its distinctive block-like design and square windows, has become an icon of postmodern architecture. In 1985, the building was adorned by addition of the hammered-copper statue Portlandia above the front entrance.
The building remains controversial among Portlanders as well as the entire architecture field for its revolutionary design which was a rejection of the Modernist principles established in the early 20th century. The design was selected as the winning design in a large scale design competition with Philip Johnson as one of the three members of the selection committee.
Many structural flaws, said to be due to a lack of funds, came to light shortly after the building's completion. The building's failings are the subject of much humor and contempt by the civil servants who work there.[citation needed]
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| Notable Portland, Oregon architecture Skyscrapers: Wells Fargo Center | U.S. Bancorp Tower | KOIN Center | PacWest Center | Fox Tower | Standard Insurance Center | Congress Center | Hatfield U.S. Courthouse | ODS Tower | 1000 Broadway | Union Bank of California Tower | Lloyd Center Tower Other buildings: Meier & Frank Building | Benson Hotel | Commonwealth (Equitable) Building | Portland Public Service Building | Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall | Oregon Convention Center | Union Station | Pittock Mansion | Pioneer Courthouse |
