The original Heathman Hotel was sited on the corner of Park and Salmon Streets. Built by George Heathman in 1926 for the princely sum of $1 million, Heathman Hotel attracted wealthy lumber barons and railroad magnates who required a hotel befitting of their social station. Due to the hotel’s early success, Heathman immediately began work on this property, just a block away. The New Heathman Hotel was Portland’s largest construction project up until that point, employing 1,200 workers, all of whom were invited to celebrate at the opening party in December of 1927. Then, as now, the hotel was at the epicenter of Portland’s art and cultural activity. In 1984, the hotel dropped the “new” and was added to the National Registry of Historic Places.
