Background
William H. Whidden was born in 1925.
William H. Whidden was born in 1925.
Mr. Whidden came from New York to Portland about 1887 to supervise the erection of the Portland Hotel for the firm of McKim, Mead & White. Learning, however, that the construction of the building would be delayed indefinitely, he decided to remain in the city and in 1890 joined Mr. Lewis (formerly a member of the Peabody & Stearns office in Boston) in partnership and they established an office for joint practice.
As pioneer architects in Portland, Whidden & Lewis designed a number of important public buildings in the city, including the City Hall (1895), Good Samaritan Hospital, the Multnomah County Court House, built in 1913, and also several office buildings, Club houses, and private homes.