This exhibit tells the story of Portland's rich cast iron history, and the local industries that developed to support it. Rare and beautiful cast iron artifacts salvaged by Jerry Bosco and Ben Milligan and others will be exhibited in the context of the buildings they originally adorned.  

Come and see what the excitement is all about, in this exhibit that focuses on an historic building material that is not only "Made in the USA", but "Made in Portland".

More About the Exhibit:
Portland boasts the second largest collection of cast iron-fronted buildings in the nation, outside of New York City's Soho district. Beginning in 1854, 180 cast iron buildings were constructed in Portland, using this marvelous "fire proof" material either structurally or decoratively, with the last built in 1899. Local architects and foundries developed lavish patterns and created magnificent buildings that established a strong architectural unity that has never been equaled. It was not to last...the wrecking ball's zeal erased more than half of these buildings in the rush to "modernize" downtown Portland, in the 1940s and beyond. But our city's surviving cast iron legacy is so rare and remarkable that the concentration of these buildings in Skidmore/Old Town led to the district's designation as a National Historic Landmark - the highest ranking for historic places in the United States.   The important surviving cast iron buildings will be celebrated, along with the importance of the Skidmore/Old Town National Historic Landmark District, and other buildings in New Chinatown/Japantown and the Yamhill Historic Districts. Efforts and opportunities to encourage the reuse of entire cast iron facades - rescued by the late Eric Ladd, Bosco & Milligan, and the old Friends of Cast Iron Architecture - will also be explored.