Heathman Hotel
Encyclopedia
The Heathman Hotel, in Portland
, Oregon
, United States
, was built in the late 1920s. It stands out among the last remaining historical Portland hotels such as The Benson Hotel
(opened 1912), Commodore Hotel
(built 1925), Imperial Hotel
(built 1894), and Governor Hotel
(built in 1909 and formerly called the Seward Hotel).
George Heathman owned the Heathman in the 1920s. On the eve of construction he announced plans to put in a ground floor coffee shop that was designed to be the largest coffee shop in the Northwestern USA. He also boasted of unsurpassed cuisine and that his restaurant would be the finest in the city. Restaurant critics would later report that they agreed.
The Heathman Hotel was completed in December 1927. It was a 10-story concrete structure faced with brick. The decorative details were designed in the Italian Renaissance
style by the Portland architectural firm of DeYoung and Roald. The second story and upper floor windows were trimmed in stone and the lobby's dark hued paneling extended to the mezzanine, where light flooded through tall arched windows. Acanthus
leaves decorated the mezzanine's plaster columns and ceiling trim.
The building of the Heathman was Portland's largest construction project to that date, employing 1,200 workmen, all of whom were invited to celebrate at the pre-opening party. A formal opening occurred on December 17, 1927, marking the end of seven months of work.
When the Heathman was ready, the Governor of Oregon at that time, I. L. Patterson
, and then Portland Mayor George Luis Baker showed up to make dedication speeches. Radio station KOIN
featured live band and orchestral pieces. The City commissioners joined with the business community to pay tribute to Portland’s newest hotel. Oregon Journal
devoted several columns to praising "Portland's newest and most modern hotel" and reported the "planning, construction and general appointments are as modern as human ingenuity and talent could possibly make it", and that it was located on "Broadway … ablaze with theatre marquees, restaurants and shops."
In 1927 Broadway was called Portland's "Great White Way," and was the focal point of downtown's entertainment center. Large, boldly colored marquee lights surrounded the hotel.
The Heathman's coffee shop eventually closed as business diminished. The space was temporarily used as a political campaign headquarters, then sat empty until the hotel's renovation in 1983. The area that is now the hotel's entrance once housed a drug store and gift shop. The drug store gained fame as Portland's first 24-hour pharmacy.
In the 1950s Portland's downtown suffered as business and entertainment left for the suburbs. By the late 1960s Broadway had lost most of its former glory. In the next decade new city leaders would recognize what Portland was losing and seek to turn things around by convincing major retail stores to keep their operations in the heart of downtown, and to even build new locations.
As the city redeveloped the downtown area it attempted to reintroduce music and theater on Broadway. A performing arts center was developed in the old Paramount Theatre (now called The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
) located next door to the Heathman. The site's development and architectural design plans were drawn with the help of the city, private investors, concerned citizens, and artists.
The Portland Center for Performing Arts Area Development Plan noted, in 1982, that the location and development of the New Heathman made its condition crucial to the success of the adjacent Paramount Concert Hall. The Heathman's importance to the neighborhood appealed to developers, so by autumn of 1984 a two-year and $16 million renovation of the building was completed.
The Heathman's public spaces were remodeled in new natural materials like marble
and teak
brought in by Portland architect Carter Case and interior designer Andrew Delfino. Then owner, Mark Stevenson, had the original exterior and eucalyptus
-paneled Tea Court restored. Above the Tea Court, a 100-year-old crystal
chandelier that once graced the US Embassy in Czechoslovakia
was hung and the walls were decked with 18th century paintings by French landscape artist Claude Lorrain
. All of this labor was rewarded when The New Heathman was recognized by The National Register of Historic Places
on February 16, 1984.
The newly redone guest rooms were furnished in 18th-20th century styles of Biedermeier
, Ming
, Empire, and Regency. The Heathman acquired several original artworks at this time and launched a campaign of support for the visual arts. The hotel's collection has included 250 original paintings, photographs, and works on paper, with a focus on American artists, and particularly artists local to the Northwestern USA. Prints from Andy Warhol
's Endangered Species lithograph series, worth approximately $1.5 million, are found on most floors, and one room specifically pays tribute to Warhol in its interior design.
