PORTLAND, ORE.—Sage Hospitality, a hospitality development and management company, announced that the famed Meier & Frank building in the heart of downtown Portland will reopen this fall as the Nines, a Starwood Luxury Collection Hotel. Once the store where Portland residents shopped when they needed to dress “to the nines,” the hotel ushers in a new level of style and eco-luxury on the top nine floors of this historic building on Pioneer Square.
“The building has been completely recreated, blending the legacy of its architectural heritage with a world-class hotel,” said Walter Isenberg, president and CEO of Sage Hospitality, the Denver-based company that developed this benchmark preservation project and is managing the hotel. “The amenities and guest services will set the stage for a distinctive, nostalgic but modern luxury experience, and the $115 million renovation also represents a significant development milestone for downtown Portland.”
The Nines is an architectural gem that will pay homage to the fashion and elegance of the former Meier & Frank department store, a Portland landmark since 1908. The hotel, which will include an imaginative modern steakhouse, is on track for LEED Silver Certification.
The Nines occupies the top nine floors above a five-story Macy’s department store. Hotel guests enter at street level and travel up a bank of glass-paneled elevators to the eighth floor. Upon arrival in the hotel lobby, they enter a soaring seven-story atrium with a glass skylight that provides natural light throughout the interior and atrium views for interior guestrooms. Thirteen suites are included among the 331 rooms.
Historic With Modern Luxury
“The Nines blends the elegance and richness of this magnificent building with the best of a modern luxury hotel,” said Fred Kleisner, the hotel’s general manager. “The Meier & Frank building is once again an anchor for downtown. Our guests will enjoy a casual sophistication here at the Nines where we celebrate Portland art, exciting design, and luxurious amenities—all in the epicenter of our city.”
The renovation of the Nines focused on preserving the classic elegance of the legendary Meier & Frank building while also transforming it into a hotel that will meet the expectations of today’s most sophisticated travelers.
“As part of the building’s restoration, Sage Hospitality was sensitive to the historic preservation of the building’s white terra cotta façade and interior spaces,” said Ken Geist, Executive Vice President for Development at Sage Hospitality. “Throughout the project, significant historic and architectural elements were preserved, refurbished and incorporated in the renovation design, such as historic windows, terra cotta mansard roof with porthole windows and the Georgian Room.”
Eco-consciousness is a key to the Nines, which anticipates LEED Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. To achieve this prestigious designation, conservation-focused plumbing, including low-flow faucets and dual flush toilets, have been put in place in order to save upwards of 500,000 gallons of water each year. All products used in daily housekeeping are “Green Seal” certified, and the hotel gets 100 percent of its energy from renewable sources including wind power and carbon offsets. Low-emitting adhesives, sealants, paints and carpets were used during the renovation to secure optimum air quality. In the building process, 24 million pounds of material was removed and 90 percent of construction waste was diverted from landfills for reuse or recycling.
Hotel Supports Local Artists
Art Consultant Paige Powell, long time friend and confidante of Andy Warhol, has partnered with the Sage Hospitality team to commission Portland artists to create bold sculptures, paintings and installations to grace the atrium, restaurants and lobby of the Nines. Paige has also worked with top local artists to create an exhibit of regularly rotating original artwork on the street level windows to welcome guests and pedestrians passing by. The innovative collection lends a decidedly contemporary twist to the ambiance of the hotel.
Additionally, each guestroom features striking original artworks created from a partnership between the Nines and the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA). As part of its commitment to Portland’s thriving artistic community, the hotel tapped a team of seven faculty and master printers, along with student assistants, to create abstract monotype and silkscreen images of varying sizes, textures and elements. Furthermore, the Nines will fund an annual scholarship at PNCA of $10,000 for five years.
Developed by the successful Denver-based Sage Restaurant Group, the Nines will introduce a new restaurant to Portland’s popular dining scene. Urban Farmer, set within the atrium of the hotel’s lobby level, is a modern steakhouse with an emphasis on simple, straightforward preparations of meats, poultry, seafood and produce garnered from the efforts of local ranchers, farmers and fishermen.
The project architect for the Nines was SERA Architects. Cliff Tuttle of ForrestPerkins was the interior designer. Paige Powell served as the Nine’s art consultant. Hoffman Construction was the general contractor for the renovation.
Go to the Nines.
