Fox Tower, Office skyscraper in downtown Portland, United States
Fox Tower is a 27-story office building in downtown Portland, Oregon, with a curved east facade and a flat rectangular west side. The two sides give the tower an unusual silhouette that sets it apart from the other tall buildings in the business district.
The site was home to the Fox Theatre, a cinema that opened in 1911 and operated for most of the 20th century before closing in the 1990s. The old theater was torn down to make way for the office tower that stands there today.
The second floor of the building houses a ten-screen cinema that shows both wide-release films and independent productions. It draws a regular crowd from the neighborhood and gives the tower a social role beyond office use.
The ground floor is open to visitors and connects to shops and the cinema entrance on the second floor. The tower sits in the heart of downtown Portland, within easy walking distance of the main public transit stops.
The curved shape of the east facade was not a stylistic choice but a direct response to shadow regulations meant to protect Pioneer Courthouse Square, a busy public plaza nearby. Keeping sunlight on that square was a condition written into the design of the building.
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