North Park Blocks

Public park in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

North Park Blocks

View of the Park Blocks, July 2016

Type| Urban park
Location| NW Park Ave. from Ankeny St. to Glisan St.
Portland, Oregon
Coordinates| 45°31′28″N 122°40′43″W﻿ / ﻿45.52444°N 122.67861°W﻿ / 45.52444; -122.67861[1]
Area| 3.11 acres (1.26 ha)
Operated by| Portland Parks & Recreation
Status| Open 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily

The North Park Blocks form a city park in the Pearl District, Portland, Oregon, in the United States.[2] Most of the park is in northwest Portland (north of Burnside Street), but one block (Ankeny Square) is in southwest Portland (south of Burnside).

## Description and history

[edit]

Captain John H. Couch deeded the five blocks to the city in 1865, and they were officially platted for a municipal park in 1869.[3][4] An ordinance was passed in 1904, setting aside one park block for women and children.[5] In 1906, another block was added for a children's playground.[5] The playground was divided into a boys' playground and a small children's and girls' playground.[5] Use of the North Park Blocks declined, especially as the 1924 zoning code did not preserve residential uses near them.[5]

By the 1940s, the North Park Blocks area was decidedly neglected.[3] A problem with the homeless and aggressive panhandlers led to Daisy Kingdom and the U.S. Customs House to hire security guards, and park sprinklers were set to intermittently spray sleepers. In 1989, the problem was worse; that year the local Montessori School found drug users and discarded needles in the city playground.[6]

In 2002, Chinese foundry owner Huo Baozhu donated Da Tung and Xi'an Bao Bao, full-size bronze reproductions of Shang dynasty elephant statues, to Portland. The city placed them on the North Park Blocks where children could interact with them.[7]

In recent years, the North Park Blocks have experienced a renaissance. Upscale condominiums and creative commercial buildings have replaced vacant or underutilized buildings. One major project was the 2014–15 major renovation of the historic 511 Federal Building, a former federal post office built in 1916–18, to become the new main campus of the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA).[8]

Situated in front of the PNCA, the sculpture Memory 99, designed by Lee Kelly, was the first step in a plan to expand the North Park Blocks to include the block between NW Glisan St. and NW Hoyt St.[9] The Broadway Corridor Project, which began construction in 2024, includes the addition of a second new North Park Block between NW Hoyt St. and NW Lovejoy St.[10][11] Updating the North Park Blocks would include a two way bike lane along the west side, as part of the Green Loop.[12]

## See also

[edit]

* Oregon portal

* Dog Bowl (2002), a sculpture in the park designed by William Wegman
* South Park Blocks

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "North Park Blocks". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. May 26, 2004. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
2. ^ "North Park Blocks". Portland Parks & Recreation. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
3. ^ a b Pickett, Nelson (March 20, 1992). "North Park Blocks improvements under way". The Oregonian. p. E02.
4. ^ Nicholas, Jonathan (December 24, 1991). "Setting straight the crooked record". The Oregonian. p. D01.
5. ^ a b c d Mackenzie, Hilary (1988). The Portland Park Blocks: their origin and development (thesis). Seattle, Washington: University of Washington. OCLC 19841853.
6. ^ Lane, Dee (May 27, 1990). "Running out of patience". The Oregonian. p. B01.
7. ^ Leeson, Fred; Chuang, Angie (May 11, 2002). "Elephant in bronze will grace Portland". The Oregonian. p. A01.
8. ^ Gallivan, Joseph (February 5, 2015). "Art school tries on a grown-up building: PNCA moves into the spectacularly renovated old Federal building on the North Park Blocks". Portland Tribune. p. 1. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
9. ^ "Future Park: Sculpture marks addition to Portland's North Park Blocks". The Oregonian. Portland, OR: Advance Publications. October 30, 2012.
10. ^ "USPS Master Plan" (PDF). www.broadwaycorridorpdx.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 19, 2025. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
11. ^ "USPS SITE FAQ". www.broadwaycorridorpdx.com. Archived from the original on February 19, 2025. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
12. ^ "Central City in Motion PROJECT 16 NW PARK 9TH". www.portland.gov. Archived from the original on February 23, 2025. Retrieved 23 February 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to North Park Blocks at Wikimedia Commons

* v
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Parks in Portland, Oregon

Parks|

* North Park Blocks
* Tom McCall Waterfront

| North|

* Arbor Lodge
* Cathedral
* Chimney
* Columbia
* Dawson
* Delta
* DeNorval Unthank
* Farragut
* Gammans
* George
* Kelley Point
* Kenton
* McCoy
* McKenna
* Overlook
* Peninsula
* Pier
* Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area
* St. Johns

|

Northeast|

* Alberta
* Cully
* Gateway Discovery
* Gateway Green
* Glenfair
* Grant
* Holiday
* Irving
* John Luby
* Kʰunamokwst
* Knott
* Merrifield
* Normandale
* Oregon
* Rocky Butte
* Sacajawea
* Thompson
* Wellington
* Whitaker Ponds Nature
* Wilshire
* Woodlawn

