Whidden & Lewis was an American architectural firm based in Portland, Oregon. The partnership was established in 1889 by architects William M. Whidden and Ion Lewis and was Portland's leading architectural firm into the first decade of the twentieth century.
History The partnership of Whidden & Lewis was formed in Portland in 1889 by architects William M. Whidden (1857-1929) and Ion Lewis (1858-1933). Both were natives of Massachusetts, had been educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and had trained under leading eastern architects such as McKim, Mead & White and Peabody & Stearns. Whidden had the additional benefit of three years of study at the influential École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Whidden had first come to Portland early in the 1880s with his employer, McKim, to work on the Portland Hotel and returned in 1888 when that project was revived. Portland architect and author Richard Marlitt wrote that Whidden & Lewis was the first modern architectural office in Portland. The city had never before seen architects with their education and "polished ability."Richard Marlitt, Matters of Proportion: The Portland Residential Architecture of Whidden & Lewis (Portland: Oregon Historical Society Press, 1989) They introduced contemporary architectural developments, such as Beaux-Arts principles of design and the Colonial Revival style, to Portland and Oregon. Their reputation was established with works such as the Portland Library (1893, demolished) and the Portland City Hall (1895) and they would dominate local architectural practice for the next decade.Gideon Bosker and Lena Lencek, Frozen Music: A History of Portland Architecture (Portland: Western Imprints, 1985) With a series of office buildings, beginning with the Concord Building (1891) and Hamilton Building (1893), they also introduced the most contemporary ideas in tall buildings.
In 1903 their reputation was such that Ion Lewis was appointed director of architecture for the upcoming Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition (1905). Lewis oversaw the design of all architectural work and his firm would directly design six of the fair's major buildings, which were to be designed in the Spanish Renaissance style. An exception to the rule was the firm's Forestry Building (1905, demolished), the so-called "Parthenon of Oregon." This, designed by employee A. E. Doyle under Lewis's supervision, was a highly original building in a rustic style but on a Neoclassical Beaux-Arts plan.
The fair prompted an economic boom in Portland and Oregon. New architects were needed to design the vast number of new buildings being proposed and built. Whidden & Lewis's position as leaders of the Portland architectural profession was soon taken by their long-time employee, Doyle, whose firm was to develop the talents of Pietro Belluschi. His position was secured in 1911, when his firm was awarded the job to plan the campus and buildings of the recently-founded Reed College.Philip Niles, Beauty of the City: A. E. Doyle, Portland's Architect (Corvallis: Oregon State University Press, 2008) The specific cause of Whidden & Lewis's decline in status is not known. Doyle's biographer, Philip Niles, has argued that while their eastern sophistication was a novelty at first, it was not always an asset and became a liability as the city and its architectural community developed. Whidden in particular was seen as cold and aloof by his professional contemporaries. In 1909, when local architects established an atelier affiliated with the New York-based Beaux-Arts Institute of Design to train local draftsman in design, Whidden was approached to be its patron; that "he did not care to serve" was a lasting memory in the community.
Legacy William Whidden died in 1929;"William Whidden, architect, is dead. Tribute to artistry paid by contemporary," Sunday Oregonian, July 28, 1929. Ion Lewis in 1933."Ion Lewis, 75, designer of City Hall, dies," Oregon Daily Journal, August 30, 1933. When Whidden died, Jamieson Parker, president of AIA Oregon, described him as "one of the first really fine architects in Portland...[h]e came early, and built well indeed." In November 1930 AIA Oregon, now led by Folger Johnson, dedicated a memorial plaque to the partners in Portland City Hall, stating that the works of the firm represented "outstanding contributions to the beauty of the city.""Tablet given to city. Bronze memorial honors pioneer architects. William M. Whidden and Ion Lewis declared responsible for much of Portland's beauty," Morning Oregonian, November 19, 1930.
Whidden & Lewis's residential buildings were mostly in the Colonial Revival style, while their commercial buildings were primarily in the 20th-century classical style. The commercial buildings often featured brick, along with terra cotta ornamentation. Many of their buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
Architectural works In Portland 1890: Portland Hotel"Portland's big hotel. It was formally opened to the public yesterday," Morning Oregonian, April 8, 1890. Demolished. 1891: Concord BuildingGeorge A. McMath, Concord Building NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1977) Whidden & Lewis were among the original tenants; NRHP-listed 1891: Trevett–Nunn HouseGeorge A. McMath, Trevett–Nunn House NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1980) NRHP-listed 1892: Arlington Club"A new club house. The Arlington Club 'at home,'" Sunday Oregonian, January 17, 1892. Demolished 1892: Ayer–Shea HouseR. Ilese Gold, Ayer–Shea House NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1982) NRHP-listed 1892: Milton W. Smith HouseStephen Dow Beckham, Milton W. Smith House NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1980) NRHP-listed, also contributes to the NRHP-listed South Portland Historic District 1893: George Earle Chamberlain HouseKirk Ranzetta and Heather Scotten with Mary Piper and Jim Heuer, Irvington Historic District NRHP Registration Form (2010) NRHP-listed, also contributes to the NRHP-listed Irvington Historic District 