Site of the Portland Hotel

…Continued from Animals in Pools.

Portland Hotel (1890-1951)
Oregon Historical Society Photo

The block on which Portland's first public school building sat was sold to railroad magnate Henry Villard in 1883. After the school was moved in 1885, Villard began building a hotel to serve rail travelers, but his finances ran out when only the foundation was finished. For the next four years, the site was referred to as Villard's ruins. Eventually, a public subscription raised funds to complete the hotel. In 1890, the six-story, 284-room Portland Hotel opened. Over the next 60 years, eleven U. S. Presidents stayed at the hotel, but time took its toll, and the hotel closed in 1950 and was demolished the following year, replaced by a parking lot.

Historical Photos:
Postcard View of Portland Hotel (Multnomah County Genweb)
Postcard View of Portland Hotel (Multnomah County Genweb)
Postcard View of Portland Hotel (Multnomah County Genweb)

Portland Hotel Gate & Fencing on September 7, 2008

This gate and fencing along Sixth Avenue are all that remain of the old Portland Hotel. The installation is dedicated in memory of Melvin Mark.

Portland Hotel Gate & Fencing on September 7, 2008

Continue to Pioneer Courthouse Square…