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// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Whidden & Lewis say to the wall? "You're a great support system

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Portland City Hall (1895), designed in the Renaissance Revival style
A plaque honoring the legacy of Whidden & Lewis was placed in City Hall in 1930
A period view of the former Portland Library (1893, demolished), designed in the Renaissance Revival style
Marsh Hall (1895) of Pacific University, designed in the Collegiate Gothic style
The Postal Building (1902) in Portland, designed in the Renaissance Revival style
The Isam White House (1904) in Portland, designed in the Colonial Revival style
The Arlington Club (1910) in Portland, designed in the Colonial Revival style
The Wilcox Building (1911) in Portland, designed in the Chicago style
Carnegie Hall (1912) of Pacific University, designed in the Neoclassical style
The former Multnomah County Courthouse (1914) in Portland, designed in the Neoclassical style

Whidden & Lewis was an American architectural firm based in Portland, Oregon. The partnership was established in 1889 by architects William M. Whidden and Ion Lewis and was Portland's leading architectural firm into the first decade of the twentieth century.

History

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The partnership of Whidden & Lewis was formed in Portland in 1889 by architects William M. Whidden (1857-1929) and Ion Lewis (1858-1933). Both were natives of Massachusetts, had been educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and had trained under leading eastern architects such as McKim, Mead & White and Peabody & Stearns. Whidden had the additional benefit of three years of study at the influential École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Whidden had first come to Portland early in the 1880s with his employer, McKim, to work on the Portland Hotel and returned in 1888 when that project was revived. Portland architect and author Richard Marlitt wrote that Whidden & Lewis was the first modern architectural office in Portland. The city had never before seen architects with their education and "polished ability."[1]: xv–xvii  They introduced contemporary architectural developments, such as Beaux-Arts principles of design and the Colonial Revival style, to Portland and Oregon. Their reputation was established with works such as the Portland Library (1893, demolished) and the Portland City Hall (1895) and they would dominate local architectural practice for the next decade.[2]: 19–26  With a series of office buildings, beginning with the Concord Building (1891) and Hamilton Building (1893), they also introduced the most contemporary ideas in tall buildings.[2]: 26–28 

In 1903 their reputation was such that Ion Lewis was appointed director of architecture for the upcoming Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition (1905). Lewis oversaw the design of all architectural work and his firm would directly design six of the fair's major buildings, which were to be designed in the Spanish Renaissance style. An exception to the rule was the firm's Forestry Building (1905, demolished), the so-called "Parthenon of Oregon." This, designed by employee A. E. Doyle under Lewis's supervision, was a highly original building in a rustic style but on a Neoclassical Beaux-Arts plan.[2]: 31 

The fair prompted an economic boom in Portland and Oregon. New architects were needed to design the vast number of new buildings being proposed and built. Whidden & Lewis's position as leaders of the Portland architectural profession was soon taken by their long-time employee, Doyle, whose firm was to develop the talents of Pietro Belluschi.[2]: 43–44  His position was secured in 1911, when his firm was awarded the job to plan the campus and buildings of the recently-founded Reed College.[3]: 86  The specific cause of Whidden & Lewis's decline in status is not known. Doyle's biographer, Philip Niles, has argued that while their eastern sophistication was a novelty at first, it was not always an asset and became a liability as the city and its architectural community developed. Whidden in particular was seen as cold and aloof by his professional contemporaries. In 1909, when local architects established an atelier affiliated with the New York-based Beaux-Arts Institute of Design to train local draftsman in design, Whidden was approached to be its patron; that "he did not care to serve" was a lasting memory in the community.[3]: 54–55 

Legacy

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William Whidden died in 1929;[4] Ion Lewis in 1933.[5] When Whidden died, Jamieson Parker, president of AIA Oregon, described him as "one of the first really fine architects in Portland...[h]e came early, and built well indeed."[4] In November 1930 AIA Oregon, now led by Folger Johnson, dedicated a memorial plaque to the partners in Portland City Hall, stating that the works of the firm represented "outstanding contributions to the beauty of the city."[6]

Whidden & Lewis's residential buildings were mostly in the Colonial Revival style, while their commercial buildings were primarily in the 20th-century classical style. The commercial buildings often featured brick, along with terra cotta ornamentation. Many of their buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).[7]

