World Trade Center (Portland, Oregon)
high-rise building in Oregon, U.S
The World Trade Center is a three-building office complex in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. The main building, One World Trade Center, is a 17-story office tower that is the fifth-largest office tower in Portland with 474,867 sq ft (44,116.6 m2). Completed in 1977, One World Trade Center is 230 feet (70 m) tall and is topped by a helipad. The complex is operated by the World Trade Center Properties and is the headquarters for Portland General Electric. There is also a 220-seat theater, known as the World Trade Center Auditorium.
History
Portland General Electric (PGE) began construction in 1975 on a three-building, $32 million complex to be known as the Willamette Center. Located between Front (now Naito Parkway) and Second avenues, and Taylor and Yamhill streets in Downtown Portland, the 873,000-square-foot (81,100 m2) complex was scheduled to open in January 1977. Plans originally called for construction of an outdoor ice skating rink at the complex. The five-story building in the complex was completed in 1976. More of the $54 million complex was opened by March 1977.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “World Trade Center (Portland, Oregon)” as high-rise building in Oregon, U.S. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as high-rise building in Oregon, U.S. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q16903732. Authority coordinates are 45.516, -122.675. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1977, 1975 and 1976.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “World Trade Center (Portland, Oregon)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow World Trade Center (Portland, Oregon) primary sources, World Trade Center (Portland, Oregon) archive and World research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “World Trade Center (Portland, Oregon)”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “World Trade Center (Portland, Oregon)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.