Recall A Time of
Idealism, Optimism and Opportunity.
Nearly a century ago, two eager and optimistic industrialists created a printing business from nearly nothing. Alan Lane, Sr. and Miles Standish began their intrepid adventure in 1919, at the end of the First World War, the start of prohibition and a time of transformation in women’s rights. Located in downtown Portland, the Lane-Miles Standish Printing Company was a success in it’s own right.
After ten profitable years in business, in 1929 the duo determined to relocate to the Northwest area, then considered commercial wilderness. At a time in history when purchasers typically sought out their needs directly from the printing plant, Mr. Lane pioneered the concept of reversing that expectation, with the groundbreaking realization that being at the bounds of the city should not change the functionality of the business. He boldly declared, “We will go to the customer.” And he did just that. At the cusp of a country-wide depression and while at the brink of a Second World War, this was another risky venture that proved successful.
In a short period of time, the LMS Printing building itself became somewhat of a distinct Portland landmark, exhibiting a distinguished hexagon shaped turret located at its North end that would serve as management headquarters for the business, a new concept of combining both office and manufacturing departments. The unique architecture of the building was the brainchild of Alan Lane, Sr. who borrowed the idea from an armory he had seen in Washington DC years earlier. His vision of the building was carried out by the Cleveland-based Austin Company Architecture Firm, and was the first of it’s kind in the greater Portland area, built as a model of industry-specific standards. In February of 1929, the Oregonian carried an article announcing that the LMS printing plant was to be “the most modern of its kind” and would cost approximately $25,000 to build. This cost was minimal in comparison to the benefits that the Lane Miles-Standish Company reaped over the many years. LMS continued operating at NW 19th & Raleigh until 2005.