JK Gill Building — SUM Design Studio + architecture

It was originally constructed in 1922 to serve as the headquarters and flagship store for the J. K. Gill Company, a office supply and bookstore chain in the Pacific Northwest. The eight-story building was designed by the architectural firm Sutton & Whitney. [3] The structure once served as the J. K. Gill Company 's flagship store. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in.. The J.K. Gill Company, often referred to simply as J.K. Gill or Gill's, was a firm specializing in office supplies, books, and educational materials headquartered in Portland, Oregon, USA. The company operated for approximately 130 years. Primarily serving the Pacific Northwest region of Oregon and Washington, it reached its zenith with over 500 employees and retail locations spanning four.

Before the decade was out, the J.K. Gill Company was out of business. Competition from the big chain bookstores and office supply stores was, apparently, a major reason for their demise. In researching J.K. Gill, I found the blog of the riverrun bookshop in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, which offers more history of a personal nature from the 1950s.. J. K. Gill eventually grew to 63 stores in 1990 before the company began a long decline. The last seven stores closed their doors in 1999. -- This photo is restored and printed by Old Oregon. Original courtesy of City of Portland Archives.