The Bishop's House – 219-223 S.W. Stark Street, Portland, Oregon

The Bishop’s House is a historic building in downtown, Portland, Oregon. It is in the city’s Yamhill Historic District. When the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese was moved to Portland from Oregon City, Archbishop William Hickley Gross constructed the Bishop’s House as his official residence. Originally, the building contained a church library, the Archbishop’s living quarters, and an insurance agent’s office. Despite the presence of a cathedral next door, the immediate area was in decline, and Gross moved out after only a year.

For a time the Bishop’s House hosted a Chinese Tong society, rumored to be the source of phone taps in the nearby former Police Bureau Headquarters Building. Between 1911 and 1915, an architectural workshop led by A. E. Doyle and Morris H. Whitehouse met in the building. A major renovation took place in 1965, and Bishop’s House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The building today houses offices and a Lebanese restaurant.

In the background you can catch a glimpse of the US Bancorp Tower.