Meier & Frank Delivery Depot

The Meier & Frank Delivery Depot, located in northwest Portland, Oregon, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[2] Built for Portland retailing company Meier & Frank, the building was designed by Sutton & Whitney and constructed in 1927.[3] From 1986 to 2001, the building was owned by the Oregon Historical Society, for processing of items and storage of its collections.[5]

Meier & Frank Delivery Depot
Meier & Frank Delivery Depot in 2012
(now the U.S. headquarters of Vestas)
Meier & Frank Delivery Depot is located in Portland, Oregon
Meier & Frank Delivery Depot
Meier & Frank Delivery Depot is located in Oregon
Meier & Frank Delivery Depot
Meier & Frank Delivery Depot is located in the United States
Meier & Frank Delivery Depot
Location1417 NW Everett Street
Portland, Oregon
Coordinates45°31′31″N 122°41′09″W / 45.525384°N 122.685800°W / 45.525384; -122.685800
Built1927[2][3][4]
ArchitectSutton & Whitney
Architectural styleHalf modern
NRHP reference No.01000936[1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 3, 2001

Post-Meier & Frank usage

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In 1986, the four-story building was acquired by the Oregon Historical Society (OHS), to house its collections and process new acquisitions.[6] OHS remodeled the building's third and fourth floors.[6] (Its museum and public research library remained at the location they had occupied since 1966, closer to the center of downtown.) OHS used the former Delivery Depot for processing and storage for 15 years, but after Pearl District property values began rising due to redevelopment that started in the late 1990s, the organization began receiving multiple offers to sell the property[7] and ultimately accepted one. OHS sold the former Delivery Depot for $12.7 million in 2000 and moved to a new warehouse in suburban Gresham during the first half of 2001.[5]

The building then entered a long period of disuse. As of October 2007, it had been vacant since the departure of OHS almost seven years earlier.[8]

 
South entrance, with historic "Meier & Frank Co." lettering, in bronze,[9] above the doorway.

In 2011–12, the building was renovated for use as the new Portland headquarters building of Danish company Vestas Wind Systems, whose U.S. headquarters had been in Portland since 2002, but at a different location.[10] Gerding Edlen Development Company, of Portland, purchased the building in 2007, and Vestas began leasing it in 2010.[4] The renovations cost $66 million, and the company moved into the building in spring 2012.[11] The company is hoping to receive Platinum LEED certification for the renovated building.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b "Oregon National Register List" (PDF). Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. June 6, 2011. p. 36. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 25, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Tess, John M. (December 1, 2000). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Meier & Frank Delivery Depot" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Siemers, Erik (August 18, 2010). "Vestas keeps HQ in Portland, moving to the Pearl". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
  5. ^ a b Trevison, Catherine (June 13, 2001). "State's attic relocates to Gresham warehouse". The Oregonian. p. E2.
  6. ^ a b "Historical society hails new center". The Oregonian. November 17, 1986. p. B3.
  7. ^ Gragg, Randy (August 6, 2000). "High tech wants historical society's hot property in the Pearl". The Oregonian. p. E2.
  8. ^ Frank, Ryan (October 20, 2007). "Gerding Edlen will take Pearl District into 2nd generation". The Oregonian.
  9. ^ Tess, John M. (December 1, 2000). "NRHP Registration Form: Meier & Frank Delivery Depot" (PDF). National Park Service. Section 7, p. 2. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  10. ^ Read, Richard; Manning, Jeff (August 18, 2010). "Oregon, Portland help wind turbine maker Vestas build $66 million HQ". The Oregonian. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
  11. ^ a b Williams, Christina (May 23, 2012). "Gallery: Inside Vestas' new digs". Sustainable Business Oregon. Portland Business Journal. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
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