1893: Gilbert BuildingDavid W. Dunahugh, Gilbert Building NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1980) Attributed to Whidden & Lewis though the architect is not documented; NRHP-listed 1893: Hamilton BuildingGeorge A. McMath, Hamilton Building NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1977) NRHP-listed 1893: Portland LibraryCentral Library: Portland's Crown Jewel (Portland: The Library Foundation, 2000) For the Library Association of Portland; demolished 1894: Charles Crook HouseAnn Fulton, Charles Crook House NRHP Registration Form (1997) NRHP-listed 1894: W. R. Mackenzie HouseJohn M. Tess, W. R. Mackenzie House NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1978) NRHP-listed 1895: William and Annie MacMaster HouseJohn Lamer, William and Annie MacMaster House NRHP Registration Form (1989) NRHP-listed 1895: Portland Academy"New school building. Portland Academy to have a handsome $20,000 home" Morning Oregonian, July 29, 1895. Demolished 1895: Portland City HallPaul B. Hartwig and D. W. Powers III, Portland City Hall NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1974) NRHP-listed 1898: Capt. Herbert Holman HousePhilip A. Pincus and Gail C. Smith, Capt. Herbert Holman House NRHP Registration Form (1991) NRHP-listed 1900: Multnomah Athletic Club"City news in brief. Building contract let," Morning Oregonian, December 29, 1899."[https://themac.com/history History," Multnomah Athletic Club, no date. Accessed June 18, 2026. Destroyed by fire in 1910 1901: Walter F. Burrell HouseBarbara Grimala, Walter F. Burrell House NRHP Registration Form (1990) NRHP-listed 1901: Whidden–Kerr HouseKimberly Demuth and Kimberly Lakin, Whidden-Kerr House and Garden NRHP Registration Form (1988) Whidden's family home from 1901 until 1911; NRHP-listed 1902: Postal BuildingJohn M. Tess, Postal Building NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1978) NRHP-listed 1903: Mohawk BuildingJohn M. Tess, Mohawk Building NRHP Registration Form (1996) NRHP-listed 1904: Charles F. Adams HouseMarianne M. Perrin and Rick Michaelson, Charles F. Adams House NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1981) NRHP-listed 1904: W. B. Ayer HouseSally Donovan, W. B. Ayer House NRHP Registration Form (1991) NRHP-listed 1904: Isam White HouseJinx Faulkner and Linda Sekora, Isam White House NRHP Registration Form (1991) NRHP-listed 1905: Philip Buehner HouseScott Cline, Philip Buehner House NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1980) NRHP-listed 1905: Portland Art Association Museum of Art"Mrs. W. S. Ladd will build a museum for the Portland Art Association," Morning Oregonian, June 10, 1904. The predecessor of the Portland Art Museum, which vacated this building in 1931 ahead of the construction of their present building;"Chamber to buy museum building. Structure found ideal as headquarters," Sunday Oregonian, November 8, 1931. demolished 1906: Concordia Club"Palatial home for Concordia Club. Plans being drawn for most luxurious house in Portland," Oregon Daily Journal, February 14, 1905. 1907: Corbett Building"Skyscraper plan is completed. Corbett Building at Fifth and Morrison Streets will be imposing structure," Oregon Daily Journal, July 26, 1906. In 1908 the firm moved here from the Concord Building;"Odds and ends of construction news," Oregon Daily Journal, February 8, 1908. demolished in 1988 1907: Failing BuildingKimberli Fitzgerald, Failing Office Building NRHP Registration Form (2007) Enlarged by six floors in 1913; NRHP-listed 1908: Bates–Seller HouseJames E. Stanek, Bates–Seller House NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1979) NRHP-listed 1909: Hotel LuciaJohn M. Tess, New Imperial Hotel NRHP Registration Form (2003) NRHP-listed 1910: Arlington ClubJohn M. Tess, Arlington Club NRHP Registration Form (2010) Whidden & Lewis also designed the club's earlier building (1892, demolished); NRHP-listed 1910: Ira F. Powers BuildingJohn M. Tess, Ira F. Powers Building NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1985) NRHP-listed 1911: Multnomah County Courthouse (former)Carl P. Moseley, Multnomah County Courthouse NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1979) NRHP-listed 1911: Wilcox BuildingJohn M. Tess, Wilcox Building NRHP Registration Form (1989) The architects were among the original tenants; NRHP-listed 1914: Stevens BuildingJohn M. Tess, Stevens Building NRHP Registration Form (1998) NRHP-listed
Elsewhere in Oregon 1889: Cloud Cap Inn, Hood River County"Brief local matters," Hood River Glacier, June 8, 1889. NRHP-listed 1893: Friendly Hall, University of Oregon, Eugene"Plans and specifications," Daily Eugene Guard, April 25, 1893. 1895: Marsh Hall, Pacific University, Forest GroveEngineering Record (April 7, 1894): 309. 1907: Herrick Hall, Pacific University, Forest Grove"Plans for new dormitory. Pacific University structure will be modern throughout," Morning Oregonian, May 19, 1906. Demolished in 1973 1910: First National Bank of Hood River, Hood RiverBradford Perron and Sally Donovan, First National Bank of Hood River NRHP Registration Form (2006) NRHP-listed 1910: Weinhard-Astoria Hotel, Astoria"Weinhard estate says work on new Astoria hotel will be commenced in July," Astoria Daily Budget, June 18, 1909. Demolished 1912: Carnegie Hall, Pacific University, Forest Grove
In other states 1890: Union Club (former), Tacoma, Washington"The Union Club house. To be the finest structure of the kind in the northwest," Daily Ledger, November 11, 1889. 1904: Oregon Building, Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis, Missouri"Work begins on Oregon building. State's structure will be reproduction of the famous Fort Clatsop," St. Louis Republic, March 10, 1904. A temporary building modeled on Fort Clatsop
Further reading Marlitt, Richard. Matters of Proportion: The Portland Residential Architecture of Whidden & Lewis. Portland: Oregon Historical Society Press, 1989.
See also Doyle & Patterson Carl L. Linde
References
External links
Whidden and Lewis architectural papers at the Oregon Historical Society.