One
of Portland's most dynamic growth periods occurred
between the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial exposition
and the 1929 stock market crash. During those years,
the local population surged and the economy flourished,
precipitating Portland's evolution from a sleepy Columbia
River trading post to a polished urban metropolis.
The Portland Art Museum opened its doors during that
period, Reed College was erected and the Rose Festival
bloomed for the first time. Many of Portland's downtown
buildings reflect the impeccable taste of this "golden
age," an historic architectural bridge between
Victorian flamboyance and Depression-era severity.
It was during this era that Simon
Benson, a Portland lumber baron, philanthropist
and visionary, fulfilled his dream of building a
world-class hotel in Portland. The city's most prominent
architect of the day, Albert E. Doyle of the firm
Doyle and Patterson, was commissioned to design
the building. Working with Benson, Doyle designed
a grand hotel with the distinctive style of restraint
and proportion so often reflected during the early
19th century. The hotel's design was
influenced by the then-famous Blackstone Hotel in
Chicago, which had been constructed several years
earlier.
Doyle received the commission
from Benson in 1912, when architects were applying
historical ornamentation to commercial buildings.
The Doyle approach for the 12-story Benson was in
the French Second Empire style glazed terra cotta
and brick exterior, arched lobby windows and a French
mansard roof with dormers. A magnificent, 50-foot,
glass and steel marquee considered among the grandest
of the day bedecked the hotel's main entrance: It
collapsed in 1937 under the weight of snow in one
of the Portland's heaviest blizzards, and was eventually
replaced by a similar model.
 |
| Our
crest: The lion represents the English influence
in the early days of the hotel. Inside of the
B is the Keys to the guest rooms and on the
otherside of the B is a cup signifying hospitality.
The HB stands for Hotel Benson. |
Inside the hotel, Simon Benson
went even further in his pursuit of elegance. Even
the best paranazzo marble was not distinctive enough
for the ornate main lobby walls and pillars, so
he had them finished in rare, now extinct, Circassian
walnut imported from the forests of Imperial Russia.
Benson, as the story goes, was accustomed to footing
rather extravagant bills; nonetheless, he is said
to have almost fainted when he received the bill
for the Czar's rare wood. The priceless walnut,
still sleek and glossy, remains a focal point of
The Benson's grand lobby. Other notable features
included the classical coffered ceiling, exquisite
Austrian crystal chandeliers and the cast-iron railing
along the sweeping Italian marble staircase.
The hotel's degree of relative
opulence can be best understood by comparing the
construction costs for The Benson to its neighbor,
The Multnomah Hotel: The 200-room Benson cost $1
million to build and furnish, while the 600-room
Multnomah cost about the same.
The Benson opened March 5, 1913,
at Southwest Broadway and Oak, as the New Oregon
Hotel, an "annex" to the Oregon Hotel
next door: Heavy doorknobs engraved "OH"
can still found in the hotel, harkening back to
its gala grand opening. The guest list for the exclusive
event included the city's most prominent citizens.
The Benson, naturally, was equipped with the latest
innovations of the day, including automatic door
switches and circulating ice water. The ceilings
were covered with plaster molds, and the closets
in the guestrooms were equipped with electric lights.
Guests of the hotel were greeted each morning with
a complimentary cup of hot clam nectar, a tradition
eventually usurped by coffee.
The lavish hotel lost money during
its first 16 months of business, so Benson took
over the management from the Oregon Hotel and gave
it his name. An astute businessperson, Benson cut
costs and improved service, and the hotel began
making money, bringing in almost a hundred thousand
dollars a year. Benson, however, wasn't interested
in becoming a full-time hotelier. After proving
The Benson could turn a profit, he sold it in 1919
to William Boyd and Robert Keller, who operated
it until 1944, when they sold it to the Seattle-based,
then fledgling hotel chain Western Hotels, Inc.
Western and its successor firm, Westin International,
Inc., operated the hotel until it was sold to WestCoast
Hotels in 1988. The Benson is now owned by Coast
Hotels & Resorts.
In the tenure of Western/Westin
management, major changes and additions were made.
In 1955, the former Oak Room was converted into
The London Grill for the cost of a quarter of a
million dollars. The upscale restaurant, which celebrates
its 50th anniversary this year, was originally
housed in another part of the hotel. Tucked just
below the grand lobby, The London Grill has long
been tempting visitors and locals alike with its
upscale gourmet fare. With its stately décor
and intimate atmosphere, the restaurant has been
a Portland landmark since its inception, and boasts
a plethora of coveted culinary awards, not to mention
one of the most extensive wine lists in the Pacific
Northwest. The Little London, just off the main
dining room, is ideal for private parties.
The 1959 addition of 175 guest
rooms, built on the adjacent site of the former
Oregon Hotel, doubled The Benson's room capacity,
and allowed for the larger Mayfair Ballroom, which
seats 400 people, as well as a new restaurant.