Architectural works

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In Portland

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Elsewhere in Oregon

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In other states

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Further reading

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See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Richard Marlitt, Matters of Proportion: The Portland Residential Architecture of Whidden & Lewis (Portland: Oregon Historical Society Press, 1989)
  2. 1 2 3 4 Gideon Bosker and Lena Lencek, Frozen Music: A History of Portland Architecture (Portland: Western Imprints, 1985)
  3. 1 2 Philip Niles, Beauty of the City: A. E. Doyle, Portland's Architect (Corvallis: Oregon State University Press, 2008)
  4. 1 2 "William Whidden, architect, is dead. Tribute to artistry paid by contemporary," Sunday Oregonian, July 28, 1929.
  5. ↑ "Ion Lewis, 75, designer of City Hall, dies," Oregon Daily Journal, August 30, 1933.
  6. ↑ "Tablet given to city. Bronze memorial honors pioneer architects. William M. Whidden and Ion Lewis declared responsible for much of Portland's beauty," Morning Oregonian, November 19, 1930.
  7. ↑ "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Failing Building" (PDF). February 27, 2007. Archived from the original on 2012-02-06. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  8. ↑ "Portland's big hotel. It was formally opened to the public yesterday," Morning Oregonian, April 8, 1890.
  9. ↑ George A. McMath, Concord Building NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1977)
  10. ↑ George A. McMath, Trevett–Nunn House NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1980)
  11. ↑ "A new club house. The Arlington Club 'at home,'" Sunday Oregonian, January 17, 1892.
  12. ↑ R. Ilese Gold, Ayer–Shea House NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1982)
  13. ↑ Stephen Dow Beckham, Milton W. Smith House NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1980)
  14. ↑ Kirk Ranzetta and Heather Scotten with Mary Piper and Jim Heuer, Irvington Historic District NRHP Registration Form (2010)
  15. ↑ David W. Dunahugh, Gilbert Building NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1980)
  16. ↑ George A. McMath, Hamilton Building NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1977)
  17. ↑ Central Library: Portland's Crown Jewel (Portland: The Library Foundation, 2000)
  18. ↑ Ann Fulton, Charles Crook House NRHP Registration Form (1997)
  19. ↑ John M. Tess, W. R. Mackenzie House NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1978)
  20. ↑ John Lamer, William and Annie MacMaster House NRHP Registration Form (1989)
  21. ↑ "New school building. Portland Academy to have a handsome $20,000 home" Morning Oregonian, July 29, 1895.
  22. ↑ Paul B. Hartwig and D. W. Powers III, Portland City Hall NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1974)
  23. ↑ Philip A. Pincus and Gail C. Smith, Capt. Herbert Holman House NRHP Registration Form (1991)
  24. ↑ "City news in brief. Building contract let," Morning Oregonian, December 29, 1899.
  25. ↑ "[https://themac.com/history History," Multnomah Athletic Club, no date. Accessed June 18, 2026.
  26. ↑ Barbara Grimala, Walter F. Burrell House NRHP Registration Form (1990)
  27. ↑ Kimberly Demuth and Kimberly Lakin, Whidden-Kerr House and Garden NRHP Registration Form (1988)
  28. ↑ John M. Tess, Postal Building NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1978)
  29. ↑ John M. Tess, Mohawk Building NRHP Registration Form (1996)
  30. ↑ Marianne M. Perrin and Rick Michaelson, Charles F. Adams House NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1981)
  31. ↑ Sally Donovan, W. B. Ayer House NRHP Registration Form (1991)
  32. ↑ Jinx Faulkner and Linda Sekora, Isam White House NRHP Registration Form (1991)
  33. ↑ Scott Cline, Philip Buehner House NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1980)
  34. ↑ "Mrs. W. S. Ladd will build a museum for the Portland Art Association," Morning Oregonian, June 10, 1904.
  35. ↑ "Chamber to buy museum building. Structure found ideal as headquarters," Sunday Oregonian, November 8, 1931.
  36. ↑ "Palatial home for Concordia Club. Plans being drawn for most luxurious house in Portland," Oregon Daily Journal, February 14, 1905.
  37. ↑ "Skyscraper plan is completed. Corbett Building at Fifth and Morrison Streets will be imposing structure," Oregon Daily Journal, July 26, 1906.
  38. ↑ "Odds and ends of construction news," Oregon Daily Journal, February 8, 1908.
  39. ↑ Kimberli Fitzgerald, Failing Office Building NRHP Registration Form (2007)
  40. ↑ James E. Stanek, Bates–Seller House NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1979)
  41. ↑ John M. Tess, New Imperial Hotel NRHP Registration Form (2003)
  42. ↑ John M. Tess, Arlington Club NRHP Registration Form (2010)
  43. ↑ John M. Tess, Ira F. Powers Building NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1985)
  44. ↑ Carl P. Moseley, Multnomah County Courthouse NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1979)
  45. ↑ John M. Tess, Wilcox Building NRHP Registration Form (1989)
  46. ↑ John M. Tess, Stevens Building NRHP Registration Form (1998)
  47. ↑ "Brief local matters," Hood River Glacier, June 8, 1889.
  48. ↑ "Plans and specifications," Daily Eugene Guard, April 25, 1893.
  49. ↑ Engineering Record (April 7, 1894): 309.
  50. ↑ "Plans for new dormitory. Pacific University structure will be modern throughout," Morning Oregonian, May 19, 1906.
  51. ↑ Bradford Perron and Sally Donovan, First National Bank of Hood River NRHP Registration Form (2006)
  52. ↑ "Weinhard estate says work on new Astoria hotel will be commenced in July," Astoria Daily Budget, June 18, 1909.
  53. ↑ "The Union Club house. To be the finest structure of the kind in the northwest," Daily Ledger, November 11, 1889.
  54. ↑ "Work begins on Oregon building. State's structure will be reproduction of the famous Fort Clatsop," St. Louis Republic, March 10, 1904.
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