Commonwealth Building (Portland, Oregon)
Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox NRHP The Commonwealth Building is a 14-story, Template:Convert commercial office tower in Portland, Oregon, United States. Located at 421 SW 6th Avenue between Washington and Harvey Milk Streets, it was designed by architect Pietro Belluschi and built between 1944 and 1948. The building was originally known as the Equitable Building and is noted as one of the first glass box towers ever built, pioneering many modern features and predating the more famous Lever House in New York City.<ref name="ritz-1983nov">Template:Cite news</ref>
HistoryEdit
.jpg){kind=link}
Construction on the building began in 1944, with it opening in 1948 as the Equitable Building. The building, which was built as the headquarters in Portland of the Equitable Savings and Loan Association, was originally intended to be 12 stories high but was later expanded to 14. It was the first tower to be sheathed in aluminum, the first to use double-glazed window panels, and was the first to be completely sealed and fully air-conditioned.<ref name="ritz-1983nov"/> In 1965, the building was renamed as the Commonwealth Building when the Equitable Center (now Unitus Plaza) opened, which was also designed by Pietro Belluschi.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The Commonwealth Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places (as the Equitable Building) in 1976.<ref name="OPRD list">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1980, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) designated the Commonwealth Building as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark.<ref name=asme>Equitable Building Heat Pump (1948) from asme.org</ref> In 1982, the building was the recipient of the Twenty-five Year Award, of the American Institute of Architects.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1993, Weston Investment Co. LLC bought the building for $1.9 million.<ref name="PBJ Weston">Template:Cite news</ref> Unico Properties and Cigna Realty Investors bought the building in 2007 from Weston for $27 million, and spent $7 million more on renovations to the structure.<ref name="PBJ Weston"/><ref name="PBJ sale">Template:Cite news</ref> The building was sold again by Unico in 2013 for $41 million when Unico bought out Cigna.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Unico sold the tower to KBS in 2016 for $69 million.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
FeaturesEdit
Designed by noted Oregon architect Pietro Belluschi, the Template:Convert tower is of the International Style.<ref name="PBJ sale"/> The 14-story, Template:Convert-tall glass box tower is constructed of sea-green glass and is sheathed in aluminum.<ref name="ritz-1983nov"/><ref name=Emporis>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Designations and awardsEdit
The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places,<ref name="OPRD list"/> and is also designated as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the ASME. The ASME History & Heritage Committee bestowed this landmark status for the specific feature: the first large commercial building in the United States to pioneer the use of heat pumps for heating and cooling.<ref name=asme/>
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- Template:Oregon Encyclopedia
- Great Buildings Online: The Equitable Building
- Building Oregon: Equitable Building
Template:National Register of Historic Places Oregon Template:Portal bar