Question about big pink
 

Does anyone have the original rendering for big pink? One of my friends told me the other day that it was supposed to be 70 stories until it got knocked for height. He said the outline of the step back as it went taller is reflected in the part where the skin turns to all glass near the top.

Hey Mark

I don't remember it ever being 70 stories. I remember it this way; Big Pink was originally approved back in 1972 (or so) at it's current height. This was right before height limits were imposed after the construction of the First National Bank Tower (now known as Wells Fargo). U.S. Bank decided to delay construction, which didn't start until 1981 (I think). Because the building had been approved about 10 years earlier, it was not held to the height limits in place at the time of construction.

The original proposal was for a square building, with none of the stair-stepped glass you see it the final form, just the smaller windows used in the lower floors of the final design. The parallelogram shape we see today didn't come about until the design was refreshed in 1979/1980.

Side note - I live about 1/2 mile from a building that appears identical to Big Pink in shape a size. Only the exterior color and window size is different (and no glass stair-step on top). This building is right next to Universal Studios in Los Angeles. When I see it I feel a little bit at home because it's so similar to Big Pink. I'm certain the LA version was built a few years after the Portland version, so you have the "original".

Side note - I live about 1/2 mile from a building that appears identical to Big Pink in shape a size. Only the exterior color and window size is different (and no glass stair-step on top). This building is right next to Universal Studios in Los Angeles. When I see it I feel a little bit at home because it's so similar to Big Pink. I'm certain the LA version was built a few years after the Portland version, so you have the "original".[/QUOTE]


Funny you mentioned that RSBEAR. I have thought the same thing when I've seen that building on the 5 north in Burbank. I researched it on Emporis and found that it was finished in 1988 and designed by Nadel architects Inc. It stands 460 ft tall VS 536 ft for our Big Pink. I have to say that Big pink is much more appealing to me:) "The Tower" as it is called is the tallest building between LA and San Francisco.

I wonder where that rumor started then. I heard the same story Mark heard. Interesting.