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Fire Collapses All Eight Stories of Vacant Centennial Mills
Willamette Week • • nation
Key Points:
- A four-alarm fire destroyed the vacant, 116-year-old Centennial Mills industrial warehouse in Portland's Pearl District, collapsing every floor of the eight-story building and prompting a large firefighting response.
- Over 100 firefighters battled the blaze from outside due to structural instability, with the fire fully engulfing the building within 35 minutes and causing roof failure near the water tower.
- The building's external walls remained standing, but the adjacent Northwest Naito Parkway was closed overnight due to collapse zone safety concerns; 3D mapping will be used to investigate the fire’s origin and assess structural damage.
- Centennial Mills operated as a flour mill from 1910 to 2000 before being acquired by the city for redevelopment, but preservation efforts and redevelopment plans stalled for two decades amid community debate.
- The property was sold in 2023 to private developers and then to Stuart Lindquist, known for owning the ICE facility in South Waterfront, marking a new chapter for the long-neglected site.
