| Wells Fargo Center | |
|---|---|
Wells Fargo Center (center) is slightly taller than US Bancorp Tower (right). |
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| Former names | First National Bank Tower First Interstate Bank Tower |
| Alternative names | Block 148 |
| General information | |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Location | 1300 SW 5th Avenue Portland, Oregon |
| Coordinates | |
| Construction started | 1969 |
| Completed | 1972[1] |
| Height | |
| Roof | 166.4 m (546 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 41 |
| Floor area | 52,753 m2 (567,830 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Charles Luckman |
| References | |
| [2][3][4] | |
Wells Fargo Center is an office building located in Portland, Oregon, United States. The tower rises 546 feet (166.4 m) with 40 floors of office space and three levels of parking below the surface.[5] When the structure was completed in 1972, the center became the tallest building in the State of Oregon.
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The building and a connected five-story building were designed by Charles Luckman and Associates. Originally named the First National Bank Tower, the building opened on April 17, 1972,[6] and was formally dedicated on May 25, 1972.[1][7] At that time, the bank occupied the first 21 floors of the tower and the entire connected, five-story building, which is known as the Data Processing Building.[1] The name was changed to the First Interstate Tower in 1981, after First National Bank of Oregon was acquired by First Interstate Bancorp. The current name was adopted after Wells Fargo purchased First Interstate in 1996.[8] Upon opening in 1972, the Wells Fargo Center dwarfed all other existing high-rise developments in downtown Portland. Public outcry over the tower's scale and the potential of new development to block views of Mount Hood led to height restrictions on all new development.
The public areas underwent extensive renovation in 2001, including the addition of more retail space. Renovations were completed in 2002 at a cost of $35 million. Focused on the lobby area, the work included the addition of a display on the bank's history.[9] The center had been the headquarters of Willamette Industries until 2003, when that company was bought by Weyerhaeuser.[10]
Wells Fargo Center contains the regional headquarters for Wells Fargo Bank. The tower is located in Downtown Portland bounded by Southwest Fourth and Fifth avenues between southwest Columbia and Jefferson streets.[7] A skyway connects the tower to the adjacent five-story Data Processing Building, which is also part of the Wells Fargo Center.[11] The 41-story building is the tallest building in Oregon.[12] The main bank lobby is home to an authentic 1870 stagecoach from Wells Fargo's past.
Architectural details include extensive use of marble. There is a total of 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2) of marble in the building, with the base utilizing 1⁄16-inch-thick (1.6 mm) marble.[7] The exterior of the building has columns of black glass separated by columns of white marble running the entire height of the building.
The design of the building has been criticized for a variety of architectural issues.[13] Ivan Doig, writing about Portland for The New York Times in 1976, stated the building was "huge and sleek and featureless".[14]
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