Portlandia, Copper statue at Portland Building, Portland, United States

Portlandia is a monumental copper sculpture above the main entrance of Portland Building downtown. The kneeling female figure wears classical robes and holds a trident in her left hand while extending her right downward.

Portlandia was commissioned by the City of Portland in 1985, with sculptor Raymond Kaskey paid $228,000 in public funds plus about $100,000 in private donations. Kaskey and assistant Michael Lasell built sections in a Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C., then shipped the parts to Portland. The statue was assembled at a Gunderson, Inc. barge facility and installed on the Portland Building on October 6, 1985, after being floated up the Willamette River on a barge.

The figure is Lady Commerce, taken from the city seal, and the plaque beside the entrance carries a dedication poem titled "Portlandia" by Portland lawyer and poet Ronald Talney. Kaskey kept the copyright, so the statue appears in the title sequence of the TV series Portlandia only after lengthy negotiations requiring it not be shown in a disparaging way.

The sculpture sits on the facade of Portland Building on Southwest Fifth Avenue near City Hall. Viewing from the sidewalk across the street offers the best angle to appreciate the proportions and details of the figure.

The sculpture weighs around 6 tons and stands roughly 10.5 meters (35 feet) tall, making it the second largest hammered copper statue in the United States. Kaskey maintains strict copyright control over its image, requiring negotiation for any commercial or media use.