New Heathman Hotel
About this property
The Heathman Hotel, in Portland, Oregon, United States, was originally built as the New Heathman Hotel and opened in 1927. It is among the last remaining historical Portland hotels such as the Benson Hotel (opened 1912), Imperial Hotel (built 1894), and Governor Hotel (built in 1909 as the Seward Hotel and now the Sentinel Hotel). It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, as the New Heathman Hotel. The original Heathman Hotel in Portland OR, one block away from the current structure, was built at the intersection of Park and Salmon streets in 1926 by George Heathman, at a cost of $1 million. Wealthy lumber barons and railroad magnates, politicians, and upper-class investors of the day wanted a hotel that would fit their social station and demand for comfort and excellence. It stood 11 stories tall and offered 300 rooms. Because of the success of the first hotel, Heathman immediately started work on a sister hotel a block away. The New Heathman Hotel was completed in 1927. It was a 10-story concrete structure faced with brick. The decorative details were designed in the Jacobean Revival style by the Portland architectural firm of DeYoung and Roald. The second story and upper-floor windows were trimmed in stone, and the lobby's dark-hued paneling extended to the mezzanine, where light flooded through tall, arched windows. Acanthus leaves decorated the mezzanine's plaster columns and ceiling trim. The hotel's entrance was on the Salmon Street side (where it remained until 1984). The building of the New Heathman was Portland's largest construction project to that date, employing 1,200 workers, all of whom were invited to celebrate at the pre-opening party. A formal opening occurred on December 17, 1927, marking the end of seven months of work. When the New Heathman was ready, Governor I. L. Patterson and Mayor George Luis Baker made dedication speeches. Radio station KOIN featured live band and orchestral pieces. Portland city commissioners joined with the business community to pay tribute. The Oregon Journal described the Heathman as "Portland's newest and most modern hotel" and wrote, "Its planning, construction and general appointments are as modern as human ingenuity and talent could possibly make it", and that it was located on "Broadway … ablaze with theatre marquees, restaurants and shops." In 1927, Broadway was called Portland's "Great White Way," and was the focal point of downtown's entertainment center. Large, boldly colored marquee lights surrounded the hotel. On the eve of construction, Heathman announced plans to put in a ground floor coffee shop that was designed to be the largest coffee shop in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was New Heathman Hotel listed on the National Register?
New Heathman Hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 16, 1984.
What type of historic resource is New Heathman Hotel?
New Heathman Hotel is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for New Heathman Hotel?
The period of significance for New Heathman Hotel is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near New Heathman Hotel?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near New Heathman Hotel will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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