2000-2009 Building Boom

[CouvScott]

Since we are reasonably sure which projects would finish by the end of the decade (and yes, I know that the decade probably goes from 2001-2010, I was just impatient), I thought we could show all of the high-rise (10+ floors) projects that have been constructed in this decade. It amounts to more than 1/3 of all of the 10+ floor buildings in Portland today:

(I have listed them in order of floors, not height, due to some of the heights not being available)
1. Park Avenue West - 33 floors
2. 3720 - 31 floors
3. John Ross - 31 floors
4. Mirabella - 30 floors
5. Fox Tower - 27 floors
6. Benson Tower - 26 floors
7. Atwater - 24 floors
8. Meriwether West - 24 floors
9. Ladd Tower - 23 floors
10. 12W Tower - 22 floors
11. Alexan - 22 floors
12. Meriwether East - 21 floors
13. Hilton Executive Tower - 20 floors
14. Metropolitan - 19 floors
15. Eliot Tower - 18 floors
16. Casey - 17 floors
17. OHSU Health and Wellness Center - 16 floors
18. Civic - 16 floors
19. Cyan - 16 floors
20. Encore - 16 floors
21. Pinnacle - 16 floors
22. Louisa - 16 floors
23. Lovejoy - 16 floors
24. 937 - 16 floors
25. Residence Inn Court - 16 floors
26. Station Place - 15 floors
27. Elizabeth - 15 floors
28. Henry - 15 floors
29. Wyatt - 15 floors
30. 1st and Main - 15 floors
31. Paramount Hotel - 15 floors
32. OHSU Kohler Pavillion - 15 floors
33. Westerly - 14 floors
34. Park Place - 13 floors
35. Strand East - 13 floors
36. Danmore - 12 floors
37. Strand West - 11 floors
38. Strand North - 11 floors
39. 1201 Lloyd - 11 floors
40. Providence Cancer Center - 11 floors
41. Brewery Block 4 - 10 floors
42. Brewery Block 2 - 10 floors
43. Waterfront Pearl North - 10 floors
44. Waterfront Pearl South - 10 floors
45. The Edge - 10 floors
46. Machine Works - 10 floors
47. Burlington - 10 floors
48. Broadway (PSU) - 10 floors

Please let me know if there are any that I am missing.

[MarkDaMan]

incredible...

Cyan? ZGF tower is 12w...and do the additional 3 floors on the new Residents Inn count? Or the updated Macy's/Nines?

[Pavlov's Dog]

Interesting and impressive.

I would guess that in the next decade we'll see even more.

My fearless prediction.

20 new 30+ story buildings
40 new between 12 and 29 stories.

[CouvScott]

Originally Posted by MarkDaMan

incredible...

Cyan? ZGF tower is 12w...and do the additional 3 floors on the new Residents Inn count? Or the updated Macy's/Nines?

Done. I didn't add the Macy's/Nines because I didn't know if they added any floors. My main thought for this list was how the skyline has been added to by new buildings. Portland (by my count) had 91-10+ floor buildings up to 1999 and now has added 47, plus the 3 floors to the new Residence Inn. Useless fact: all new floors above combined = 800 floors

[alexjon]

Originally Posted by Pavlov's Dog

Interesting and impressive.

I would guess that in the next decade we'll see even more.

My fearless prediction.

20 new 30+ story buildings
40 new between 12 and 29 stories.

I think that as space premiums go up, there'll be a bigger push to ignore the will of the West Hills and just build... so I'd wager PDX will get something on the order of 600-700' within the next 10 years.

[Pavlov's Dog]

Originally Posted by alexjon

I think that as space premiums go up, there'll be a bigger push to ignore the will of the West Hills and just build... so I'd wager PDX will get something on the order of 600-700' within the next 10 years.

I agree. I feel like we're where Seattle was 20 years ago in terms of building our skyline upwards. Lots are getting to the point value wise that at some point downtown and the Lloyd District will boom in terms of skyscrapers.

[MarkDaMan]

See, I guess I'm just one of the few that don't believe we are somehow years behind Seattle. Seattle has some GREAT things about it. I love the city and am a huge supporter of the growth! I just think Portland is more humane.

