Jackson Tower

Historic building in Portland, Oregon, U.S.
45°31′06″N 122°40′47″W / 45.518472°N 122.679814°W / 45.518472; -122.679814Construction started1909Completed1912Renovated1972HeightAntenna spire57.3 m (188 ft)Roof49 m (161 ft)Technical detailsFloor count12
2 below groundFloor area4,793 m2 (51,590 sq ft)Design and constructionArchitect(s)Reid & ReidMain contractorDinwiddie Construction Company
Journal Building
Portland Historic Landmark[2]
Built1912Architectural styleBeaux ArtsNRHP reference No.96000995[1]Added to NRHPJuly 12, 1996[1] References[3][4][5][6]

Jackson Tower, formerly The Oregon Journal Building is a 12-story, 57.3 m (188 ft) glazed terra-cotta historic office building in downtown Portland, Oregon. Located on the corner of Broadway and Yamhill Streets adjacent to Pioneer Courthouse Square.

History

The building was constructed to house the operations of the now-defunct Oregon Journal. The Journal occupied the structure from its completion in 1912 until July 4, 1948, when the newspaper moved to the larger quarters of the former Portland Public Market building on the Portland waterfront. In 1951, the structure was renamed Jackson Tower to honor the newspaper's founder, Charles Samuel Jackson. The impressive clock tower results from the common practice, at that time, of newspapers' integrating such structures into their headquarters.[6] Additionally, 1,800 light bulbs illuminate the tower after dark. There were originally 2,400.[6]

The Jackson Tower was renovated in 1972,[3] and placed on the National Register of Historic Places (as the Journal Building) in 1996.[1] The base of the building measures 100 ft × 100 ft (30 m × 30 m). The north portion of the ground floor has housed Margulis Jewelers for several decades.

Each of the 1,800 light bulbs screw directly into the facade. In addition to the tower's illumination, at one time the clocks used to chime every 15 minutes, but the bells were moved to the Journal's new building on the waterfront in June 1948.[6] Each clockface is 12.5 feet in diameter.[7] The clock itself does not currently function as of summer 2011.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Oregon National Register List" (PDF). Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. June 6, 2011. p. 35. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 9, 2011. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
  2. ^ Portland Historic Landmarks Commission (July 2010), Historic Landmarks -- Portland, Oregon (XLS), retrieved November 7, 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Emporis building ID 122657". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.
  4. ^ "Jackson Tower". SkyscraperPage.
  5. ^ Jackson Tower at Structurae
  6. ^ a b c d Tess, John M. (November 15, 1995). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Journal Building" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  7. ^ King, Bart (2001). An Architectural Guidebook to Portland. Gibbs Smith. pp. 8–10. ISBN 9780870711916.

External links

  • Media related to Jackson Tower (ex-Journal Building) at Wikimedia Commons
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