Northwest|

* Couch
* The Fields
* Forest
* Jamison Square
* Lan Su Chinese Garden
* Tanner Springs
* Wallace

South|

* Butterfly
* Caruthers
* South Waterfront Greenway
* South Waterfront
* Willamette

Southeast|

* Beggars Tick Wildlife Refuge
* Berkeley
* Berrydale
* Bloomington
* Brentwood
* Brooklyn
* Cherry
* Clatsop Butte
* Clinton
* Colonel Summers
* Creston
* Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden
* Earl Boyles
* Ed Benedict
* Portland Memory Garden
* Errol Heights
* Essex
* Flavel
* Glenwood
* Harney
* Hazeltine
* Johnson Creek
* Kelly Butte Natural Area
* Kenilworth
* Kern
* Laurelhurst
* Laurelwood
* Leach Botanical Garden
* Lents
* Lincoln
* Mill
* Montavilla
* Mount Tabor
* Mt. Scott
* North Powellhurst
* Oaks Amusement
* Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge
* Parklane
* Piccolo
* Powell Butte
* Powell
* Raymond
* Sellwood
* Sellwood Riverfront
* Sewallcrest
* Springwater Corridor
* Tideman Johnson Natural Area
* Verdell Burdine Rutherford
* Westmoreland
* Woodstock

Southwest|

* Ankeny Square
* Council Crest
* Darcelle XV Plaza
* Director
* Duniway
* Fulton
* Gabriel
* George Himes
* Keller Fountain
* Lair Hill
* Lovejoy Fountain
* Marquam Nature
* Mill Ends
* The Oregonian Printing Press
* Pettygrove
* Pioneer Courthouse Square
* Plaza Blocks
* Portland Firefighters
* South Park Blocks
* Terry Schrunk Plaza
* Tryon Creek State Natural Area
* Washington
* Hoyt Arboretum
* International Rose Test Garden
* Oregon Zoo

Related|

* 40-Mile Loop
* Audubon Society of Portland
* Eastbank Esplanade
* Elk Rock Gardens of the Bishop's Close
* Green Loop
* Olmsted Portland park plan
* St. Johns Racquet Center
* Willamette Stone

* Category
* Portland Parks & Recreation
* Commons

* v
* t
* e

Pearl District, Portland, Oregon

Buildings|

* 511 Federal
* Albers Brothers Milling Company
* Block 17
* Canopy by Hilton
* Centennial Mills
* Cosmopolitan on the Park
* Crane
* The Dianne
* First Regiment Armory Annex
* Framework
* G. G. Gerber
* Gadsby
* Golden West
* Harlow Block
* Honeyman Hardware Company
* Lombard Automobile
* Meier & Frank
* Delivery Depot
* Warehouse
* Metropolitan Condos
* Natural Capital Center
* North Bank Depot
* NV
* Oregon Transfer Company
* Otis Elevator Company
* Pacific Coast Biscuit Company
* Portland Buddhist Church
* Portland Cordage Company
* U.S. Customhouse
* Vista Pearl
* Weinhard Brewery Complex

Business|

* Andina
* Arden
* Art Institute of Portland
* Barista
* Blue Sky Gallery
* BridgePort Brewing
* Brix Tavern
* Caffè Umbria
* Carlita's
* Deschutes Brewery
* Elizabeth Leach Gallery
* The Fields Bar and Grill‎
* Fuller's Coffee Shop
* Kinnamōns
* Los Gorditos
* Lovejoy Bakers
* Low Brow Lounge
* Mediterranean Exploration Company
* Museum of Contemporary Craft
* Nuvrei
* Olive or Twist
* Oven and Shaker
* Pacific Northwest College of Art
* Papi Chulo's
* Pho Van
* Piattino
* Piazza Italia
* Portland Incubator Experiment
* Portland International Beerfest
* Powell's Books
* República
* River Pig Saloon
* Santé Bar
* Screen Door
* Stag PDX
* SuperDeluxe
* Teardrop Lounge
* Two Wrongs
* Von Ebert Brewing
* Wieden+Kennedy

| Defunct|

* Aviv
* Bluehour
* Botanist House
* Byways Cafe
* Cafe Azul
* Cooperativa
* Everybody Eats
* Fat Head's Brewery
* Fenouil
* Henry's Tavern
* Irving Street Kitchen
* Isabel Pearl
* Jimmy Mak's
* Metrovino
* NOLA Doughnuts
* Paragon
* The Parish
* Pearl Tavern
* The Sudra
* Tilt
* Touché
* Trader Vic's
* Vault Cocktail Lounge

|

Geography|

* Jamison Square
* North Park Blocks
* Portland Thirteenth Avenue Historic District
* Tanner Springs Park
* The Fields Park

Public art|

* Artwall
* Contact II
* Da Tung and Xi'an Bao Bao
* Dog Bowl
* Lovejoy Columns
* Memory 99
* Never Look Away
* Tikitotmoniki Totems

Transportation|

* Broadway Bridge
* Fremont Bridge
* Ned Flanders Crossing

* Category

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