Public Service Building

Identification

Map

Structure in general

Usage

Facts

• In 1999, the cost of the renovation was US $20 million.
• Originally, the building consisted of one 16-story body with two 2-story wings; In 1957 the two 2-story wing were extended to 12-story each.
• The original red-and-green neon signs on the top of building were taken down in 1973.
• The neon signs read: heat, light, and gas aimed in different directions.
• Charles K. Greene began the initial design process.
• The building was the tallest in Portland until the early 1960s.
• The signs were taken down when the original red-tile roof was replaced by a metal one.
• One of the major goals during the 1999 building renovation was to reduce energy costs by about US $160,000 per year with new and more efficient technologies.
• The 1999 renovation completed a month early and at a savings of nearly US $2 million.
• Since 1976, the building has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
• Architect A.E. Doyle died three weeks after the building's grand opening in January 1928.
• The Goodman family purchased the building in 1992 from New England Life Insurance Co. for, the Oregonian reportedly, US $3 million.