PLSO The Oregon Surveyor May/June 2021

23 Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon | www.plso.org The Lost Surveyor Question continues T What Portland building that still exists today was built two years before Oregon achieved statehood? T he unassuming two-story brick building located at 237 SW Naito Parkway in downtown Portland is in fact Portland’s oldest and first commer - cial brick building. [Photo 1] Known as the Hallock-McMillan Building, it’s a rather amazing monument to old Portland con- sidering that it was designed, constructed, and occupied by Portland’s first architect and early contractor, Absalom Barrett Hallock, originally of Utica, New York, in 1857. Think about that... a building on the National Register of Historic Places which is still existing in downtown Portland which was built two years before Oregon achieved statehood! Over the last 164 years the building sur- vived multiple floods, the most notable being 1894 and 1964, plus it has survived the many phases of Portland’s growth rela- tively intact. A 2011 article in The Oregonian announced it would be refurbished to its original exterior grandeur. Today, 10 years later, the building looks similar to its original state, however, more work is still needed. The original three arches on the front of the building weremade from cast iron, which is something Hallock was known for in his de- sign and construction. In fact, the building was originally constructed for the Phoenix Iron Works of San Francisco, which Hallock was representing at the time. Hallock and his various partners were prolific designers and builders throughout the area. Through the years the building housed Hallock’s ar- chitecture office, a candy factory, a leather goods company, a scalemanufacturer, and others ( The Oregonian ). Through his career Hallock incorporated in- creasingly more elaborate cast iron designs into his work. He designed 18 buildings in the core of downtown Portland, but few are Photo 1: The Hallock-McMillan Building, located at 237 SW Naito Parkway in downtown Portland.