Marriott Opens New Hotel In 1910 Vintage Portland Building
Autograph Collection Hotels, a Marriott International brand of hotels, debuted in Oregon on Thursday with the opening of the 120-room Hi-Lo Hotel. The boutique property is a redevelopment of the historic Oregon Pioneer Building in Downtown Portland, which was built in 1910 as the Railway Express Building.
The structure was the city's first concrete building. It was nicknamed "Project Cinderella" when it was revived in 1962 rather than demolished (a more common approach at the time), serving as a catalyst to encourage the restoration of other historic buildings in Downtown.
Marriott stresses the property's distinctiveness.
"We believe the hotel is poised to deliver standout, exactly like nothing else experiences for both global travelers and Portland locals alike," Autograph Collection Hotels Vice President and Global Brand Lead Julius Robinson said in a statement.
Palo Alto, California-based developer BPR Properties, which specializes in hospitality projects, acquired the property, long an office building, in early 2014. Orlando Diaz-Azcuy Design Associates, Arris Studio Architects, and Portland-based groups OMFGC and Jessica Helgerson Interior Design did the redesign.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Its conversion won approval from the Bureau of Development Services, which found the exterior alterations did not compromise the historic integrity of the building.
