Woodlark Building listed in the National Register of Historic Places

The Woodlark Building is alive and well today, offering a convenient and historic downtown address for businesses and private offices.

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(PORTLAND, Ore.) - The Woodlark Building in Portland, Oregon is among state’s latest entries in the National Register of Historic Places. The Woodlark Building was constructed in 1911-12 in downtown Portland, which is in Multnomah County, Oregon. The nine-story building is sited within the Portland Park Blocks. It is a unique building.

Although it has the appearance of an office building, it was originally constructed as a retail and wholesale pharmacy operation for the Woodard, Clarke & Company and Clarke-Woodward Drug Company.

The firms were among the most successful pharmaceutical companies in the Pacific Northwest from the late 19th through the early 20th century. The building was designed by the prominent Portland architecture firm of Doyle, Patterson and Beach in the Commercial style, with an elaborate cornice, prominent entry, and terra cotta detailing.

The building’s original wood windows remain above the storefront retail and mezzanine levels, which have been remodeled over time. The structure was part of the major building boom that followed the Lewis & Clark Exposition, held in Portland in 1905, which led to the expansion of the city to the west.

The retail and wholesale drug companies were sold in 1924 and the upper floors of the building converted to office space. It has continued in retail and office uses since that time. Oregon’s State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation recommended the building’s nomination in their June 2914 meeting.

It is one of nearly 600 historic properties in Portland that are individually listed in the National Register, which is maintained by the National Park Service under the authority of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. More information about the National Register and recent Oregon lists is online at oregonheritage.org (click on “National Register” at left of page).