Post image for Spring – Life in the City

Spring – Life in the City

 

Life in the City Pre-Tour Movie

Life in the City Pre-Tour Timed Movie

Life in the City Post-Tour Movie

Click here to download a PowerPoint file named:
“Life_in_the_City_Pre-Tour_Slideshow.pptx” [33.6 MB].


  • A large mural on the Park Avenue side of the Oregon Historical Society depicts Lewis and Clark with Sacagawea and York on their Voyage of Discovery. To create this “trompe l’oeil” work of art, designer Richard Haas painted architectural features that bring life and depth to an otherwise flat wall. A glass entrance pavilion was recently added to help visitors to OHS more easily access its varied areas.
    Can you tell what is real in this picture and what is just painted onto the flat wall to look real?

  • The First Congregational Church was built in 1891, in the heart of the best residential area of the city. The church was originally designed with four towers to catch the attention of anyone approaching by river or by rail. The smaller towers were removed in 1940, leaving only the highest, which stands 175 feet high and houses the 1,500 pound bell, ordered for the church from Troy, New York. At the time this old picture was taken, all four towers were still intact.

    Inside, the rich wood paneling and the stained glass windows, created by the Povey brothers as memorials to church leaders and members of the congregation, combine to create a spectacular visual effect. The color scheme was originally based on varying shades of rose.


  • Portlandia towers above the main entrance of the Portland building on SW 5th Avenue between Madison and Main. The statue represents the Lady of Commerce, which is the symbol of our city found on our city seal. One third the size of the Statue of Liberty, this public work of art is the second largest statue of this kind in the nation.

  • Portland City Hall, built in 1895, is an outstanding example of the type of architecture favored at the end of the nineteenth century. It was renovated in 1996-98 to make it a better place for city officials and their staff to work, but many of the original features of the building were preserved of restored, including two light courts that had been filled in for more work space during the 1930s.

    The office of the mayor is located here and you can also visit the chambers where the City Council decides on matters of importance to all the citizens of Portland.