Portlandia - Portland, OR
Posted by: 
ODragon
N 45° 30.948 W 122° 40.754
10T E 525053 N 5040301
A marker about Portlandia, a statue on the Portland Building.
Waymark Code: WM68NF
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 04/24/2009
Views: 16
From the plaque:
The idea for Portlandia, a classical figure representing the spirit of Portland came from the seal of the City of Portland. Architect Michael Graves suggested a statue of her as part of his design for the Portland Building. Raymond J. Kaskey, a Washington DC sculptor, won the commission to create her through the city's Percent for Art program. He chose hammered copper as his medium and spend three years in her creation.
Portlandia is made of copper sheeting about the thickness of a dime, hammered into shape with more than 50 hammer blows per inch and supported inside by a complex steel armature. The kneeling figure, including trident, is 33' high and weighs 6.5 tons. If standing, Portlandia, would be 50'. She is 1/2 the size of the Statue of Liberty, the only larger statue of this kind in the nation.
Portlandia was created in Washington DC and shipped across country by rail in eight pieces. After her assembly in a shipyard here, she rode by river barge and truck to her final destination, welcomed by thousands of Portland residents along the riverbank, streets and bridges. Her dedication to the citizens of Portland on October 8, 1985, confirmed her acceptance as a new symbol of the city.
She kneels down
and from the quietness
of copper
reaches out.
We take that stillness
into ourselves
and somewhere
deep in the earth
our breath
becomes her city.
If she could speak
this is what
she would say:
Follow that breath.
Home is the journey we make.
This is how the world
knows where we are.
- Ronald Talney
Historic Topic: Modern Age 1900 to date
Group Responsible for placement: Historical Society
Marker Type: City
Region: Metro/Portland
County: Multnomah
State of Oregon Historical Marker "Beaver Board": Not listed
Web link to additional information: Not listed
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