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List of tallest buildings in Portland, Oregon facts for kids

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South Downtown Waterfront - Portland, Oregon Wells Fargo Center KOIN Center PacWest Center Edith Green – Wendell Wyatt Federal Building (pre-renovation) Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse One Main Place Umpqua Bank Plaza
Skyline of Portland's south downtown in 2010 (Use cursor to identify buildings)

Portland, the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon, is the site of 31 completed high-rises at least 250 feet (76 m), four of which stand taller than 492 feet (150 m). The tallest building in the city is the Wells Fargo Center, which rises 546 feet (166 m) in Downtown Portland and was completed in 1972. The second-tallest skyscraper in the city is the U.S. Bancorp Tower, which rises 536 feet (163 m) and was completed in 1983. KOIN Center, completed in 1983 and rising 509 feet (155 m), is the third-tallest building in Portland.

Although The Oregonian Building, rising 194 feet (59 m) if its clock tower is included, was Portland's tallest building from 1892 until 1913, the history of skyscrapers in the city is thought to have begun with the construction of the Wells Fargo Building in 1907. This building, standing 182 feet (55 m) and 12 floors tall, is often regarded as the first skyscraper in Portland. The Wells Fargo Center was Portland's first building standing more than 492 feet (150 m) tall. There are currently three buildings under construction that are planned to rise at least 250 feet (76 m). Overall, Portland's skyline is ranked, based on existing and under construction buildings over 492 feet (150 m) tall, second in the Northwestern United States (after Seattle), tied for fifth in the Pacific Coast region with San Diego (after Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Las Vegas), and 22nd in the United States.

Skyline of Portland seen from the southeast side of the Hawthorne Bridge in 2007
Panorama of the Lloyd District in 2007

Tallest buildings

As of August 2017, there are 31 high-rises in Portland that stand at least 250 feet (76 m) tall, based on standard height measurement. This height includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts.

