Standard Insurance Center
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The Standard Insurance Center (Originally the Georgia-Pacific Building) is a 27 story office building in Portland, Oregon. It currently serves as part of the headquarters of The Standard (the brand name under which Standard Insurance Company and other subsidiaries of StanCorp Financial Group, Inc., do business).
The building was commissioned by Georgia-Pacific and designed by the firm of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM). At the time of construction, it was the tallest reinforced concrete building in the world. The Georgia-Pacific Building was completed in 1971.
When Georgia-Pacific left Portland, the Standard Insurance Company purchased the building, as it needed some more breathing room. It then renamed the building Standard Insurance Center, and removed all GP signage.
One of the most infamous pieces of public artwork in Portland sits prominently on the granite plaza in front of the Standard Insurance Center. Count Alexander Von Svoboda's The Quest features a fountain with nude figures intertwined in a sort of a "swim". However, some Portlanders over the years have drawn their own conclusions as to what the figures are doing and nicknamed the work "Three Groins in a Fountain", "The Grope", "The Quest for the Breast", or "Family Night at the YMCA".
Atop the building is pole with an attached beacon light indicating future weather conditions. Red indicates warmer weather, white means cooler, green stands for similar temperature, and flashing signals precipitation.
[edit] See also
[edit] External link
- Standard Insurance Center (Emporis)
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 |