Ethereum

Highrise #132

Collection

Highrises

Description

**Journal Building** **Art by:** Chris Hytha **Story by:** Mark Houser With 2,400 incandescent bulbs arrayed along its cornices like candles on a cake, the headquarters of the Oregon Journal has given the Portland skyline a unique glitter for more than a century. Since 1951 it has been known as Jackson Tower after Sam Jackson, who acquired the newspaper in 1902 and ran it for two decades as editor and publisher. Jackson positioned it as a Democratic-leaning publication to counter the rival daily, the Republican-backing Oregonian. To design his newspaper's new offices, which stood over the presses in the basement, Jackson commissioned Reid Brothers, San Francisco architects of the Oregonian's own highrise as well as the West Coast's then-tallest skyscraper for the San Francisco Call. The lightbulbs were sometimes employed to signal news — or not, as happened on Election Day 1918. The Journal painstakingly laid out for readers how different illumination patterns that night would indicate various victory scenarios for the Democrats. But a Republican sweep both statewide and nationally left the Journal Building in the dark. The paper moved to new quarters in 1948 and ceased publication in 1982. The tower's offices have largely emptied out in recent years, and the building has been defaced with graffiti.

Traits

Style

Beaux-Arts

City

Portland

Region

West