1715 NW Couch Street, Portland, Oregon, USA
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
The mother church of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, a sturdy Gothic Revival cathedral in the Northwest neighborhood that has served Portland's Catholic community since 1926.
Portland's cathedral replaced an earlier wooden church and was built to last. Designed by Jacobberger and Smith, it opened in 1926 with walls of Willamette Valley basalt — a dark, volcanic stone that gives the building a solid, rooted appearance unusual for Gothic Revival churches. The twin towers are capped with copper, now turned green by Portland rain. Inside, the nave is lit by large stained glass windows imported from Munich, and the ceiling is an open timber frame that nods to the Pacific Northwest's logging heritage. The marble altar and carved stone reredos were installed during the original construction. A renovation in the 1990s cleaned the stone, improved lighting, and updated the liturgical space. The cathedral sits on the edge of the Northwest neighborhood, one of Portland's walkable, mixed-use areas full of restaurants and shops. Oregon was historically one of the least Catholic states in the country — anti-Catholic sentiment was strong in the 1920s, when the Ku Klux Klan backed a law to shut down Catholic schools. The cathedral was being built during exactly that fight, which the Church won at the Supreme Court. That history gives the building an extra layer of meaning.
Diocese: Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon
Style: Gothic Revival
What to See
The basalt exterior is the first thing that sets this cathedral apart — it looks like it grew out of the Oregon landscape. Inside, the Munich windows are the highlight, especially on the rare Portland day when the sun comes through full strength. The timber ceiling is unusual for a cathedral and worth noticing. The marble altar and stone reredos are handsome. Walk around the outside to appreciate the full massing of the building against the neighborhood.
Pilgrim Notes
The cathedral is in the Northwest neighborhood, accessible by streetcar, bus, or a short drive from downtown. Street parking is available on surrounding blocks. Mass is offered daily with a full Sunday schedule. Portland's other notable Catholic site is The Grotto — the National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother — a cliffside shrine in a forest setting on the east side of the city, about twenty minutes by car.