In Search of Portland: Exploring a Transforming City

“A good walking tour is not just about individual stops but the total experience of moving along a city’s streets, taking in a variety of neighborhoods, buildings, shops, parks, public art, and bridges: a chance to be the grand marshal in your own parade,” writes Brian Libby in the introduction of In Search of Portland. Starting from his 1997 home, the Empire Apartments at Southwest Eleventh Avenue and Jefferson Street, Libby shares one hundred fascinating points of interest through personal reflection, interviews, and anecdotal history.

The six excursions exploring Portland’s downtown, Old Town, and Pearl District not only focus on the city’s important landmarks and hidden gems but showcase an evolving city’s resilience and heart. Alongside his own experiences, Libby reveals how luminaries like Humphrey Bogart, Mark Rothko, Gus Van Sant, Vera Katz, and Bill Walton appreciated the City of Roses. From Pioneer Courthouse Square to the Crystal Ballroom, each location in the book celebrates the spirit of place in addition to its architecture.

More than a book about buildings, In Search of Portland reveals the stories behind the built landscape, the people, and the history that have created modern Portland.

Brian Libby has spent over twenty-five years as a journalist, critic, and photographer, covering architecture, visual art, and film. His work has appeared in nine sections of The New York Times, as well as The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Dwell, Metropolis, The Architect’s Newspaper, Oregon ArtsWatch, and The Oregonian, among others. He lives with his wife, Valarie, and cat, Jenny, in Portland, Oregon.