Portland State University, OR
130,000 sf
Completed in 2000

The $33.5 million Portland State University Urban Center and University Plaza form the centerpiece of the 52-block University District in south downtown Portland. Located along SW Montgomery Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, the building and plaza create a major urban gateway between PSU and Portland's downtown. The project incorporates a transit center, retail space and the university bookstore, with potential for as much as one million square feet of new mixed-use development in the district. The Urban Center is a seven-story, 130,000 sf building which defines the northern edge of the plaza. It houses PSU's College of Urban and Public Affairs, a distance learning center, university classrooms, conference facilities and retail space. The Urban Center received a 2003 AIA Northwest and Pacific Region Citation Award, a 2001 AIA Portland Chapter Merit Award, a 2000 AIA Portland Chapter People's Choice Award and a 1998 AIA Portland Chapter Unbuilt Merit Award.