A $3 million mini-makeover, completed
in 1980, included the redecoration and refurbishment
of the Hotel's luxurious guestrooms. At the same
time, some lobby partitions were removed, and the
sequestered Piccadilly Bar was replaced by an airy
lobby cocktail lounge. The comfortable Palm Court
now serves a lovely light luncheon, tempting
diners with an array of fresh salads, sandwiches
and pastries. In the evening join us for live Jazz
music. Musical guests Wynton Marsalis, Dave Frishberg
and Bill Marx son of Harpo Marx have sat in with
our regular performers.
When Mount St. Helen's erupted
in May of that year, blanketing Portland in volcanic
ash, visitors to The Benson were greeted by doormen
wearing respiratory masks with their immaculate
black suits. Impeccably polite and gallantly gracious,
The Benson's doormen are easily the most chivalrous
in Portland, in keeping with Simon Benson's original
vision of elegance. Even now, they readily tip their
top hats to ladies entering the hotel.
An extensive, year long $17 million
restoration was completed in 1991. The renovation
coincided with the 140th anniversary
of Simon Benson's birth, and assured The Benson
its long-held status as Portland's finest hotel.
Former Mayor Bud Clark declared the week of September
9 to be "Simon Benson Week," while former
Gov. Barbara Roberts proclaimed September 9 to be
"Simon Benson Day." Relatives of both
Benson and A.E. Doyle attended the ribbon-cutting
ceremony.
All of these changes were designed
to complement the existing features of the hotel,
which has long catered to celebrities, leaders in
business and industry, politicians and almost every
U.S. president since Harry S. Truman.
The hotel now has 287 tastefully
appointed guestrooms, including 56 junior suites,
seven penthouse suites and two grand suites. The
décor varies from room to room, so frequent
visitors to the hotel often have a particular favorite.
Amenities are abundant, and include 24-hour room
service, a fully stocked private honors bar, a state-of-the-art
entertainment system and acclaimed Les Clef D'Or
concierge services.
The Benson now offers more than
16,000 square feet of meeting space, making it a
favorite stop for business travelers. The handsome,
wood-paneled, Regency Boardroom, located on the
second floor, provides privacy and elegance for
executive meetings. The lobby-level Crystal Ballroom,
replete with gold leafing and crystal chandeliers,
is where heads of state and international companies
have held social functions. The opulent Mayfair
Ballroom, on the mezzanine, features a stage area
and provides the perfect setting for both theater-style
presentations as well as formal banquets.
The venerable Benson Hotel, currently
listed on the National Register of Historic Places,
is a Portland landmark, and a timeless tribute to
its founder and designer. Carefully nurtured for
eight decades, the stately hotel retains the opulence
for which it is world-famous. A.E. Doyle's architectural
talent reflective of a golden era combined with
Simon Benson's tenacity, business savvy and impeccable
taste, live on as the foundation of The Benson Hotel,
an American classic. Some things never go out of
style.
Simon Benson was born on Oct.
2, 1852, in Norway, emigrating to the United States
with his family at age 16. From Wisconsin's pine
forests to Oregon's Douglas firs, Benson worked
his way up the logging ladder, practicing numerous
trades along the way. He drove his own bull teams,
filling in as timekeeper and cook when necessary,
and eventually formed Benson Logging and Lumber
Co., one of the era's most venerable Northwest firms.
Known
for his innovation, Benson built miles of railroad
track in the timberlands of Oregon and Washington,
at a time when most people were still using oxen
to do the logging. He also introduced donkey engines,
steam locomotives, chutes and log railways into
the woods. To combat devastating freight rates,
Benson pioneered ocean-going rafts to carry his
timber 1,100 miles down the Pacific Coast to his
San Diego sawmill. The famed vessels came to be
known as "Benson Cigar Rafts," because
they resembled floating perfecto cigars.
Benson retired at age 60 to begin
a decade of public service and philanthropy. He
is perhaps best known for donating $10,000 to the
city to install the 20 beautiful bronze drinking
fountains that still grace Portland's city streets.
Benson, a teetotaler, hoped that local loggers would
quench their thirst at the bubbling fountains, that
ran constantly rather than at the saloons. As the
story goes, Benson himself was unwelcome at a Portland
tavern one hot summer day: He had walked in and
asked for a glass of water, only to be told the
saloon just served beer. So he ordered a glass of
beer and a glass of water, drank only the water,
and left the beer. It is said that Benson considered
the public water fountains the best investment he'd
ever made.
The original Columbia River Highway,
which for the first time allowed motorists to drive
from Eastern Oregon through the Cascades to the
Pacific Coast, was also the result of his efforts.
Later, he helped to get the state bonded to facilitate
completion of the Pacific Highway through Oregon
and to build a parallel highway through Central
Oregon to Hood River, hoping to lure visitors from
California. To make the trip more appealing, he
built the Columbia Gorge Hotel on a rocky bluff
overlooking the 125-foot Wah-Gwin-Gwin Falls. The
hotel, which sprawls across 74 acres, was recently
re-opened to the public.
Benson State Park is another
example of his generosity, and is still among Portland's
top attractions. He also gave $100,000 to establish
Benson Polytechnic High School, which is among the
top-ranking vocational facilities in the nation.
Simon Benson died on August 5, 1942, but his legacy
lives on throughout Portland and across the state
of Oregon.
