Yale Union Laundry Building, historic industrial building in Portland, Oregon, USA
The Yale Union Laundry Building is an industrial structure in Portland built in 1908 that blends Renaissance Revival, Mediterranean Revival, and Egyptian Revival styles. It was designed for heavy washing machines and boilers, with strong floors, thick brick walls, and large windows providing light for the different work levels.
The building was erected in 1908 by Charles F. Brown, an entrepreneur from Wisconsin, as a large laundry factory. It expanded in 1927 and 1929 to accommodate trucks and additional employee areas, until the laundry business declined in the 1950s as families bought their own machines.
The site sits on land that was long important to local tribes like the Multnomah and Chinook, who made their villages and camps here. Today the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation stewards this place, reconnecting it to the original peoples and stories of the area.
The site today operates as an arts center and can be visited for art exhibitions and events. The building sits in an industrial neighborhood with good foot and vehicle access, and parking is available nearby.
The building was sited with an eye toward a nearby pond and gulch where wastewater could drain naturally, showing how practical needs shaped its location. After the laundry business faded, it housed a textile factory from 1959 to 2006 before being transformed into the arts center it is today.
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