Portland Public Service Building
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Portland Building is a 15-story municipal office building located at 1120 SW 5th Avenue in downtown Portland, Oregon. Built at a cost of $29 million, it opened in 1982.[1]
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. This is the first major postmodern building, opening before Philip Johnson's AT&T Building, and its design has been described as a rejection of the Modernist principles established in the early 20th century. Graves' design was selected as in a large design competition, with Johnson as one of the three members of the selection committee.
Beyond questions of style, many structural flaws came to light shortly after the building's completion.[2][3] The building's failings are the subject of much humor and contempt by the civil servants who work there, who describe it as cheaply built and difficult to work in.[4]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Designs as varied as uses of city's newer buildings. The Oregonian, February 19, 1990.
- ^ (dead link)
- ^ Silvis, Steffen. "Reaching for the Sky", Willamette Week.
- ^ Senior, Jeanie. "What’s not to love about the skyline? A lot, it seems", Portland Tribune, July 15, 2005. Retrieved on 2008-03-17.
[edit] External links
- Portland Public Service Building is at coordinates Coordinates:
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