I never thought I’d make a special trip out to the Portland International Airport just to have lunch. Once or twice I’d headed out to Port of Portland offices at the airport in years past for work, but never for a meal. And of course, dozens of times over the years to fly elsewhere. But when I got the invite earlier last fall from my friend Jessica, I knew I had to jump at the chance.

First, only today I can also claim that gratefully air travel itself has become sustainable – no longer a huge source of carbon and other emissions contributing to climate change. Oh, did you not realize it was April 1? I do wish I could lie about that part of the equation. Yes, as beautiful as our new airport is, we must factor that unsustainable reality into our flight decisions.

Since that day when I got to see and hear first hand details about our beautifully remodeled airport, I have flown in and out of it several times. Each trip, now, giving myself plenty of time to notice something else I hadn’t seen before. Dad would be proud. Of course, if Dad were still around, I’d also get a more entertaining lesson about Portland’s first airport, I’m sure. Yes, instead, I admit I had to rely on my computer to learn more about our first airport, the Swan Island Municipal Airport located, well, yes, northwest of downtown on Swan Island. Construction for this joint civil-military airport began in 1926 on 256 acres purchased by the Port of Portland. (Oh yes, Dad would have made sure to tell a few stories about shipbuilding on Swan Island while he was at it.)

It was in 1936 when our first airport was recognized as becoming obsolete for the times, and Portland City Council issued $300,000 to sponsor a Works Progress Administration (or WPA) grant of $1.3 million to build our first “super airport” with its first runways operational in 1941. Later the airport’s entire grounds were impacted by the 1948 Vanport flood, and flights were forced to use the Troutdale Airport for several months. In the years since then, our airport has seen various updates, expansions and remodels. But this 2024 update? Yep, this is the biggie in my book.

Yes, that’s the first thing that came to me when I first visited its updated look: how proud Dad would be. You see, he was always a proud Port of Portland employee, essentially an ambassador. And while he probably got most excited viewing and spouting off stories about the Port’s Maritime operations, I still remember us teasing him about “his” new airport after an earlier update back in the 1980s, which included adding Concourse D which today we might associate with Alaska Air flights. Of course, also adored by the public was the 1988 installation of its iconic teal patterned carpet. How many selfies have you seen from friends modeling themselves (or their shoes) on this carpet?

Dad retired from the Port of Portland in 1995, seven years after our parents remarried (each other). Although his work focused on the maritime side of the house, he was editor for the POP’s Portsmouth Biweekly publication. While I was embarrassed in 1979 when he inserted a photo of me serving chowder at Dan & Louis Oyster Bar after winning the POP ERAG Scholarship, today I appreciate the copies he archived. And Dad had two POP inspired or supported send offs celebrated on the Steamer Portland, best known as the Oregon Maritime Museum. First, his retirement from the Port. And second, unbeknownst to him perhaps, his 2014 memorial service.

But let us return to that fantastic remodeled airport of today!

To me, it does feel as close as I can imagine a modern airport to feel truly Pacific Northwest. It might be a stretch to say it is like walking in a forest, yet there is no doubt it feels different in a peaceful, woodsy way, than any other airport I’ve stepped into. Yes, there are 72 trees and over 5000 live plants in this upgraded airport. And while perhaps I didn’t visit it on its peak days or hours, my experiences so far have felt uncrowded. Too, for those of us longtime Portlanders and Oregonians, it feels so good to feel SO GOOD about something in our town. For me and my fellow safety and health professionals, all of this is enhanced knowing the high level of detail, attention and commitment dedicated to construction workplace safety, led by a joint venture between Skanska and Hoffman and PDX.

“Undertaken at a cost of $2.1 billion, the four-year PDX remodel uses 3.7 million board feet of wood. It features a nine-acre Douglas fir roof, Oregon white oak flooring and expansive ligneous detailing everywhere in between.” reported the Oregonian on March 14. The article also reminds us that this project is the largest public works project in Oregon’s history. Numerous articles also tout the extensive use of local sustainable lumber, including an ability to trace a percent of the wood to nearby forests. This goes as far as labels in the airport such as this, “COW CREEK BAND OF UMPQUA TRIBE OF INDIANS GREW THE DOUGLAS FIR FOR THIS WALL.”

Other articles detail energy savings, with a goal of reducing energy use per square foot by fifty percent. These savings expect to be achieved through both energy-efficent technologies and design choices, such as an all-electric heat pump and increased natural light.

Finally, but equally exciting, is the prioritization of small business vendors, especially in the new main terminal. This focus includes local businesses and women or BIPOC owned.

I don’t intend to try to repeat what others more knowledgeable have already put into print, but instead leave you to some terrific articles in case you missed them. Check out these:

Portland opens $2 billion mass timber expansion and renovation to its international airport in Building Design + Construction (this article includes some fantastic photos).

Portland International Airport’s new main terminal has opened. Here’s what flyers can expect and other changes ahead from Oregon Public Broadcasting (make sure and see the photos, including one of the 120 foot long video walls which I found mesmerizing during my visits.)

How locals made PDX the local-est airport yet via PDX Next (Click “The Big Story” and learn more details with brillliant photos about how it all came about.)

Whew! That’s a lot of reading material. And yes – make sure you find time to visit the Portland International Airport. No trips scheduled? Fine, just stop by for lunch or a good cup of coffee – you can even take TriMet MAX light rail – sit on the bleachers and watch folks come and go. Take in the special wall size videos that combine both beauty and peacefulness of this Place we know and love. And yes, Dad would offer his trademark, “I’m blown away.”

Other relevant blogs and books

The Portland Steamer Keeps on Puffing
But of all Boats, Dad Most Loved Steamboats
My Music Man for more about Dick Montgomery, our love of boats and Oregon family history stories about folks like J.K. Gill, William Willson, Sam Gill and others.
Dede’s Books