Benson Hotel
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| Benson Hotel | |
|---|---|
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
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| Location: | Portland, Oregon |
| Coordinates: | Coordinates: |
| Built/Founded: | 1913 |
| Architect: | Doyle, Patterson & Beach |
| Added to NRHP: | November 20, 1986 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 86003175 |
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The Benson Hotel is a 375 room historic hotel building in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States.
It is currently owned and operated by Coast Hotels & Resorts. Also known just simply as "The Benson", it has a reputation as one of Portland's finest hotels. The hotel is named after notable businessman and philanthropist Simon Benson.
[edit] History
Simon Benson had wished to build a world-class hotel in Portland. During the population boom that occurred between the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Fair and the Great Depression, Benson fulfilled his wish.
The firm of Doyle, Patterson, and Beach designed the main hotel building in French Second Empire style. The hotel opened 1912 and Chicago's Blackstone Hotel served as the inspiration of the building's overall design. The building was originally an annex to the Oregon Hotel, and was known as the New Oregon Hotel.
In 1959, the old Oregon Hotel next door was demolished to, ironically, make way for a 175 room annex to the 1912 building.
It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
A number of international celebrities have stayed at the Benson, including Luciano Pavarotti, Queen Noor of Jordan, David Bowie, and James Brown. In November 2005, Paul McCartney stayed at the hotel while visiting Portland on his U.S. Tour. Every U.S. President since Harry Truman, with the exception of George W. Bush, has stayed at the Benson Hotel. Richard M. Nixon is reputed to have composed the "Checkers speech" while staying at the Benson.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Official website
- http://www.bartking.net An Architectural Guidebook to Portland
- Coast Hotels & Resorts
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