Ancient Walls: Structural and Decorative Stone in Downtown Portland Architecture

Stone as both a structural and ornamental element in building design goes back to the earliest days of architectural history. While Portland buildings might only date back a century or so, we have a wealth of decorative stone that can be observed and identified in both our oldest and most recent downtown landmarks.

Architectural historian Eric Wheeler will share with us stories and images of regionally quarried basalt and sandstone, as well as many examples of imported igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks used as exterior architectural decoration in downtown Portland architecture. Eric is a member of the AHC Education Committee, a walking tour guide, and a geology enthusiast. His inspiration for this talk came from a downtown walking tour developed by the Geological Society of the Oregon Country (www.gsoc.org) and the book Stories in Stone: Travels Through Urban Geology by Seattle based natural history writer, David B Williams.