Visual art exhibits that change seasonally can be viewed on the mezzanine. These exhibits are curated by Portland's Elizabeth Leach Gallery.
The New Heathman also supports literature and has a library on the mezzanine level containing a huge collection of books signed by authors who have been guests at the hotel.
Travel + Leisure
placed The Heathman on their World's Best Hotel list from 2005-2007.
In October 2007, a new Heathman Hotel opened on the east side of Seattle. The Heathman Kirkland is a luxurious state-of-the-art 91-room full service hotel featuring Trellis Restaurant and The Penterra Spa.
radio beginning on June 21, 1926, when the radio station moved from The Portland Hotel
. KOIN studios were located in the Heathman Hotel basement. As the station expanded it outgrew its studio space and looked to the New Heathman as a place to relocate. KOIN moved on December 17, 1927. On September 22, 1932 KOIN acquired a sister station KALE. KALE moved into the KOIN studio complex in 1933. With an additional station, more studio space was needed. Between 1933 and 1939 the mezzanine of the New Heathman was modified several times to accommodate the stations. The biggest change was the addition of the north/south wall and several dividing partitions to create offices along the east side of the building. Studio A and Studio B at the south end were also altered. By 1940 the major structural changes were finished. The studios were then described as "the finest broadcast facility in the country."
KOIN had a larger staff of musicians and entertainers than all other Portland stations combined while located at the New Heathman. Jane Powell
, born in Portland, Oregon as Suzanne Lorraine Burce, was one of KOIN's regular radio performers. With its transmitter atop Barnes Hill in the west hills of Portland, KOIN's early audience reached from the Portland metro area into California
, Idaho
, and Nevada
. In 1944 KALE moved out of The New Heathman when KOIN was sold. When KOIN joined the television era in 1953, it required development of larger quarters still and finally left its radio studios at the New Heathman in 1955 to join its TV sister station.
(Pacific Power in Oregon, USA) for the strides it had made towards going green. The hotel worked with Energy Trust of Oregon to improve its energy efficiency, reduce its carbon footprint
, and expand its sustainable practices. Windows, ventilation, heating, and air conditioning systems were upgraded and the hotel is replacing all light bulbs with energy saving compact fluorescents. Viking Energy Services and Environmental Controls partnered with the Heathman to save the hotel an estimated 525,000 kilowatt hours of electricity and 15,197 therms of natural gas. The goal is to save the hotel 50 percent of their monthly energy costs.
A Go Green package is also available to guests, as of Earth Day
2007, with the help of a Portland-based nonprofit, Friends of Trees. For every package sold the hotel plants a tree, and green package guests arriving in “green” cars (hybrid or powered by biodiesel
) receive complimentary parking. Those guests who “Go Green” also get one night's stay in deluxe accommodations, a continental breakfast for two in the hotel's award-winning restaurant, and a split of fine wine from Van Duzer Vineyards, a LIVE-certified winery that exercises sustainable farming practices. LIVE stands for Low Input Viticulture
and Enology, Inc., an Oregon non-profit that certifies wineries for meeting certain environmental standards. Over 60 vineyards are now LIVE-certified.
General manager Chris Erickson said, "We are proud to have completed the first steps in becoming an Energy Star Certified Hotel. We are committed to being a socially responsible hotel and believe the energy saving upgrades we’ve completed will not only benefit our bottom-line, but will also make a great impact on the environment, our guests, and the City of Portland."
George Heathman died at the age of 49, less than three years after the New Heathman was completed. His wife, Katherine, and two of their four children remained active in the hotel industry and retained an interest in operations of the New Heathman until the early 1960s. Harry, George's son, managed the hotel until shortly before his death in 1962.
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, was built in the late 1920s. It stands out among the last remaining historical Portland hotels such as The Benson Hotel
Benson Hotel
The Benson Hotel is a 287 room historic hotel building in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States.It is owned and operated by Coast Hotels & Resorts. It was originally known as the New Oregon Hotel, and is commonly known as "The Benson". It has a reputation as one of Portland's finest hotels...
