An Oregon landmark since 1921 and now listed in the National Register of Historic Places, Montgomery Park is a $32 million transformation of the former Montgomery Ward Distribution Center into Oregon’s first commercial trade center. The 16-acre development combines 800,000 sq. ft. of office, showroom and trade exhibition space with supporting conference rooms and restaurant facilities. The building’s west side has been opened up to create the major entrance, with upper floors built around a nine-story skylit atrium. Four high-speed glass elevators and six escalators add movement and drama to the space.
Though the building skin is 90 percent glass, the facility was made energy efficient by utilizing a state-of-the-art lighting and control system estimated to produce 50 percent more energy than that of a conventional system. Bonneville Power Administration chose Montgomery Park as a pilot project to spark a new program, Energy Edge Conservation. Its design incorporated energy conservation elements and served as a model for future building development in the Northwest.
