Cast-Iron PDX II

Within a decade of the famous 1845 Pettygrove-Lovejoy coin flip, which named the City of Roses after a Maine, rather than Massachusetts, location, Portland had become incorporated as a city. Buildings at first were of wood, of course, with the first brick building being introduced in 1853. Yet, enriched by the sudden wealth of gold discoveries 600 miles to the South, Portland began a building binge of impressive proportions over the next 35 years, so that by about 1890 the city boasted a population of nearly 100,000. Cast-iron fronts, consisting of pilasters, arches, medallions bolted to the pilasters, heads of various objects crowning the arches and imposing and impressive bays with arched windows, sprouted all over the downtown area from Front to Third Avenue. Portland's cast-iron construction era lasted from about 1854 to 1889. Then, for about the next 50 years, these buildings, which once had dominated the skyline, became gradually abused and ignored as development shifted away from the river to areas West of 3rd Avenue. The final example of their abuse was their large-scale destruction in the 1950s-1960s, as way was made for our waterfront park and for other more modern buildings.

The Exhibit

The current exhibit at the Architectural Heritage Center is valuable for two reasons: it provides a brief but engaging historical overview of the cast-iron era in Portland and it gives about 30 exemplars of cast-iron work. Little more needs to be said about the history. One point to note, however, is the historical evolution of the pilaster, one of the more distinctive features of this architecture. Quoting from the master's thesis (at the U of O) of Bernadette Niederer, the exhibit describes three stages in pilaster development: (1) the era of bolted-on medallions, with the Corinthian pilasters being of consistent size, 10'' wide by 11'6'' high, normally with recessed panels with the shaft bearing a large crest (1850s-1870s); (2) a middle-period (1870s-1880s) where the pilasters took on an increased scale and ornamental complexity; and (3) the late phase (1880s), where pilasters had raised or incised designs and not bolted-on medallions, crests, or faces. Originally all these features were made by foundries in San Francisco; after the late-1850s/early 1860s, however, Oregon had its own iron works to supply the ready-made ornamentation. What I never learned, and what would be interesting to know, is whether there was some kind of early "catalog" or "listing" of the various medallion/face/botanical features that one could order for one's building. Was the "sky" the limit, or did the foundries only work according to certain approved patterns?

Looking "up close," however, at the wolves' heads or other ornamentation was the real fun of the exhibit. Some of the ornaments included: (a) a zinc die-stamped scrolled botanical shield-shaped ornament; (b) a wolf's head from the Ladd's Block at 1st and Columbia. By the way, a good number of exhibit pieces came from this block, near the South end of the original downtown, because of the ambitious efforts of Eric Ladd to rescue these pieces once the bulldozers came in to destroy. Then there is a (c) stained window with rippled glass flowers; (d) an ornamental lion's head superimposed on a shield motif; (e) an open filigree bracket with botanical motifs. Actually there were two of these, with the second beging an open filigree botanitcal motif medallion. Of special interest in this medallion was an eight-point star-shaped rosette. There was also (f) a tassel drop with scalloped motif mount that was sand-texturized to simulate sandstone. I learned that the arches, one of which was on exhibit, could be made of two methods: either the "single pour" method of the earlier period or the "t-shape" of the latter. The latter allowed more flexibility in putting an arch together.

You get the picture, even if I haven't presented any pictures here to illustrate these glorious finds. One is here.

A Few Remaining Buildings

This sample of cast-iron pieces makes one wonder about two things: what the rest of the collection looks like and how these items can be used today, either in current architectural projects or in historical projects. I am aware that continued federal funding for preservation projects is dependent on not "confusing" eras with the ornaments; thus the chances of putting some of these features on modern buildings isn't good. But why not have someone donate a piece of downtown property where one could construct, using period materials, a cast-iron building, which would be a precise replica of part of one of the late 19th century blocks in Portland? One would have to use modern masonry elements, but all the cast-iron items would be historical. Well, I am not involved in the discussion/debate, and so I don't know the realities of that possibility. But I do know that the Friends of Cast-Iron Architecture in Portland are (or is it "is"?) making valiant efforts to keep this vital part of Portland's heritage alive.

At present a few of the cast-iron buildings that remain can be found at 75-81 SW 1st (at Ankeny; the New Market Building South Wing); 50 SW 2nd (the New Market Theater); 222 NW Davis (the Merchant's Hotel); 203-209 NW 3rd (the Portland Seamen's Bethel); and 25-33 NW Front (the Bickel Block). Careful attention to these remarkable and memorable structures from another era will not only allow us access to a different time and place, but will begin to layer our souls with a depth of understanding and insight that is the key to being a wise person. The wisest of us has a "layered" soul, much like a rich archaeological dig, which contains in it the multiple strata of human existence, so that we can become, as it were, citizens of the world by having a layer of each culture somewhere "in our past." Thus, ultimately, my interest in cast-iron is for the cultivation of the humanties. You can't have too much knowledge if you want to understand and be understood.

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