(opened 1912), Commodore Hotel
Commodore Hotel (Portland, Oregon)
The Commodore Hotel is an Art Deco-style hotel in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was built in 1925 by Herman Brookman, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Commodore Hotel became the home of KTBR radio beginning on November 12, 1927 when the station moved from 393½ Yamhill...
(built 1925), Imperial Hotel
Imperial Hotel (Portland, Oregon)
The Hotel Vintage Plaza, formerly the Imperial Hotel and The Plaza Hotel, is a historic hotel building in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. It was completed in 1894 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985....
(built 1894), and Governor Hotel
Governor Hotel (Portland, Oregon)
The Governor Hotel, formerly the Seward Hotel, is a historic hotel building in downtown, Portland, Oregon, United States. The present name dates from 1932....
(built in 1909 and formerly called the Seward Hotel).
History
The Heathman was built in response to the needs of rich timber barons, politicians, and upper class investors of the day who wanted a hotel that fit their social station and demand for comfort and excellence.George Heathman owned the Heathman in the 1920s. On the eve of construction he announced plans to put in a ground floor coffee shop that was designed to be the largest coffee shop in the Northwestern USA. He also boasted of unsurpassed cuisine and that his restaurant would be the finest in the city. Restaurant critics would later report that they agreed.
The Heathman Hotel was completed in December 1927. It was a 10-story concrete structure faced with brick. The decorative details were designed in the Italian Renaissance
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
style by the Portland architectural firm of DeYoung and Roald. The second story and upper floor windows were trimmed in stone and the lobby's dark hued paneling extended to the mezzanine, where light flooded through tall arched windows. Acanthus
Acanthus (ornament)
The acanthus is one of the most common plant forms to make foliage ornament and decoration.-Architecture:In architecture, an ornament is carved into stone or wood to resemble leaves from the Mediterranean species of the Acanthus genus of plants, which have deeply cut leaves with some similarity to...
leaves decorated the mezzanine's plaster columns and ceiling trim.
The building of the Heathman was Portland's largest construction project to that date, employing 1,200 workmen, all of whom were invited to celebrate at the pre-opening party. A formal opening occurred on December 17, 1927, marking the end of seven months of work.
When the Heathman was ready, the Governor of Oregon at that time, I. L. Patterson
I. L. Patterson
Isaac Lee "Ike" Patterson, was the 18th Governor of Oregon from 1927 to 1929. An Oregon native, he served in the Oregon Legislative Assembly from 1918 to 1922, and was a farmer in the Willamette Valley.-Early life:...
, and then Portland Mayor George Luis Baker showed up to make dedication speeches. Radio station KOIN
KOIN
KOIN is the CBS affiliate television station serving the Portland metropolitan area. Its transmitter is located in Portland, Oregon, United States; it broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 40...
featured live band and orchestral pieces. The City commissioners joined with the business community to pay tribute to Portland’s newest hotel. Oregon Journal
Oregon Journal
The Oregon Journal was Portland, Oregon's daily afternoon newspaper from 1902 to 1982. The Journal was founded in Portland by C. S. Jackson, the publisher of Pendleton, Oregon's East Oregonian newspaper, after a group of Portlanders convinced Jackson to help in the reorganization of the Portland...
devoted several columns to praising "Portland's newest and most modern hotel" and reported the "planning, construction and general appointments are as modern as human ingenuity and talent could possibly make it", and that it was located on "Broadway … ablaze with theatre marquees, restaurants and shops."
In 1927 Broadway was called Portland's "Great White Way," and was the focal point of downtown's entertainment center. Large, boldly colored marquee lights surrounded the hotel.
The Heathman's coffee shop eventually closed as business diminished. The space was temporarily used as a political campaign headquarters, then sat empty until the hotel's renovation in 1983. The area that is now the hotel's entrance once housed a drug store and gift shop. The drug store gained fame as Portland's first 24-hour pharmacy.
