The Top 10 Tallest Buildings Decorating the Portland Skyline

Portland, Oregon is not high on the list of cities with the tallest skyscrapers. However, the City of Roses has some tall buildings within its borders. Discover the 10 tallest buildings decorating the Portland skyline and find out how tall they are, when they were built, what they are used for today, and where they are located!

10. The Ardea

The first entry on the list of the tallest buildings decorating the Portland skyline is called The Ardea. The apartment building structure is 300 feet tall, and it is in the South Waterfront neighborhood of Portland, just a few blocks from the Willamette River. This structure was built between 2006 and 2009, but residents started to occupy the building in 2008.

9. Cosmopolitan on the Park

The Cosmopolitan on the Park is a residential building that also goes by the name, The Cosmopolitan. This building is 340 feet tall, making it the tallest of any residential-only building in the city. The structure was built between 2014 and 2016. The building’s address is 1130 NW 10^th Avenue, putting it right in the Pearl District of Portland.

8. Standard Insurance Center

The Standard Insurance Center is the oldest building on our list of the tallest buildings decorating the Portland skyline. The structure opened its doors in 1970, and it is 27 stories high. This building contains commercial offices for businesses including The Standard, an insurance company. This building’s original name was the Georgia-Pacific Building. It is in downtown Portland at 900 SW Fifth Avenue.

7. Fox Tower

Fox Tower is a 372-foot-tall building located in downtown Portland. The structure opened in 2000, and it is a 27-story office building. The structure is near the Pioneer Courthouse Square. Fox Tower is the tallest building completed between the years 2000 and 2010 in the city of Portland.  

6. PacWest Center

The PacWest Center stands 418 feet tall, making it one of the tallest buildings decorating the Portland skyline. This structure has 30 stories. Until 2023, this was the fifth-tallest building in the city, but it has now dropped back to 6^th place. The PacWest Center opened its doors in 1984, and it is in downtown Portland. Like other buildings this high on the list, the PacWest Center is a commercial office building with many different tenants.

5. Block 216

Block 216 is a 35-story mixed-use building that measures 460 feet tall. This building usurped the spot for the fifth-tallest building when it opened in 2023. The structure is in downtown Portland, and it houses many different business tenants. The building has a hotel and condos, office space, food vendors, and much more.  

4. Park Avenue West

Park Avenue West is a 502-foot-tall building at 750 Southwest 9^th Avenue. This structure first opened in 2016, making it the tallest building constructed between 2010 and 2020 in the city. The building has 30 stories dedicated to a mix of retail, apartment, and office areas. The building contains 474,000 square feet of area, and it is mostly occupied.

3. KOIN Tower

The KOIN Tower first opened in 1984, and it stands 509 feet tall. This skyscraper is a mixed-used building that contains both condos and commercial offices. The building is known for its unique appearance resembling a tower from the Art Deco buildings from a century ago. The structure has 35 floors, and it cost $48 million to build.

2. U.S. Bancorp Tower

The U.S. Bancorp Tower opened in 1983, and it was the tallest structure built in Portland in the 1980s. This building stands 536 feet tall, and it is located at 111 Southwest 5^th Avenue in downtown Portland. The U.S. Bancorp Tower has a modernist design. The structure houses commercial offices for a wide variety of different tenants. The building is also called “Big Pink” because the pink granite and pink glazed late glass used in its construction sometimes make the structure seem like it’s pink.

1. Wells Fargo Center

The Wells Fargo Center stands 546 feet tall. The structure is the tallest building constructed in Portland, and it’s the highest one built in the 1970s. The building houses commercial offices, a museum, and the headquarters of the region’s Wells Fargo Bank. The structure is at 1300 Southwest 5^th Avenue in downtown Portland.

Even though the Wells Fargo Center is the tallest building decorating the Portland skyline and the tallest building in Oregon, it is not the tallest structure in the state. The KPDX Television Tower is a 1,081-foot-tall, guyed mast that transmits television signals.

Summary of the Tallest Buildings Decorating the Portland Skyline

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