Every time I walk the streets, I feel home, and I really haven't felt this anywhere else. I'm not even just talking downtown. Most place I go here, it is my community, my pub, my market, my park, my forest, my river, my waterfall, etc. etc. and people in other places just don't seem to feel that same ownership when I go visit their home, including Seattle. (Every place has their zealots, so I'm not arguing who has better boosters).

I do think taller height is coming to Portland and increased density citywide, but Portland laid the community groundwork first, and as much as we complain about NIMBYS, it is the intense dedication to community the residents have, both old and new, that makes this place so damned special.

[PacificNW]

⇡ When I lived in Portland I had many of the same feelings and impressions you have expressed. Now, I am a little homesick.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by MarkDaMan

See, I guess I'm just one of the few that don't believe we are somehow years behind Seattle. Seattle has some GREAT things about it. I love the city and am a huge supporter of the growth! I just think Portland is more humane.

Every time I walk the streets, I feel home, and I really haven't felt this anywhere else. I'm not even just talking downtown. Most place I go here, it is my community, my pub, my market, my park, my forest, my river, my waterfall, etc. etc. and people in other places just don't seem to feel that same ownership when I go visit their home, including Seattle. (Every place has their zealots, so I'm not arguing who has better boosters).

I do think taller height is coming to Portland and increased density citywide, but Portland laid the community groundwork first, and as much as we complain about NIMBYS, it is the intense dedication to community the residents have, both old and new, that makes this place so damned special.

actually since living here the past 4 years, I have noticed that too, Portlanders especially are all about My Portland. It is that mentality, without me this city wouldnt be as good so thus it needs to have all the things that make me happy in it. Portland is a very personable and customizable city, which is something that is much different than most cities. To some degree, Seattle is the same way, but there, it isnt downtown, it is in the inner neighborhoods.

[IanofCascadia]

Yeah, thanks Mark... well said. I've thought the same thing about Portland ever since I first started coming to downtown. There's a very human element here which (most) other cities can't even come close to.

The little things are what makes a city truly great. I know this may seem like a very minor thing to many people, but one of the greatest differences which I have found between downtown Portland and other cities is the quantity/quality of parks. Just being able to sit down at a park bench and watch as a family plays Frisbee or as kids run through a fountain is something we often take for granted.

I recently spent I week in downtown San Fransisco and was appalled at the lack of public amenities. To do something as simple as go to a grocery store I had to walk over two miles through a neighborhood which I can scarcely describe. Smashed bus stops, public urination, visible violence... Portland has no equivalent. Density is great if accompanied by such things as public transit, parks and other amenities... but density alone does not make a city a livable place.

[Pavlov's Dog]

Originally Posted by MarkDaMan

See, I guess I'm just one of the few that don't believe we are somehow years behind Seattle. Seattle has some GREAT things about it. I love the city and am a huge supporter of the growth! I just think Portland is more humane.

Every time I walk the streets, I feel home, and I really haven't felt this anywhere else. I'm not even just talking downtown. Most place I go here, it is my community, my pub, my market, my park, my forest, my river, my waterfall, etc. etc. and people in other places just don't seem to feel that same ownership when I go visit their home, including Seattle. (Every place has their zealots, so I'm not arguing who has better boosters).

I do think taller height is coming to Portland and increased density citywide, but Portland laid the community groundwork first, and as much as we complain about NIMBYS, it is the intense dedication to community the residents have, both old and new, that makes this place so damned special.

I never wrote that Portland was years behind Seattle. my quote:

I feel like we're where Seattle was 20 years ago in terms of building our skyline upwards. Lots are getting to the point value wise that at some point downtown and the Lloyd District will boom in terms of skyscrapers.

I was addressing the cities skylines and not the overall qualities of the cities themselves.

I have lived in both cities and I agree wholeheartedly with everything you said. I prefer Portland as a place to live. To a tourist I'd recommend Seattle though. It's more impressive in a straightforward, two days of highlights way.

I do envy Seattle their skyline, their public market, the University of Washington and their economic clout. Living there is a hastle though. It's a wonderful city to visit and I'm happy it's only a three hour drive away. I'd rather live in Portland though.

[zilfondel]

^ ditto

Seattle's great if you need that "gritty city" fix. Even reminds me a bit of London in that way, too.