Fechheimer & White Building

Fechheimer and White Building. , The facade of the Fechheimer and White Building is one of the finest examples of cast iron architecture remaining in Portland today. It was constructed in 1885 at the height of the cast iron front era at a cost of $7,000. The ironwork was designed by Williams and Krumbein, Portland’s best known firm of Victorian architects, and it was manufactured by Willamette Iron Works, whose cast nameplate remains in the lower right pilaster of the building. The facade is composed of a granite base, cast iron arches and Corinthian columns of the first floor and elaborate stucco masonry on the second floor. The cornice and brackets are wood and sheet metal. The original design included three pairs of doors on the first floor, later replaced by a center door and two display windows. The Fechheimer and White Building is at least the second building on this 25 feet wide by 100 feet deep site. Prior to 1885, a frame building housed a cigar stand and later a second hand clothing store. In 1883 the land and building were purchased by Morris W. Fechheimer, a very prominent Portland attorney, and Isan White, Portland’s largest dry goods wholesaler/retailer and later entrepreneur. The first tenants of the Fechheimer and White Building were Sladden and Church, commission and fruit merchants. Subsequent tenants have been warehousemen, gentlemen’s furnishings retailers, a transfer company, a furniture manufacturer, a supplier of gas and oil engines, and a sheet metal fabricator. In 1960 the building was completely restored by Ralph Walstrom and Jeff Hollbrook, owners of a real estate appraisal and consulting firm. It was extensively refurbished in 1979 and 1980 by its current owner.