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39-680: The building houses offices of the City of Portland and is located adjacent to Portland City Hall . It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. An extensive reconstruction of the building began in December 2017 and was completed in 2020. The building was temporarily closed for that work, and the closure was extended by the COVID-19 pandemic . The distinctive look of Michael Graves ' Portland Building, with its use of

78-533: A runoff election (typically the following November.) Three Council seats, including the mayor, were up for election in 2008; the other two seats, and the Auditor position, were up for election in 2010. From 2006 to 2010, Portland used a publicly financed election system , allowing candidates to qualify for public funding of $ 145,000 if they could gather 1000 five-dollar contributions by a certain date (for Mayoral candidates, 1500 contributions of $ 5 were required for

117-407: A $ 160,000 grant). Two candidates availed themselves of this system in 2006: incumbent Erik Sten, who won the primary election, and Amanda Fritz, who lost out to incumbent Dan Saltzman but won a seat two years later (utilizing publicly financed election money). The November 2010 elections saw Portlanders rescind their support for this publicly financed election system. Portland's neighborhood system,

156-507: A challenging place to work. In 1990, only eight years after it was built, the lobby and food court were in need of remodeling. Four firms, including Michael Graves, were bidding for the job. Karen Nichols of Michael Graves's firm said "Michael feels like he owes the city one.... We have done a lot of public buildings since then. I do know we talk about the Portland Building all the time." In 2014, some city commissioners expressed

195-417: A four-year term, without term limits . Each city council member is elected at-large . In 2022, Portland residents approved a ballot measure to replace the commission form of government with a 12-member council elected in four districts using single transferable vote , with a professional city manager appointed by a directly elected mayor, with the first elections to be held in 2024. The Portland Charter

234-555: A rejection of the Modernist principles established in the early 20th century. Graves' design was selected in a large design competition, with Johnson as one of the three members of the selection committee. Graves was added into the competition after Johnson threw out the entry from architect Gunnar Birkerts for having not been Postmodern enough. Birkerts went on to design the Detroit Institute of Arts South Wing, which

273-487: A shroud, to protect it from potential damage during the work; the covering was removed in September 2019. The statue also underwent preservation work during this period. As of September 2018, the ongoing project remained on-schedule. By early 2020, the reconstruction work was sufficiently close to completion that around 1,700 city employees began moving back into the building; the move-in was spread over eleven weekends and

312-467: A status update. In 2019, the city announced they intend to do that with a new app that helps people "better record and understand HUCIRP" In January 2023, the city launched a web interface providing some information on reported camps. Portland Parks & Recreation manages 11,760 acres of public park lands in the city, including large natural areas like Forest Park and public recreation facilities such as municipal playgrounds, pools, golf courses, and

351-501: A streamlined campsite complaint intake. City contractors then removed tents, items and other items and stored them. The database was to prioritize cleanup based on "biohazards, garbage and other factors, such as whether campers are aggressive or openly using drugs". The Oregonian summarized that the auditors found little evidence prioritization was occurring and no clear indication of what criteria were invoked in selecting which camps are to be removed or not removed and auditors documented

390-422: A variety of surface materials and colors, small windows, and inclusion of prominent decorative flourishes, was in stark contrast to the architectural style most commonly used for large office buildings at the time, and made the building an icon of postmodern architecture . It is the first major postmodern tall office building, opening before Philip Johnson 's AT&T Building , and its design has been described as

429-401: A voting member of the council, except when needed to make a tie-breaking vote. It also removes responsibility for direct management of city bureaus from commissioners to a city manager overseen by the mayor and confirmed by the council. Previous attempts to reform the city charter had been defeated seven times since 1913, including as recently as 2007. The first city council elections under

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468-442: Is based on a city commission government system. Elected officials include the mayor , commissioners, and a city auditor. The mayor and commissioners (members of City Council) are responsible for legislative policy and oversee the various bureaus that oversee the day-to-day operation of the city. Portland began using a commission form of government in 1913 following a public vote on May 3 of that year. Each elected official serves

507-705: Is managed by the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, which also runs the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund investing in renewable energy development . Public transit within the city is primarily the responsibility of TriMet , not the city government, but the Portland Streetcar and Portland Aerial Tram are exceptions; both are owned by the city. The aerial tram is managed by Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) While parking enforcement

546-552: Is more significant for what it did than how well it does it. It had a profound effect on American architecture and brought a return to classicism that brought us better buildings." In October 2009, Travel + Leisure magazine called the Portland Building "one of the most hated buildings in America". DLR Group's reconstruction work on the building was recognized with an American Architecture Award in 2021. Government of Portland, Oregon The government of Portland, Oregon

