Portland Armory

The Portland Armory was originally built in 1889. Construction and development was done by Multnomah County to house local units of the Oregon National Guard. Built to resemble a castle-like fortress, the Portland Armory was, surprisingly, a single room structure. Many members of the Oregon National Guard called the Portland Armory home during the Spanish-American War and World War I.

The Armory was officially opened to the public in 1909 and in 1911 the Armory played host to some of the most powerful people on Earth; Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson and President William Howard Taft.

The Portland Armory has been home to a wide range of activities over the past 100 years. Some of the more interesting venues were; hockey team, professional roller derby, wrestling matches, amateur boxing, dance hall, concert hall. It has also hosted opera signers, circuses, symphonies, orchestra's, carnivals…to name just a few.

Longtime Portland resident Ted Andrews recalls when the Armory was home to Friday Night Fights. "While in high school a group of friends would get together and head over to the Armory. We lived in St. Johns so it was quite a trek,' said Andrews, who now owns Willamette Realty Group with his wife Cindy Andrews. 'This was before the TV era when all of the professional fights were broadcast. Going to the Portland Armory was a great childhood memory! A lot has changed, especially the neighborhood we now call the Pearl District. Looking back, the neighborhood as well as the Armory are true Pearls!'

2006 marked a new chapter for Portland theater company, Portland Center Stage as they moved in to the Portland Armory. With a cost of just over $36 million, the Portland Armory has been transformed in to arguably the best theater facility on the West coast and rivals some of New York City's finest theaters. With a main stage theater and a studio theater, two different performances can be performed simultaneously; reflective of New York City's Gershwin Theater.

The lobby is welcoming with a box office, a café. The Portland Armory is open to the public and a touch-screen information kiosk for all visitors and two video monitors that share the history of the Portland Armory.

<< About the Pearl District

About the Pearl | Concierge | Run/Walk | Pets of the Pearl | Green Pearls | Blog | Tour the Pearl | Newsletter