THE MORTOKG OREGOnAX, TXTESDAT, JANTTART 1, 190?.
3M MMf
t-ti
oBslruciion an
.3 --.., .v;v;s;5"
or 0
mm
d
flaraxed
h- '-V v-:f j v'i i
. o
C.'r -It M I'. hrlVrUl 8.51
t JJ3
T5f
y ' ' -i
y ' x
fPSrlNi BECK ESTA TE , Jty.r--J
ft . ; TsRass-1 -
1'' p Jic-'tfh4th;;J 41 .
f ll
fill
?-; f ' f j rrii 'vwl l")l Uil ,'r o f
!,iu..W..l.l.l. 11.1 ..,i,.i.,mi 1 mm .til, .nun ipwwiiMaillCTP
, Cw'fr- Ft"'"'? 'J lf hr A'1 .
ia:pjw?i,iiijir-.
5
1 JJL
p.. i, nwbiMaiStig-s.i.J..-'
Commercial club building.
WELLS-rA&GO BUILDINGXZ
' -.-r- Wf-i- iff, if- ; v l
.OKTLAX1) Is at tho threehoia of
an era of transformation. This
1 shown, not alona by her rapid
tain in population. Increased com
merca nod unprereijontiJ activity In
real rstatn, but y largor poBtofHcs
receipt, bunk cltarlngs and ruslom
liaus transautlon. Further and more
tanglbl evidence-1 the thousands of
new buildings tiiet Imve been erected
during- the past year. The progress in
building is shown Indisputably by the
record of city permits granted, but the
fullast conception of the proportions of
this movement can be trained only by
a inspection of th city's busy thor
oughfares, along all of which new
buildings are under way.
This is truly a transition period for
Portland, the metropolis of the Puoirto
Northwest. One by one the older build
Inf, relics of pioneer days and of
the many years of slow growth which
followed the founding; of the city are
disappearing to make way for the
larger and mora substantial struc
tures made necessary by larger
needs. OJd Portland has almost
completely vanished, and in Its placa
has come new Portland, a'clty of met
ropolitan proportions and metropolitan
appearance. Where stood the unpre
tentious business houses of early days,
greet skyscrapers now rear their
height, and a large area which less
than a half century ago was farm and
woodland, is now covered with these
brick, stone and Iron monument of
proirrens.
Vortland is now the largest city In
area on the pacific Coast, her resi
dence district having spread far and
wide to an extent undreamed of by the
founders of tli city.
From a building standpoint, eh past
year has been by far the busiest Port
land has ever experienced. In what
ever direction one turns, ha Is con
fronted by new construction. The
sound of the hammer and saw, and the
ring of the trowel, day been continu
um, and every architect in the city
ha burned the midnight oil to keep
puce with the demands of the builders.
Yet there has been constant cry from'
property-owners that they could not
get specifications prepared rapidly
enough, and the plana for several large
building have been drawn by firms
in other titles.
Tho building "movement in Portland
during the past year has been the more
noteworthy because it has been carried
on with prices for labor and material
at their highest. Moreover, realty
values were considerably advanced over
those of the year before, and much In
excess of those of previous years. Yet
capitalists hsvo not hesitated to Invest
in- vacant or poorly Improved prop
erty for the purpose of erecting upon
It new structures. Wages' have been
at the top notch, and yet so grent has
been the demand for labor that there
has been difficulty at all time in get
ting workmen needed to carry on build
ing operations. Building materials, de
spite higher prices, have been scarcer
than In former years, including brick,
stone, structural steel, cement end lum
bar. But in face of these adverse
conditions, the building permits for
J SOf, as recorded in the office of the
City Auditor, show a total of approx
imately 3,oo,ooo in excess of those of
any previous year.
One fact that will Impres any on
who makes a personal Inspection of
the buildings under way in Portland
is their substantial character and their
modern appearance. The residences
which have gone up during the year
are. as a rule, of better material, larger
and of more modern architecture than
those previously erected. A a class,
the homes of Portland court compart-'
Man with those of any other city, and in
inflection with this fact It should be
mentioned that the residence district
of the city are without peer In the
beauty of their natural surroundings.
And what ha been said in regard to
the Improved standard of residence
holds good to an even greater extent
wit a regard to new busiuei struc-
i n ' -J1 4 ' -i l,
4
"'. a? iZ
" V 'i f
f
f I
3 i
i d ' ii '
, ... , ,. .. j ; JS .5- J
It 1"M.
; 5
4 . .
4
' aV XiX rfSSi i s
1 -7777 WWl Jrc
aw'-
y
' b5 Hi tv- : r!?? :r
tf a-
-rs3 nrrS rri rn li " '
4-
w
v : VWM WNitn y' JSSL .'. l-W; d J i 'ihw"".-4 A a'' V i 3
.4. itn:'-' b.j-fci.
tures. There are now under construc
tion in Portland more "Class A" build
ing than havo been erected during the
entire previous history Of the city, The
typical fine office building in Portland
now 1 on of steel construction, in
the planning of which permanency has
been considered rather than cheapness.
Owner have discovered that actual
economy consist In building well, not
cheaply, and. a a result, the central
business dlstriot of Portland Is rapidly
assuming the appearanoe of that of a
thriving Eastern metropolis.
No better example of the new build
ing standard In Portland can be found
than the Wells-Fargo akyscraptr now
nearlng completion at the southwest
corner of Sixth and Oak street. This
building will coet. completed, in the
neighborhood of f400,Ql)Q, and is the
iargcet. flngle realty holding of the
W gUJLDIMGj
Wells-Fargo Company In the United
States. That this company, which
operate in all part of the country,
should consider Portland the best city
for a large Investment of this charac
ter Is in itself a splendid testimonial
to the advantages which exist her and
to the prospect of the city a viewed
by ouUlders.
The Wells-Vargo building I It
stories in height and is a model mod
ern office structure. The foundation
alone represents an outlay of 160,000,
and the entire building has been erect
ed along the same thorough lines. It
la as nearly fireproof as it i possible
for a building to be, stone and brick
on a steel frame being used In Its
construction. When completed this
building will be the home of the
Southern Pacific, Oregon Hallway &
Navigation Company, various express
companies and several other large
concerns.
The erection ef the Wells-Fargo
bulldinsr and the increased activity in
the northern part of the city ha re
sulted in the announcement of many
fine structure for Sixth street. Just
one block from the Wells-Fargo build
ing, et the northeast corner of Sixth
and Stark streets, Russell & Blyth are
Boon to commence the erection of the
15-story skyscraper, plans for which
were prepared some time ago. The
firm has not yet made definite an
nouncement as to when woric will be
commenced, but there Is hardly a doubt
that this building, which Is to b the
tallest In the city, will be under way
early In the Epring. Percy Blyth, of
the firm of Russell & Blyth, recently
returned from a trip to Europe, and
It Is understood that while away he
mad arrangements for all the capital
which will be needed. The building is
to cover a single lot and will take the
place of a two-story frame structure.
There are so many buildings definite
ly assured for Portland in the near fu
ture that It would be lmprurtlrable to
mention all. Some of the largest,
however, are worthy of special atten
tion. No single building project is at
tracting more attention than that of the
Portland Commercial Club. This or
ganization formerly occupied commodi
ous quarters in the Chamber of Com
merce building, but wa burned our'
during the p't year. As soon as the
club had secured temporary rooms it
began making arrangements for the
erection of a permanent home. A
quarter-block st Ktftli and Oak streets
was purchased, and the member of
J