I adore this face, among the many that decorate the Dekum Building. I shall share other adornments soon.
From Wikipedia:
The Dekum Building is a historic office building in downtown Portland, Oregon. Since 1980, it has been on the National Register of Historic Places.[2]
From the marker on the building:
Inscription. German immigrant Frank Dekum amassed a fortune during Portland’s explosive early history with his confectionery business. The massive Dekum Building, completed in 1892 at a cost exceeding $300,000, used exclusively Oregon materials in its construction. The brick masons drank beer instead of coffee on their job, according to one old timer whose duties as a boy had been to haul the large pails of beer up to them.
The architects of the Dekum Building, McCaw and Martin, made an audacious break from the cast-iron architecture of the 1880s. They adopted the new, lesser-known designs of Richardsonian Romanesque, characterized by massive rough-cut sandstone pillars on the ground level and red brick surfaces with cast terra-cotta ornamentation on the upper stories.
Endearing, and slightly menacing.
ReplyDeleteThat's a scary little face!
ReplyDeleteThat looks like the "moon" from old films...
ReplyDeleteAlso I love the fact from wikipedia:...The brick masons drank beer instead of coffee on their job, according to one old timer whose duties as a boy had been to haul the large pails of beer up to them...
I (beer) portland
You really do superb job with these architectural shots, Lynette! It's always a pleasure to see what you've found. That face is great!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great shot! I liked reading a little on the background of the building!
ReplyDeleteI had an office on the top floor by the fire escapes, facing the river I think I paid less than $10 a square foot for back in 1983...the building was nearly empty and I had my choice of spaces. Building had a great vibe.
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