We-Work revitalises Portland's US Custom House
WeWork has breathed new life into Portland's US Custom House, which was empty for a decade, with a series of renovations, turning the building into a coworking space. Among the building's occupants (it will hold up to 1,000 people), are start-ups including a 3D printer manufacturer and a skatepark designer, as well as conventional enterprise professionals such as lawyers and accountants. WeWork’s west coast manager, Jon Slavet, said the Custom House had “a cool history”and came with “large, open, interactive” workspaces.

After sitting largely empty for more than a decade, the stately U.S. Custom House on Portland's North Park Blocks is again buzzing with activity.

Voices echo throughout the cavernous front lobby. People in common areas play ping pong and foosball. There is beer on tap - free of charge. It can give the feeling of a college dormitory.

"It feels like that sometimes, for sure," said David Williams, associate community manager at the first Portland location of WeWork, a New York-based shared office provider.

The company announced last year that it had leased the entirety of the Custom House, at 220 N.W. Eighth Ave., and would perform significant renovations. That effort is just about finished, and 535 people already work at the Custom House, formerly a federal office building. Williams said it should hold 1,000 eventually.

The government left the Custom House in 2005 and it sat mostly empty for 10 years. Numerous deals to sell the property fell through until Eastern Real Estate of Massachusetts bought it in 2012 for more than $4.7 million.

WeWork drove the renovation process, said Jon Slavet, the company's West Coast general manager. The office provider is in nearly 30 cities and has about 90 locations, according to Slavet. WeWork chose Portland, he added, because "we go where the creators are." It opened November 1.

"The Custom House building has great bones," Slavet said. "It has a cool history. It offers large, open, interactive kinds of workspaces."

Three of the building's four stories are laid out with conference rooms, common areas and workspaces that accommodate anywhere from one to 19 workers. The Custom House, built in 1901, allowed for remodeling quirks like a bank safe becoming a small meeting room. A plan to convert the fourth floor to more office space is underway.

WeWork's Portland clients are wide-ranging, from lawyers and accountants to startups such as a manufacturer of 3D printers and a skatepark designer.

Julie Clarke-Bush moved her freelance marketing business, High Viz Marketing, into the Custom House after spending two-and-a-half years working from home. Now, her job feels a lot more professional, she said, and she's even hired someone she met at the Custom House.



"I was working from my dining room," Clarke-Bush said of her pre-WeWork days. "And it started to get really weird hanging out with my cats every day."

-- Luke Hammill

lhammill@oregonian.com

503-294-4029

@lucashammill