An extant asset
Once upon a time, downtown urban enclosed shopping centers were all the rage. Most decently sized cities had at least one built within their cores, though today the results are somewhat mixed. Though one-time juggernauts Pacific Place, Edmonton City Centre and Saint Louis Centre have faded, spots like Copley Place and River Park Square seem to be doing well enough. And I would have to say that Pioneer Place falls somewhere in the middle.
1 & 2- The exterior of Pioneer Place in 2017. 3 to 6- Inside the mall the same year.
Upon my first visit in 2017, Pioneer Place was still drawing in rather large crowds. Being just a block or so away from Pioneer Square, the historic center of downtown Portland, meant plenty of foot traffic along the four blocks of its streetside façades.
Pioneer Place lease plan ca. 2011. View the full PDF version here.
Normal mall fare such as Talbots, The Gap and Bath & Body Works then lined the corridors along with what was once a well-stocked food court on the bottom level. Unfortunately, during this visit that area was being renovated into the present-day Roots Food District, so I never really got to see what it was like.
1- The entrance at Fifth and Morrison. 2- The skywalk leading to the center’s northeastern block. 3- The entrance at Third and Morrison. 4- Murals have replaced the Louis Vuitton store next to a now closed light rail station. 5- Looking south down Fourth. 6- The view north on Fourth.
As of 2023, all of the stores mentioned above have departed, but the commercial collection still seems healthy enough. In fact, it’s doing quite a bit better than nearby Lloyd Center, which seems to be in its death throes. Despite vacancies scattered throughout, names like Zara, H&M and Golden Goose still find a home there, although they are mainly located on the ground floor with their own exterior egress points.
Pioneer Place’s northwestern block.
Pioneer Place opened in 1990 on four blocks within the heart of Portland’s core. The buildings are completely separated at ground level but connected by underground walkways and skybridges. Saks Fifth Avenue served as the anchor for the four-level center.
Saks vacated their space in 2010, with the Apple Store eventually rebuilding and moving into their main location while H&M took over the balance of their vacated square footage, which once served as the home of their men’s store.
1 to 3- The circular mezzanines of the northeastern block. 4- An empty storefront in the same building. 5 & 6- The underground connection corridors between the different blocks.
Like many urban centers post pandemic, Pioneer Place has lost much of its clientele and does seem to be struggling, though not as badly as a good many of its peers. The MAX stations for the city’s light rail that were once adjacent to Pioneer Place have been closed to quicken trips through downtown, further affecting the retail complex’s traffic.
The Roots Food Hall located in the basement level of the southwestern block.
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