Rank Name Image Height
ft (m)
Floors Year Coordinates Notes
1 Wells Fargo Center Wells Fargo Center (2012) in Portland, Oregon.JPG 546 (166.4) 40 1972 45°30′51.3″N 122°40′45.8″W / 45.514250°N 122.679389°W / 45.514250; -122.679389 (Wells Fargo Center) Tallest building constructed in Portland in the 1970s. Tallest office building in Portland.
2 U.S. Bancorp Tower US-Bank-Tower-Streetlevel.jpg 536 (163.4) 42 1983 45°31′21.6″N 122°40′33.2″W / 45.522667°N 122.675889°W / 45.522667; -122.675889 (U.S. Bancorp Tower) Tallest building constructed in Portland in the 1980s.
3 KOIN Tower KOINCenterPortland.jpg 509 (155.2) 35 1984 45°30′47.3″N 122°40′39.6″W / 45.513139°N 122.677667°W / 45.513139; -122.677667 (KOIN Center)
4 Park Avenue West Park Avenue West Tower Feb 2016 - Portland, Oregon.JPG 502 (153) 30 2016 45°31′21.6″N 122°40′33.2″W / 45.522667°N 122.675889°W / 45.522667; -122.675889 (Park Avenue West) Tallest building constructed in Portland in the 2010s.
5 Block 216 Block 216 from Burnside st.jpg 460 (140.2) 35 2023 45°31′15.2″N 122°40′50.7″W / 45.520889°N 122.680750°W / 45.520889; -122.680750 (Block 216) Construction started July 2019, building opened August 15, 2023
6 PacWest Center PacWestCenterPortland.jpg 418 (127.4) 30 1984 45°30′55.1″N 122°40′48.3″W / 45.515306°N 122.680083°W / 45.515306; -122.680083 (PacWest Center)
7 Fox Tower Fox Tower North-East Face - Portland, Oregon.jpg 372 (113.4) 27 2000 45°31′6.3″N 122°40′51″W / 45.518417°N 122.68083°W / 45.518417; -122.68083 (Fox Tower) Tallest building constructed in Portland in the 2000s.
8 Standard Insurance Center Standard Insurance Center - Portland, Oregon (2016).jpg 367 (111.9) 27 1970 45°31′0.9″N 122°40′40.7″W / 45.516917°N 122.677972°W / 45.516917; -122.677972 (Standard Insurance Center)
9 Cosmopolitan on the Park Cosmopolitan on the Park from Tanner Springs Park (2017).jpg 340 (103.6) 28 2016 45°31′54.8″N 122°40′55″W / 45.531889°N 122.68194°W / 45.531889; -122.68194 (Cosmopolitan on the Park) Tallest residential building in Portland.
10 The Ardea The Ardea Apartments in 2013 - Portland, Oregon.jpg 330 (102.1) 31 2008 45°29′45.4″N 122°40′13.2″W / 45.495944°N 122.670333°W / 45.495944; -122.670333 (The Ardea) Tallest Multi-Family Rental Residence in Portland, Or. Built to the maximum allowable height in the South Waterfront area.
11 American Plaza - Grant Tower 325 (99.1) 1973 45.506950 -122.679180 Tallest residential building in Portland at time of construction
John Ross Tower JohnRossCondosPortland.jpg 325 (99.1) 32 2007 45°29′48.6″N 122°40′12.2″W / 45.496833°N 122.670056°W / 45.496833; -122.670056 (The John Ross Tower) Built to the maximum allowable height in the South Waterfront area.
Mirabella Mirabella Portland in March 2016.jpg 325 (99.1) 30 2010 45°29′51.5″N 122°40′12.6″W / 45.497639°N 122.670167°W / 45.497639; -122.670167 (Mirabella) Built to the maximum allowable height in the South Waterfront area.
14 Multnomah County Central Courthouse Multnomah County Central Courthouse from east in July 2021.jpg 324 (98.8) 17 2020 45°30′50.4″N 122°40′30.0″W / 45.514000°N 122.675000°W / 45.514000; -122.675000 (Multnomah County Central Courthouse)
15 Congress Center Congresscenterpdx.jpg 321 (97.8) 23 1980 45°30′59.5″N 122°40′45.7″W / 45.516528°N 122.679361°W / 45.516528; -122.679361 (Congress Center)
16 Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse Hatfield courthouse - temporarily unobstructed northern view just after AOUW Temple demolition, Dec. 2017.jpg 318 (96.9) 16 1997 45°30′57.3″N 122°40′34.5″W / 45.515917°N 122.676250°W / 45.515917; -122.676250 (Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse) Tallest building constructed in Portland in the 1990s.
17 Moda Tower ODSTowerPortlandOR.jpg 308 (93.9) 24 1999 45°31′6.2″N 122°40′28.9″W / 45.518389°N 122.674694°W / 45.518389; -122.674694 (Moda Tower)
18 The Meriwether, West Building The Meriwether tower from east - Portland, Oregon.JPG 303 (92.4) 24 2006 45°29′50.5″N 122°40′9.4″W / 45.497361°N 122.669278°W / 45.497361; -122.669278 (The Meriwether, West Building)
19 Lloyd Center Tower LloydCenterTower.jpg 290 (88.4) 20 1981 45°31′55.5″N 122°39′26.2″W / 45.532083°N 122.657278°W / 45.532083; -122.657278 (Lloyd Center Tower)
20 1000 Broadway 1000Broadwaystreet.JPG 288 (87.8) 23 1991 45°31′0.7″N 122°40′50″W / 45.516861°N 122.68056°W / 45.516861; -122.68056 (1000 Broadway)
21 NV NV, PDX, 2017.jpg 288 (87.7) 26 2016 45°31′57.3″N 122°41′2.4″W / 45.532583°N 122.684000°W / 45.532583; -122.684000 (NV)
22 Portland Plaza Portland Plaza.jpg 272 (82.9) 25 1973 45°30′46.6″N 122°40′48.9″W / 45.512944°N 122.680250°W / 45.512944; -122.680250 (Portland Plaza)
23 One Main Place One Main Place.jpg 270 (82.3) 20 1980 45°30′55.8″N 122°40′31.7″W / 45.515500°N 122.675472°W / 45.515500; -122.675472 (One Main Place)
Edith Green – Wendell Wyatt Federal Building Edith Green - Wendell Wyatt Federal front 2012 Building2.JPG 270 (82.3) 18 1974 45°30′51.9″N 122°40′37.4″W / 45.514417°N 122.677056°W / 45.514417; -122.677056 (Edith Green – Wendell Wyatt Federal Building)
25 Union Bank Tower Union Bank of California Tower in Portland from NE in 2016.jpg 268 (81.8) 15 1969 45°31′15.9″N 122°40′45.3″W / 45.521083°N 122.679250°W / 45.521083; -122.679250 (Union Bank Tower) Tallest building constructed in Portland in the 1960s.
26 Twelve West Twelve West building.jpg 266 (81.1) 22 2009 45°31′20.1″N 122°41′1.6″W / 45.522250°N 122.683778°W / 45.522250; -122.683778 (Twelve West)
27 Aster Tower Hassalo on Eighth close - Portland, Oregon.JPG 265 (80.8) 21 2015 45°31′49″N 122°39′25.6″W / 45.53028°N 122.657111°W / 45.53028; -122.657111 (Aster Tower)
The Meriwether, East Building The Meriwether east tower from the south 2016.jpg 265 (80.8) 21 2006 45°29′51.4″N 122°40′6.6″W / 45.497611°N 122.668500°W / 45.497611; -122.668500 (The Meriwether, East Building)
29 Umpqua Bank Plaza Umpqua Bank Headquarters - Portland, Oregon.JPG 263 (80.2) 19 1975 45°30′48.4″N 122°40′31.4″W / 45.513444°N 122.675389°W / 45.513444; -122.675389 (Umpqua Bank Plaza)
30 Broadway Tower Broadway Tower from NE - Portland, Oregon (2019).jpg 258 (78.6) 19 2018 45°30′52″N 122°40′58″W / 45.51444°N 122.68278°W / 45.51444; -122.68278 (Broadway Tower)
31 200 Market 200 Market - Portland, Oregon.JPG 257 (78.3) 19 1973 45°30′41″N 122°40′43.9″W / 45.51139°N 122.678861°W / 45.51139; -122.678861 (200 Market)
32 Harrison Tower Apartments, West Tower Harrison West Condominium Tower - Portland, Oregon.JPG 256 (78) 25 1965 45°30′37.6″N 122°40′45.5″W / 45.510444°N 122.679306°W / 45.510444; -122.679306 (Harrison Tower Apartments, West Tower)
33 Benson Tower Benson-Tower-NW Portland-Oregon 2008-May.jpg 250 (76.2) 26 2007 45°30′52.7″N 122°41′9″W / 45.514639°N 122.68583°W / 45.514639; -122.68583 (Benson Tower)

