Hamilton Building, historic building in Portland, Oregon, USA
The Hamilton Building is a three-story commercial structure built in 1893 in downtown Portland on SW 3rd Avenue. It features a simple Japanese-brick facade with cast-iron stone columns at the entrance clad in granite, avoiding the ornate details common to buildings of its era.
The building was constructed in 1893 by architects Whidden & Lewis, who were ahead of their time in their approach to commercial architecture. It was renovated and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, securing its place in Portland's architectural history.
The building is named after Hamilton Corbett, son of a prominent local businessman, linking it to a family that shaped Portland's development. This connection reflects how business families influenced the city's growth and the naming of its early commercial structures.
The building sits on a corner in downtown Portland, easy to locate by its clean lines and entrance columns. Visitors can view the architectural details from the street and explore it as part of a walking route through the early commercial district.
It was one of the first buildings in Portland to adopt Classical Revival style, marking an early shift away from the more ornate Richardsonian Romanesque buildings constructed just months before. This style change signaled a new direction in Portland's commercial architecture influenced by evolving design ideas and technologies.
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