Southwest Portland in Multnomah County, Oregon — The American West (Northwest)

Ladd and Tilton Bank Interior

Southwest Corner of First Avenue and Stark Street

— 1868–1954 —

Ladd and Tilton Bank Interior Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, June 25, 2026

1. Ladd and Tilton Bank Interior Marker

Inscription.
This bank vault door frame is from the Ladd and Tilton Bank (Plaque 1). The Bank’s interior was as lavish as its exterior, with frescoed walls and polished Port Orford Cedar woodwork. The seventeen foot high ceilings, decorated with plaster of paris coffers and fresco, was supported with cast-iron columns. The large vault, encased in decorative cast-iron, was centered in the room. William S. Ladd, President and Founder of Portland’s first bank, was Mayor of Portland in 1854. The prototype of the self-made man, when he died in 1893, he left 4,000 acres of real estate, including the areas to become Ladd’s Addition, Westmoreland, Eastmoreland, Laurelhurst and Dunthorpe.

Architect: John Nestor, San Francisco
Foundry: Willamette Iron Works, Portland
Artifact Donors: Portland Friends of Cast-Iron Architecture

Erected by Portland Friends of Cast-Iron Architecture. (Marker Number 14.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1868.

Location. 45° 31.334′ N, 122° 40.229′ W. Marker has been reported damaged. Marker is in Portland,

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Oregon, in Multnomah County. It is in Southwest Portland. It is at the intersection of Southwest Ash Street and Southwest Naito Parkway, on the right when traveling south on Southwest Ash Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 55 SW Ash St, Portland OR 97204, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge

and in the Willamette Valley.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast,

in the Pacific Northwest,

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location: A Lewis and Clark Botanical Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Ankeny Arcade (within shouting distance of this marker); Fighting Fire With Steam Power (within shouting distance of this marker); The First Telephone Exchange in Portland (within shouting distance of this marker); Louis Building (about 500 feet away); Benjamin Stark (about 600 feet

Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, June 25, 2026

2. Ladd and Tilton Bank Interior Marker

The weathered marker can be seen on the exterior of Portland Fire & Rescue Station 1.

away); Blagen Block (about 600 feet away); Battleship Oregon Memorial Marine Park (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Portland.

Another marker is no longer nearby. New Market Theatre (was about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been confirmed missing).

Also see . . . Lost and Found (Cafe Unknown: Portland Oregon history by Dan Haneckow).

From 1868 to 1954 the north east corner of Block #38 (Lot #1) was the location of the Ladd & Tilton Bank building...The building was designed by John Nestor, inspired by the Libreria Veccchia (1536) in Venice.

(Submitted on August 24, 2026, by Ian Lefkowitz of New York, New York.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 25, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 24, 2026, by Ian Lefkowitz of New York, New York. This page has been viewed 8 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 24, 2026, by Ian Lefkowitz of New York, New York. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.