The long-anticipated James Beard Public Market is finally coming to downtown Portland, confirms James Beard Public Market executive director Jessica Elkan in a statement on Monday, October 28.
The new development will encompass 40 small businesses including a fish market, butcher, cheese shop, restaurants, a teaching kitchen, and more, per the release. The first phase of the market is set to open in 2025 near Pioneer Courthouse Square, with the entire project slated for completion in September 2026. The market is named after culinary icon and chef James Beard, who was born in Portland in 1903. Willamette Week reports that the market will accept the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) when it opens to make it more accessible to low-income Portlanders.
The Public Market has been in development for well over a decade, with land around the Morrison Bridge being considered in 2012 for a “Pike Place-style market.” The first proposals for the project date back to 2008 or 2009. In 2014, the developers hosted a forum to gather public opinion, with an initial design being revealed in 2015. In 2019, the team behind the project began to eye a new location near the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) or in the South Waterfront neighborhood after encountering issues with the proposed downtown location.
The buildout is being led by BCV Architects, the group behind San Francisco’s Ferry Building and Napa’s Oxbow Public Market. The expansive market includes 38,140 square feet of space, including a rooftop terrace, and will be open seven days a week.
“We are proud to share that a public market is coming to Oregon at the perfect time,” said Elkan in a statement shared with Eater Portland. “James Beard had a long and celebrated career that was heavily inspired by Oregon’s natural bounty, and at his namesake market, we will celebrate Oregon as a culinary capital of the world and highlight under one roof all that we grow, produce, make, fish, and raise in Oregon.”
Currently, the Public Market is trying to raise $3 million in capital to purchase the building located at 622 SW Alder Street; it has reached $1.5 million in funds. According to a representative for the Public Market, the team is currently readying the vendor selection process and will share more details in early 2025.