585-730: Is typically managed by the police department, it is managed under transportation department (PBOT) in Portland. Portland Public Schools operates more than 81 schools and is one of the largest pre-kindergarten through high school districts in the state. As of 2022, Portland also provides tax-payer funded universal preschool , after voters approved a city measure in 2020. The city runs a number of bureaus focused on housing, development, and programs to address homelessness. The Portland Housing Bureau manages programs aimed at increasing affordable housing . Since 2016, Multnomah County chair Deborah Kafoury and Portland mayor Ted Wheeler have paired

624-730: The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 , the Joint Office of Homeless Services uses city-owned land to site Safe Rest Villages, which are managed temporary housing that augments the homeless shelter system. Multiple news outlet reported on the city auditor's report on the city's handling of illegal campsite clean ups by the Homelessness/Urban Camping Impact Reduction Program. Since 2015, the City of Portland implemented

663-528: The Portland Water Bureau . The Portland Building is located across the street from Portland City Hall . In May 1983, the building won an American Institute of Architects honor award. The building's style remains controversial among Portlanders as well as the entire architecture field. In 1990, The Oregonian stated "it's hard to find anyone who doesn't like Pioneer Courthouse Square .... it's even harder to find anyone who admits to liking

702-481: The single transferable vote ranked-choice voting method from four geographic districts (with three council members from each district). The Mayor and City Auditor are elected at-large using the instant runoff ranked-choice voting method. From 1913 to 2024 candidates faced off in a primary election (typically in May of even-numbered years); if no candidate won more than 50% of the vote, the top two finishers faced off in

741-473: The Office of Community and Civic Life, is made up of 94 recognized neighborhood associations and seven neighborhood district coalition offices located throughout the city. These offices provide support and technical assistance to the volunteer-based neighborhood associations, community groups and individual activists. The Portland Police Bureau is the primary policing agency in the city and currently reports to

780-772: The Portland Building is covered with a green roof , installed in 2006. The roof was proposed in 2005, part of an experiment through Oregon State University to test Sedum spathulifolium as a water-absorbing plant for the northwest. The new roof will help the building's heating, cooling, and storm-water runoff systems. As of October 2009, the Portland Building housed these municipal bureaus and departments: Office of Cable Communications & Franchise Management, Bureau of Environmental Services, Facilities Services, Bureau of Human Resources, Office of Management and Finance, Mt. Hood Cable Regulatory Commission, Bureau of Parks and Recreation, Bureau of Purchases, Bureau of Risk Management, Bureau of Technology Services, Bureau of Transportation, and

819-447: The Portland Building." Nearly a quarter century later, Oregonian columnist David Sarasohn revisited the theme, noting that the "huge blue tiles, colored glass and odd pastel flourishes meant to evoke early modern French paintings" actually resembled "something designed by a Third World dictator's mistress' art-student brother." These laypersons' appraisals were bolstered by Italian-born modernist architect Pietro Belluschi , who called

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858-410: The building "totally wrong" and declared: "It's not architecture, it's packaging. I said at the time that there were only two good things about it: 'It will put Portland on the map, architecturally, and it will never be repeated.'" Not all commentary has been negative. In the estimation of architectural critic Paul Goldberger : "For better or for worse, the Portland Building overshadows other things. It

897-471: The building moved ahead, with the city council choosing a contractor and setting a maximum cost of $ 140 million for the work, not including estimated non-construction expenses of up to $ 55 million, such as for the leasing of office space for around 1,300 city employees who will be temporarily displaced during the renovation work. The contractors for the project are architecture firm DLR Group and Howard S. Wright Construction . The renovation retains

936-479: The building's basic postmodern architectural style while changing some of the building materials to better withstand weather and earthquakes, and improve interiors for employee satisfaction. The teal colored tiles of the lower three floors would be replaced with larger terracotta rainscreen tiles, the existing painted concrete facade would be covered by a new aluminum rainscreen cladding , the existing dark tinted windows would be replaced with clear glass windows, and

975-506: The building's material would threaten the building's landmark status. Work on the extensive rebuilding, known by the city as the Portland Building Reconstruction Project, began in fall 2017, with interior demolition work, followed by an official groundbreaking in December. The project was expected to take about three years, with completion around the end of 2020. The Portlandia statue was covered by

