River District
Meier and Frank

The historic Meier and Frank Department Store Building is located in the heart of Portland's retail district. The building plays a defining role in the retail and economic health of the city as well as its history.

By the late 1990s, the building had outgrown the Meier & Frank department stores' needs. At this time, May Company, the owners of the Meier & Frank Store brand, partnered with the Portland Development Commission to initiate a feasibility study to see if it would be possible to adapt the building for alternative uses. In 2005, PDC worked out an agreement with Sage Hospitality Resources (Sage) to adapt the upper floors of the building as hotel space while the lower floors would be repositioned as retail space. Denver based Sage is one of the leading hotel management and development companies in the United States. This innovative company is a recognized industry leader that specializes in premium-brand and independent hotels, many in historic buildings. Currently Sage has historic projects in Denver, Pittsburgh, Providence, Chicago, San Diego, and Milwaukee.

The project is now well into construction. The final result will be a fifteen-plus story building that will provide five floors of retail space and ten floors of luxury hotel accommodations in the heart of downtown Portland. The retail store, now known as Macy's Northwest, will open October 26, 2007 kicking off downtown Portland's holiday shopping season. The Nines Hotel and a roof-top restaurant are scheduled to open summer 2008.

Other resources:

• Meier & Frank: Saving One of America's Greatest Stores (10MB PDF)
  by Heritage Consulting Group, July 2008
  
  
• Meier & Frank Building Redevelopment — View a presentation* about the plans to renovate this historic downtown department store. (Once the presentation opens, click in the window to advance through the presentation.)

*

Note: This presentation requires the Flash player. You can download the free player here.

• Report to the Board of Commissioners about the Meier & Frank Building Redevelopment, May 25, 2005

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