I’m no architect, but I've never understood the tendency for the design of buildings to blend old with new, which is why I appreciated reading what this anonymous architecture blogger writes:
“UNESCO’s own regulations regarding World Heritage Sites deplore historic mimicry, recognizing the need to differentiate old from new in order to respect and revere that which is historic, not blur the lines as Portland’s current Landmark Commission irresponsibly attempts to do with every project.”
The premise of this “The City of Fabric” blog post (I think) is that Portland’s sense of place has evolved as a wonderful whole being greater than the sum of its parts. So it seems what Portland’s skyline lacks in a signature icon, it makes up for with ambiguity, modesty, and making the collection the priority.
The writer touts what is uniquely Portland: As long as the city keeps being acclaimed for a cityscape without a Transamerica Pyramid, Sydney Opera House or Eiffel Tower, it doesn’t need one.