In the 1950s Portland's downtown suffered as business and entertainment left for the suburbs. By the late 1960s Broadway had lost most of its former glory. In the next decade new city leaders would recognize what Portland was losing and seek to turn things around by convincing major retail stores to keep their operations in the heart of downtown, and to even build new locations.
As the city redeveloped the downtown area it attempted to reintroduce music and theater on Broadway. A performing arts center was developed in the old Paramount Theatre (now called The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall , opened as the Portland Publix Theater before becoming the Paramount after 1930, is a historic theater building and performing arts center in Portland, Oregon, United States...
) located next door to the Heathman. The site's development and architectural design plans were drawn with the help of the city, private investors, concerned citizens, and artists.
The Portland Center for Performing Arts Area Development Plan noted, in 1982, that the location and development of the New Heathman made its condition crucial to the success of the adjacent Paramount Concert Hall. The Heathman's importance to the neighborhood appealed to developers, so by autumn of 1984 a two-year and $16 million renovation of the building was completed.
The Heathman's public spaces were remodeled in new natural materials like marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
and teak
Teak
Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...
brought in by Portland architect Carter Case and interior designer Andrew Delfino. Then owner, Mark Stevenson, had the original exterior and eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
-paneled Tea Court restored. Above the Tea Court, a 100-year-old crystal
Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...
chandelier that once graced the US Embassy in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
was hung and the walls were decked with 18th century paintings by French landscape artist Claude Lorrain
Claude Lorrain
Claude Lorrain, , traditionally just Claude in English Claude Lorrain, , traditionally just Claude in English (also Claude Gellée, his real name, or in French Claude Gellée, , dit le Lorrain) Claude Lorrain, , traditionally just Claude in English (also Claude Gellée, his real name, or in French...
. All of this labor was rewarded when The New Heathman was recognized by The National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on February 16, 1984.
The newly redone guest rooms were furnished in 18th-20th century styles of Biedermeier
Biedermeier
In Central Europe, the Biedermeier era refers to the middle-class sensibilities of the historical period between 1815, the year of the Congress of Vienna at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, and 1848, the year of the European revolutions...
, Ming
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
, Empire, and Regency. The Heathman acquired several original artworks at this time and launched a campaign of support for the visual arts. The hotel's collection has included 250 original paintings, photographs, and works on paper, with a focus on American artists, and particularly artists local to the Northwestern USA. Prints from Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
's Endangered Species lithograph series, worth approximately $1.5 million, are found on most floors, and one room specifically pays tribute to Warhol in its interior design.
Visual art exhibits that change seasonally can be viewed on the mezzanine. These exhibits are curated by Portland's Elizabeth Leach Gallery.
The New Heathman also supports literature and has a library on the mezzanine level containing a huge collection of books signed by authors who have been guests at the hotel.
Travel + Leisure
Travel + Leisure
Travel + Leisure is a travel magazine based in New York City, New York. Published 12 times a year, it has 4.8 million readers, according to its corporate media kit. It is put out by American Express Publishing Corporation, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Express Company led by...
placed The Heathman on their World's Best Hotel list from 2005-2007.
In October 2007, a new Heathman Hotel opened on the east side of Seattle. The Heathman Kirkland is a luxurious state-of-the-art 91-room full service hotel featuring Trellis Restaurant and The Penterra Spa.
KOIN Radio and the Heathman hotels
The Heathman Hotel became the home of KOINKOIN
KOIN is the CBS affiliate television station serving the Portland metropolitan area. Its transmitter is located in Portland, Oregon, United States; it broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 40...
radio beginning on June 21, 1926, when the radio station moved from The Portland Hotel
Portland Hotel
The Portland Hotel was a late-19th-century hotel in Portland, Oregon, United States that once occupied the city block on which Pioneer Courthouse Square now stands. It closed in 1951 after 61 years of operation.-History:...
