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Deering Oaks
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Entrance to Deering Oaks from Deering Avenue
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| Location: | Portland, Maine |
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| Built: | 1879 |
| Architect: | William A. Goodwin; Olmsted Brothers |
| Architectural style: | No Style Listed |
| Governing body: | Local |
| NRHP Reference#: | 89001708 [1] |
| Added to NRHP: | October 16, 1989 |
Deering Oaks is a 55 acres (22 ha) public park in Portland, Maine, which has a baseball diamond, tennis courts, a playground, and a pond. It is located west of downtown Portland and is bordered by Deering Avenue on the west, Forest Avenue on the east, Park Avenue to the south and Interstate 295 to the north. State Street bisects the park. Access is from State Street, Deering Avenue, or Park Avenue. The Portland Farmers Market is located on the Park Avenue side of the park.
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The area was the site of a September 1689 battle between the British, French, and Native Americans.
The City of Portland largely acquired the land from the Deering, Preble, and Fessenden families in 1879 as part of the rebuilding following the devastating 1866 fire. Deering Oaks Pond at one time filled and drained with the ocean tides; it was naturally connected to Back Cove until altered to suit roadways in the late 19th century. Deering Oaks also hosts the city's monument to the Spanish-American War. During the winter, one can ice skate on the frozen pond, and until the late 1990s, paddle boats could be rented during the summer season to explore the confines of the pond and enjoy the scenery.
In 2010, Deering Oaks hosted a rally calling for the repeal of the "Don't ask, don't tell" military policy; performer Lady Gaga among others spoke and the rally drew approximately 2,000 people.[2]
In 1994, the Portland City Council unanimously approved the Deering Oaks Master Plan for improving the park. The plan called for the closing of State Street where it bisects the park and the restoration of the original entrance at State St. and Park Avenue. As of 2004, the city had spent $3 million over 10 years on the park, including the building of a children's wading pool, the conversion of the Bowling Green Road to a pedestrian walkway and improvements to the sports facilities, including the tennis courts.[3]
An arched footbridge, measuring 40 feet in length, was built in 1911 spanning the Deering Oaks ravine. It cost the city $3,355. Portland also built 8-foot tall lamps on both sides of the bridge made of glass. It replaced a wooden bridge. In 2007, a engineering firm commissioned by the city estimated that cleaning, coating and repairing the bridge would cost $216,000. Funds were set aside from the capital improvement budget from 2007-2009 and work began in 2010.[4] Along with other improvements, the city planned to install decorative cast-iron street lamps similar to the original lamps in the park. The new lights were expected to be made of polycarbonate, not glass, to eliminate vandalism.[5]
Deering Oak's Castle-in-the-Park was built in 1894 as a warming hut for ice skaters and is located next to the pond on the State Street side of the park. In 2004, work was done to restore the structure to its original Victorian style. The structure had hosted unattended public bathrooms for the previous 50 years. Friends of Deering Oaks[6], a community organization supporting the park, funded the $675,000 project.[3]
In 2010, Portland received a federal grant worth $1.2 million to line the bottom of Deering Oaks Pond, with a local match of $540,000. The project was designed to promote water quality, which was harmed by algae blooms in the summer due to organic material settling on the bottom of the pond as well as prevent structural damage.[7]
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