Oregon History as seen in the landmark Benson Hotel

If this old Portland landmark could actually speak it could tell a most interesting tale. Like a picture book it has a great story about Portland's grandest style.

The Benson stands in downtown Portland, a historical landmark of old-style elegance and modern comfort all wrapped in a blanket of welcome that surrounds everyone who enters its doors. Its walls could tell of a history of nearly 200 years. A grand hotel in the heart of a town could talk both in whispers and shouts of a unique lifestyle in a town people come to visit from all over the world. The old hotel would speak of the flourish that initiated Portland's beginnings from a small-town trading post to a progressive, urban city. They would tell the visitor how Reed College came to be built, as one of the finest of Ivy League Schools in America. They would declare how the Portland Art Museum opened its doors in the same era the Benson was built. They would talk of Portland's golden age, when the Portland Rose Festival began and the era of Victorian flamboyant elegance that promoted the lavish displays of the hotel that all had to end with a depression in the 1930's, before it was thriving again. Those walls wouldn't forget the Benson's early history when the hotel and the town really grew. The lobby walls of the hotel, made of Circassian walnut imported from the forests of Imperial Russia, glisten in the light of opulent Austrian crystal chandeliers. If they could speak, their voices would resonate up a cast iron railing that wraps itself along the sweeping Italian marble staircase that seems to lead Benson's many visitors to stars where angels might sing.

■ Carol Forsloff

The walls of Circassian walnut and the sweeping Italian marble staircase

2 votes

Vote up this image!

Your image

These walls would speak of greatness, of Presidents and Kings. Some Presidents who have visited Portland have stayed at the Benson Hotel.

■ Carol Forsloff

John F. Kennedy was reported to have sat in this chair when he wrote some of his most dramatic speeches. It was purchased for the Benson Hotel, where it presently resides in the Presidential Suite.

2 votes

Vote up this image!

Your image

, although none since Eisenhower. Portland has grown to be a major city of commerce along the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. These walls would describe in excited and happy tones, of a culture dynamic and growing, where music and fine art still thrive. They would shout of Portland's optimism even in its despair, as the recession has gripped its people who remain upbeat in spite of it all. But if walls talk do they answer your questions? They'd likely say, "Talk to the manager, who can tell you what's happening now." Rod Gladney, General Manager of the Benson, said this when asked how business is doing and what makes the hotel so great, "We focus on service that is not the usual kind. Notice the concierge desk in the hotel lobby. When visitors arrive in the hotel, we try to individualize their visit to meet their needs. The concierge helps set up an itinerary, if the visitor wishes, both inside and outside the hotel. We want people to enjoy the hotel certainly, but we also want to highlight Portland as well. " When the question is asked, "how is business?" the manager said with a smile, "We are holding our own in these bad times. But I admit we have to struggle to do so. We haven't had to let anyone go, and we have a staff of more than 120 here. People are important to us, not just our guests but our employees. They have a good benefit plan, and many members of our staff have been with us for years. Our interest is not just in serving our guests but serving the people who work for us well." Then he added, again broadly smiling, "Your visit will tell you the rest." Then he pointed to the concierge, Michael Rowland, to assist. Just imagine what those walls would say, a visitor wonders, about eating and drinking and all,.