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Many engaged couples may find themselves touring the Pythian Building’s second floor. That’s where the Adrianna Hill Grand Ballroom, known for hosting wedding receptions, is located.

But folks looking for space to lease in the 44,000-square-foot building won’t find any. The building is fully leased, and that suits the building’s broker, Norris & Stevens’ Denise Razzeto, just fine.

Tenants stay for the long term because it’s hard to find a better location, Razzeto said.
That’s been the prevailing opinion for more than 100 years.

The Pythian Building is located at 918 S.W. Yamhill St., in the city’s midtown area. It was constructed in 1907, when Portland started to become a thriving center of industry.

It wasn’t always office space, though. It was originally developed as a Masonic lodge.

The area developed during a period of extended growth from the early 1900s to the end of the 1920s, said Philip Austin of the Portland’s Architectural Heritage Foundation. Development during this period began moving westward, away from the river’s edge.

Nearly 100 buildings were constructed in the period, solidifying the Midtown Blocks area as the city’s new commercial core.

That almost holds true even today, Razzeto said. The business district has moved farther south, past Pioneer Courthouse Square. The Pythian Building currently abuts MAX light rail and will eventually be in the shadow of the Park Avenue West Building, once the tower goes up.

Still, one could say that the Pythian Building, 102 years after it was constructed, continues to help wed midtown to the rest of the city’s business district. 

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