Snøhetta Releases Designs for the James Beard Public Market

Portland foodies, rejoice! At long last, craft beer, local produce, and meat raised on sweet Pacific Northwest greens come together under one roof at the James Beard Public Market, scheduled to open in 2018.

When the city’s original Public Market shuttered its doors in 1942, Portland was left with no central market for its bounty of locally produced foodstuffs. Recently, the city’s avid locavore community has banded together to establish the James Beard Public Market. Named for the farm-to-table pioneer and Portland native, the nonprofit vows to bring a daily, year-round market back to the city.

Snøhetta, the architecture firm tapped for the design, released its plans last week, unveiling a striking complex that straddles a drawbridge on the downtown Portland waterfront. The industrial-style building—which will house restaurants, a test kitchen, an event space, and more than 60 permanent vendors—boasts ceilings sheathed in rustic wood, exposed steel columns, and a façade lined with glass doors that are meant to be left open, allowing visitors to spill outside when the weather is nice. Up on the rooftop, in typical Portland fashion, you’ll find a hydroponic garden and stunning views of the surrounding waterfront and Mount Hood in the distance.

For more information visit jamesbeardmarkeom.