Bank of California Building, Bank building in downtown Portland, United States

The Bank of California Building is a three-story Italianate palazzo-style structure at 6th Avenue and Stark Streets, completed in 1925. Its main facade has five 28-foot arched windows, a bronze portico and gates, and cast terracotta cladding with marble trim. Inside, the former banking hall rises two stories to coffered beam ceilings 36 feet high, with a mezzanine and basement vaults.

Architect A.E. Doyle designed this building in 1924 for the Bank of California following their acquisition of a London and San Francisco Bank branch. The structure received National Register designation in 1978.

The building's name changed with its uses: it was long known as the Durham & Bates Building and is now called the Three Kings Building. Look for the two ornate bronze lamps flanking the central entrance, similar to fixtures on Doyle's Public Service Building. The five tall arches of the main facade frame the bronze portico and gates.

The building sits at the northeast corner of 6th Avenue and Stark Street, making it easy to locate in the downtown area. The street-level location allows visitors to view the architectural details from the sidewalk.

The building was last used as a bank in 1977, not 1969; the Bank of California moved out around the end of 1969 and sold it in 1970. The 1977 conversion for non-banking use added a second entrance in the northernmost arch, a smaller lobby and a freestanding stairway, and removed the drive-up teller window on the north side.