Haseltine Building

McCaw, Martin, and White Architects (American architectural firm, 1883-1897)

Haseltine Building

1893

133 Southwest 2nd Avenue, Portland, Oregon

Style: Richardsonian Romanesque, Romanesque Revival

James Barratt, Elizabeth Neal, and Katrina Padre, Medieval Portland Capstone Student, Medieval Portland Walking Map Project, Fall 2011

This building’s rough Tenino stone lower half and massive, rounded arch entryways define it as a product of the Richardsonian Romanesque trend of the late nineteenth century. However, the simplicity of its form recalls both ancient and Renaissance Italian architecture, as well. The even spacing and size of the lower arches bear a striking resemblance to the form of a Roman aqueduct. The combination of a rusticated lower half with a brick upper, together with the large rounded arches, also calls to mind the Palazzo Medici of Florence (1445-55). The building once bore a terra-cotta cornice that brought greater balance between its two halves, but it was removed due to dangerous crumbling. In 1980 the building underwent a renovation that divided it into office spaces, yet certain interior features remain, such as exposed brick walls and high beam ceilings.