Pearl District

Neighborhood Description: The Pearl District has undergone tremendous growth in recent years and, today, is often toted as the leading residential and retail district in the City. There are over 6,000 existing and planned residential units in the area, with market rate condominiums priced from $500 to $1,000 per square foot. As well as hundreds of thousands of square feet of retail and a growing stable of class A and creative office space.

The neighborhood’s early resurgence was mainly due to a concentration of art galleries, some of which have remained in the neighborhood. This was the origination of “First Thursday” Art Walks, which continue today the first Thursday of each month and attract locals from all over the city, as well as visitors to the area.

There is a strong emphasis on mixed-use projects and refurbishment of older industrial buildings in the area. The neighborhood has attracted local and regional retailers for several years and is now garnering the attention of national retailers including REI, Diesel, West Elm, Puma, Safeway, Adidas, Starbucks, Rite Aid and Eddie Bauer.

On the southern border of the Pearl District is the 5 block, 1.7 million square foot Brewery Blocks development which servers as a national tenant hub. It features 200,000 square feet of retail with many unique, first-to-the-market nationals, including Whole Foods Market, PF Chang’s, West Elm, Diesel, North Face and Anthropologie. Powell’s Books, bordering the Brewery Blocks, is the world’s largest independent bookstore, occupying an entire city block. Powell’s is a major attraction to those from near and far; they have approximately 6,000 visitors per day!  

At the northern end of the district, Hoyt Yards is responsible for a majority of the area’s development including 40-acres of mixed-use residential, retail and office. This area is home to many high-quality local boutiques, such as Posh, Visage, Nolita, Physical Element and Sammy’s Flowers; as well as a few national retailers, including Patagonia, Safeway, Eddie Bauer, Title Nine and Office Max. This area is also well known as home to one of Portland’s most popular parks, Jamison Square Park. It’s fountain and surrounding grass area is a warm weather magnet for families with small children from all over the city. Ziba Design has relocated to the north end of the district, to a new Headquarter building on the corner of NW 9th & Marshall. This iconic building is a product of Holst Architecture and features a modern design comprised of office, retail and a state-of-the-art theater/function space.

Educational institutions such as Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) and The Art Institute call the Pearl District home, attracting thousands of students and artists to the neighborhood daily. PNCA is slated to redevelop the historic Federal Building (511 NW Broadway) into a flagship educational institution for the well established school. The Armory, located on NW 10th & Davis, is the new home to Portland Center Stage. Natural green spaces and parks, including Tanner Springs Park, Jamison Square and the North Park Blocks, enhance the quality of life in the Pearl District.

Two key future developments in the area include:

• The Post Office: Portland’s main Post Office is located on a 13 acre site in the heart of the Pearl District. Every major developer in the city (& beyond) has been vying for the opportunity to redevelop this large site, which the City of Portland/PDC and Post Office are currently taking development into consideration. It will likely take several years for development plans to take shape, but will likely dramatically change the Pearl District’s retail landscape.

• Centennial Mills: this historic site on Naito Parkway (@ NW 9th Avenue) fronting the Willamette River is slated for redevelopment by LAB Holding, who was selected from a group of three finalists vying for the project. Plans to restore this dilapidated property include restaurants, a culinary school, retail and creative office space.

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