1014-610: The city and county together to the Joint Office of Homeless Services. In September 2020, frustrated with tents downtown, Mayor Wheeler expressed the intent to withdraw the City of Portland from its partnership with county on JOHS. The intergovernmental agreement between the city and county on the JOHS has an expense of $ 32.5 million to the Portland City Government and expires in June 2022. Partially using federal funds from

1053-666: The city council submitted another charter to the people, which was accepted. The city commission government form consequently came into use in 1913, with H. Russell Albee being the first mayor under the new system. Ballot Measure 26–228 in the November 2022 election was an amendment to the city charter that moved the city away from a commission system of government. It expands the council from four at-large council members to 12 councilors, who will be elected via ranked choice voting from four geographic districts (with three council members from each district). The mayor will no longer be

1092-414: The city often ignored hundreds of complaints made by residents. The newspaper commented "That non-response doesn’t comport with the crackdown on illegal camping instituted by Mayor Ted Wheeler earlier in his term." The audit conducted in summer and fall of 2018 reported that the city needed to improve communications to illegal campers as well as complainants. The auditor recommends providing complainants with

1131-405: The departments that use the Portland Building would continue working from home until sometime in 2021. As of August 2020, renovation work on the interiors of the first floors was continuing but was expected to be finished by the end of the year. The work was completed by October 2020. The George Floyd and police brutality protests in Portland in 2020 were centered near the building. The roof of

1170-421: The mayor, while Portland Fire & Rescue is assigned to a separate commissioner (Rene Gonzalez as of 2023). The city also has an office of emergency management planning for mitigation of natural and manmade disasters. Portland Water Bureau manages municipal water services through the city, while the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) manages sewer and stormwater systems. Waste collection and recycling

1209-414: The new districts will occur in 2024. In preparation for transitioning management of city bureaus to a city manager, Mayor Ted Wheeler announced he would group city bureaus into five related service areas. Terms are staggered, with the mayor and the commissioners in positions 1 and 4 elected in the same years as presidential elections, and the auditor and the commissioners in positions 2 and 3 elected in

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1248-408: The same years as gubernatorial elections. The City Council convenes on Wednesday mornings and Wednesday afternoons in the council chamber on the second floor of Portland City Hall , and meetings are open to the public. City Council seats, the city auditor, and the mayor are non-partisan, elected positions; each carries a four-year term. Beginning with the 2024 election, 12 councilors are elected via

1287-410: The stucco garlands on the side of the building will be rebuilt using formed aluminum. The building envelope was replaced using a unitized curtain wall, allowing the design to reflect Graves's original while repairing years of moisture seeping into the facade and preventing further water damage. The Portland Docomomo International chapter decried the building's renovation, claiming that the replacement of

1326-428: The view that the building should be demolished due to extensive water infiltration and structural issues. The consensus among the city commissioners was mixed, with one member calling the building a "white elephant", while others opposed the demolition. Michael Graves fiercely opposed demolition. In 2015, city officials were considering spending $ 175 million to fully renovate the building. In July 2016, plans to renovate

1365-533: Was completed in March 2020. However, almost immediately afterward, the COVID-19 pandemic effectively reversed the building's return to use, as most staff were instructed to work from home during the pandemic, and a planned March 19, 2020, event to celebrate the building's reopening was canceled. Only about 30 employees were working in the building in August 2020, and the city was predicting that most employees in

1404-428: Was mixed, with many criticizing the design while others embraced it as a welcome departure. In 1985, the hammered-copper statue Portlandia was added above the front entrance. Beyond questions of style, many structural flaws came to light shortly after the building's completion. The building's failings are the subject of much humor and contempt by the civil servants who work there, who describe it as cheaply built and

1443-422: Was re-clad by Graves in 2007. Portland Mayor Frank Ivancie was among those who expressed the opinion that the modernist style, then being applied to most large office buildings, had begun to make some American cities' downtowns look "boring", with most of the newer, large buildings being covered in glass and steel, and largely lacking in design features that would make them stand out. The reaction among architects

1482-637: Was the subject of much debate circa 1911–1912. Rival charters were drafted by four different groups, including the "official charter committee," appointed by the mayor; the "people's charter committee," constituted under the auspices of the East Side Business Men's Club; another citizen's committee which drafted the Short Charter; and the "people's committee," led by W.C. Benbow, which drafted the Benbow Charter. The Short Charter

1521-442: Was unusual in that it would have used Bucklin voting to elect the mayor and implemented interactive representation of the people through the commissioner system; each commissioner's vote would have been weighted according to the number of votes he received in the election. The city council appointed a committee to draft a compromise charter. This charter, along with the Short Charter, were defeated in referendums. The following year,

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