. KOIN studios were located in the Heathman Hotel basement. As the station expanded it outgrew its studio space and looked to the New Heathman as a place to relocate. KOIN moved on December 17, 1927. On September 22, 1932 KOIN acquired a sister station KALE. KALE moved into the KOIN studio complex in 1933. With an additional station, more studio space was needed. Between 1933 and 1939 the mezzanine of the New Heathman was modified several times to accommodate the stations. The biggest change was the addition of the north/south wall and several dividing partitions to create offices along the east side of the building. Studio A and Studio B at the south end were also altered. By 1940 the major structural changes were finished. The studios were then described as "the finest broadcast facility in the country."
KOIN had a larger staff of musicians and entertainers than all other Portland stations combined while located at the New Heathman. Jane Powell
Jane Powell
Jane Powell is an American singer, dancer and actress.After rising to fame as a singer in her home state of Oregon, Powell was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer while still in her teens...
, born in Portland, Oregon as Suzanne Lorraine Burce, was one of KOIN's regular radio performers. With its transmitter atop Barnes Hill in the west hills of Portland, KOIN's early audience reached from the Portland metro area into California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, and Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. In 1944 KALE moved out of The New Heathman when KOIN was sold. When KOIN joined the television era in 1953, it required development of larger quarters still and finally left its radio studios at the New Heathman in 1955 to join its TV sister station.
Going green
In 2007 The Heathman Hotel was recognized by PacifiCorpPacifiCorp
PacifiCorp is an electric power company in the northwestern United States.PacifiCorp has three primary subsidiaries:# Pacific Power is a regulated electric utility with service territory throughout Oregon, northern California, and southeastern Washington.# Rocky Mountain Power is a regulated...
(Pacific Power in Oregon, USA) for the strides it had made towards going green. The hotel worked with Energy Trust of Oregon to improve its energy efficiency, reduce its carbon footprint
Carbon footprint
A carbon footprint has historically been defined as "the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person.". However, calculating a carbon footprint which conforms to this definition is often impracticable due to the large amount of data required, which is...
, and expand its sustainable practices. Windows, ventilation, heating, and air conditioning systems were upgraded and the hotel is replacing all light bulbs with energy saving compact fluorescents. Viking Energy Services and Environmental Controls partnered with the Heathman to save the hotel an estimated 525,000 kilowatt hours of electricity and 15,197 therms of natural gas. The goal is to save the hotel 50 percent of their monthly energy costs.
A Go Green package is also available to guests, as of Earth Day
Earth Day
Earth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the...
2007, with the help of a Portland-based nonprofit, Friends of Trees. For every package sold the hotel plants a tree, and green package guests arriving in “green” cars (hybrid or powered by biodiesel
Biodiesel
Biodiesel refers to a vegetable oil- or animal fat-based diesel fuel consisting of long-chain alkyl esters. Biodiesel is typically made by chemically reacting lipids with an alcohol....
) receive complimentary parking. Those guests who “Go Green” also get one night's stay in deluxe accommodations, a continental breakfast for two in the hotel's award-winning restaurant, and a split of fine wine from Van Duzer Vineyards, a LIVE-certified winery that exercises sustainable farming practices. LIVE stands for Low Input Viticulture
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
and Enology, Inc., an Oregon non-profit that certifies wineries for meeting certain environmental standards. Over 60 vineyards are now LIVE-certified.
General manager Chris Erickson said, "We are proud to have completed the first steps in becoming an Energy Star Certified Hotel. We are committed to being a socially responsible hotel and believe the energy saving upgrades we’ve completed will not only benefit our bottom-line, but will also make a great impact on the environment, our guests, and the City of Portland."
The Heathman family
Two noted Portland hotels were named for the Heathman family. The family was active in the hotel business for more than 25 years. Between 1925 and 1927, manager and investor George E. Heathman, Jr., was responsible for the erection and operation of three large properties: The Roosevelt and the Heathman hotels, all located within a two-block radius. The Heathman and The Roosevelt's ownership and operation were relinquished soon after their completions.George Heathman died at the age of 49, less than three years after the New Heathman was completed. His wife, Katherine, and two of their four children remained active in the hotel industry and retained an interest in operations of the New Heathman until the early 1960s. Harry, George's son, managed the hotel until shortly before his death in 1962.