McMenamins buys downtown Portland building for
$1.5M
By Christopher Bjorke – Digital Producer/Associate Editor, Portland Business Journal
Aug 2, 2024
Updated Aug 5, 2024 10:18am PDT
See Correction/Clarification at the end of this article.
Oregon hospitality empire McMenamins appears to be the new owner of a vacant building that formerly housed low-income seniors.
Taft Home at 1321 S.W. Washington St. in downtown's West End was sold for $1.5 million in June, according to property records. The 37,000-square-foot building was purchased by Higher Taft LLC, an entity registered with the state in June by Michael McMenamin.
McMenamin and his brother Brian McMenamin are co-founders of the Portland-based chain of breweries, pubs and hotels dotted across Oregon and Washington. One of their showcase properties is the Crystal Ballroom that adjoins the Taft Home.
The purchase of the Taft Home was reported Friday by Willamette Week. The newspaper has also covered the building's prior history as low-income housing for disabled seniors. The operators of the congregate care facility shut it down and relocated the residents in 2021, leaving the building vacant, according to Willamette Week coverage.
In addition to apartments, the building houses Cassidy's Restaurant and Bar.
The property last changed owners in 1986 for $362,000, records show.
A spokesperson for McMenamins said it could not provide a comment on the building sale on Friday.
The hospitality chain lists 64 properties on its website, including breweries, theaters, hotels and converted schools and churches, running from north of Seattle to Roseburg. It is known for buying and renovating historic properties.
Along with Crystal Ballroom music venue, McMenamins also owns the Crystal Hotel, a block east.
McMenamins is also one of Oregon's largest brewers, producing an estimated 16,000 barrels, making it 10th on the Business Journal's list of largest craft breweries in 2024.
Correction/Clarification
The operators of a congregate care facility in Taft House closed it in 2021 and relocated apartment residents. A previous version of this article incorrectly said the building's owners closed the facility.