Tallest under construction

As of January 2019, there are four buildings currently under construction in Portland that are planned to rise at least 250 feet (76 m).

Name Height
ft (m)
Floors Year Notes
Eleven West 291 (88.7) 24 2023 Construction started February 2020. Completion expected for February 2023.
Block 41 250 (76.2) 23 2023 Construction started 2021. Completion expected for late 2023.
Block 44 250 (76.2) 23 2025 Construction will start mid-late 2023. Completion expected for mid-late 2025.

Tallest proposed

As of January 2019, there are four proposed buildings in Portland that would exceed 250 feet (76 m) in height. These buildings are going through the permit and design review process with the intent to begin construction soon.

Name Height in ft (m) Floors Notes
Toyoko Inn 357 (108.8) 32 Still in early assistance
Press Blocks 250 (76.2) 23
Broadway Corridor 400 (122) N.A. USPS relocation and demolition ongoing
Pearl Block 24 265 (80.8) 23 Undergoing Design Review
Riverplace phase 1

150 SW Montgomery St

325 (99) 30 City of Portland Design Commission approved this project on March 3, 2022. The next steps will be to obtain a building permit and construction will start in about October–November 2022.
OMSI redevelopm

ent

250 (76) NA In the final planning stages. It will be proposed to the city after.
NW 12th & Quimby

(Block 24)

294.5 (89.8) 23 Received Design Commission Approval
Burnside One 350 (106.7) 30 In the early planning stages

Timeline of tallest buildings

Northwestern National Bank Building circa 1913
The American Bank Building stood as the tallest building in Portland from 1913 until 1927.

Since 1892, the year The Oregonian Building was completed, the title of the tallest building in Portland has been held by nine high-rises.

Current name Years as tallest Height
ft (m)
Floors Reference
The Oregonian Building 1892–1913 (21 years) 194 (59.1) 12
Yeon Building 1911–1913 (2 years) 194 (59.1) 15
American Bank Building 1913–1927 (14 years) 207 (63.1) 15
Public Service Building 1927–1962 (35 years) 220 (67.1) 16
Hilton Portland Hotel 1962–1965 (3 years) 241 (74.5) 22
Harrison Tower Apartments, West Tower 1965–1969 (4 years) 256 (78) 25
Union Bank Tower 1969–1970 (1 year) 268 (81.8) 15
Standard Insurance Center 1970–1972 (2 years) 367 (111.9) 27
Wells Fargo Center 1972–present (52 years) 546 (166.4) 40

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Anexo:Edificios más altos de Portland para niños

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List of tallest buildings in Portland, Oregon Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.