Jamison Square

Jamison Square
Type Urban park
Location Portland, Oregon
Coordinates [1]
Area 0.94 acres (0.38 ha)
Created 2000
Operated by Portland Parks & Recreation
Status Open 5 a.m. to midnight daily

Jamison Square is a city park in the area of downtown Portland, Oregon, known as the Pearl District. It was the first park added to the neighborhood.

Contents

Design

At a cost of $3.6 million, the park was designed and built during the 12-year tenure of Mayor Vera Katz.[2]

The park was designed by Peter Walker, Homer Williams and Partners Landscape Architecture.[3][4][5] The park was initially designed as an outdoor art gallery, with square rocks and steps at the center, but no water.[5][6] Water, running at random times over the rock, was added to keep skateboarding teenagers from using them.[5] The water on the rocks ended up turning the park into an urban beach, attracting children and families who use it as a wading pool, with the intermittent nature making it a "manmade tidal pool", also called "the community pond" by locals.[5][7][8][9] A wooden boardwalk, made of ipê, connects Jamison Park to Tanner Springs Park, two blocks away, and is intended to eventually connect to the Willamette River.[10][11][12]

The square includes 30-foot modern totems, created by Kenny Scharf and Paige Powell in 2001, named Tikitotmoniki.[13][14][15][16][17] The Oregonian lampooned the art in late 2002, saying "the Pearl Arts Foundation commissioned '80s art star Kenny Scharf to put up goofy Tiki Totems" in the park.[18] The Pearl District kept a cancer survivors' memorial from being placed in the park.[18][19] The park also features orange steel sculptures by Alexander Liberman.[10]

The park, considered a pocket park, opened in May 2002, based on a 1999–2000 master plan for parks in the Pearl District, all connected by a water theme.[20][21][22][23] It was named for William Jamison, an art gallery owner who was a proponent of the Pearl District and died of AIDS in 1995.[6][10] The Portland Streetcar passes on both sides of the park.[7]

Recreation

Many events are held at the park, including the Kids Marching Band, Kids in the Pearl Block Party, Movies in the Pearl, weekly Splashdance "movement-based storytelling" by BodyVox, Pedalpalooza, and Portland Bastille Day festival, complete with the French-inspired Portland Waiters Race.[24][25][26][27][28][29][30] The Portland Bastille Day festival attracted 5500 visitors in 2007.[31] A form of boules, Pétanque, plays in a court at the park.[32][33] The park has also been home to portions of Portland Institute for Contemporary Art's Time-Based Art Festival, beginning in 2003 with a performance by Eiko & Koma, and Anna Halprin's "Blank Placard Happening" in 2008.[34][35] Fenouil, a well-regarded local French brasserie, has a special "picnic in the park" menu and will deliver lunch to the park.[36]

Reception

The park has been very popular with locals, and has been considered a modern success in the vein of Pioneer Courthouse Square.[37][38] The Oregonian called it "Portland's biggest kid magnet".[39] Architect Laurie Ohlin remarked "I was astonished over the social conflicts there. They seem savage and uncivil, the poor behavior between the two groups: parents with kids and people with dogs. It seems like a health hazard. I find it puzzling in its sociology, not in its design."[40] It's been observed that it's a "water park for kids" that is "nestled among the Pearl's poshest pads and toniest boutiques".[41] The park has also been criticized for being a "missed opportunity to produce something visionary".[42] Joe Fitzgibbon of The Oregonian calls Jamison Square "just another symbol of the Pearl District's transformation from industrial neighborhood to sleek, 21st-century community."[43]

The popularity of the park with children has led to requests and plans for a public restroom as early as spring 2009, but encountered resistance from residents concerned about the noise and crime it might bring due to being open 24 hours a day.[9][44][45][46]

References

  1. ^ "Jamison Square". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. May 26, 2004. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:2040299. Retrieved February 26, 2010. 
  2. ^ Rivera, Dylan (September 26, 2004). "Plan Spares Historic Buildings". The Oregonian. 
  3. ^ "Jamison Square". Portland Parks & Recreation. http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?action=ViewPark&PropertyID=1140. Retrieved February 26, 2010. 
  4. ^ Easton, Valerie (November 5, 2006). "Nature, Artfully Embraced". The Seattle Times (The Seattle Times Company). http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/homegarden/2003338651_pacificplife05.html. Retrieved February 26, 2010. 
  5. ^ a b c d Korn, Peter (October 30, 2008). "Oops! Portland's good intentions often have unexpected results". Portland Tribune (Pamplin Media Group). http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=122532030220814500. Retrieved February 27, 2010. 
  6. ^ a b Hyams, Juliet (July 27, 2007). "Fountains of life". The Oregonian. 
  7. ^ a b Hill, Lisa (February 25, 2005). "Parking Places". The Oregonian: pp. DM03. 
  8. ^ Daniels, Lisa (August 23, 2009). "Pack your bags -- and take off for downtown". The Oregonian. 
  9. ^ a b Korn, Peter (October 19, 2008). "How do you spell relief? T-O-I-L-E-T". Portland Tribune (Pamplin Media Group). http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=122350310044816500. Retrieved February 27, 2010. 
  10. ^ a b c Gragg, Randy (June 10, 2002). "Going with the Flow". The Oregonian. 
  11. ^ Gragg, Randy (January 16, 2005). "Standing Tall in the River District a Reassessment of Goals is Needed Before Moving Onward (and Upward) in Northwest Portland". The Oregonian. 
  12. ^ Sarasohn, David; Zusman, Michael C.; Butler, Grant (June 15, 2007). "The urge to splurge". The Oregonian. 
  13. ^ Row, D. K. (August 11, 2005). ""Portlandia" by Raymond Kaskey". The Oregonian. 
  14. ^ Gallivan, Joseph (October 23, 2007). "Body blogger builds community through art". Portland Tribune (Pamplin Media Group). http://www.portlandtribune.com/neighborhoods/story.php?story_id=119290692145463600. Retrieved February 27, 2010. 
  15. ^ Perry, Sara (March 1, 2009). "Sara Perry profiles the eclectic interests of Portlander Paige Powell an advocate for art and animals". The Oregonian. 
  16. ^ Libby, Brian (March 14, 2008). "Balancing new, familiar". The Oregonian. 
  17. ^ Dworkin, Andy (December 16, 2007). "Footsteps lead from fountains...". The Oregonian. 
  18. ^ a b Mitchell, S. Renee (September 18, 2002). "In the Pearl, not even best gems make cut". The Oregonian. 
  19. ^ "Pearl District votes against park for cancer survivors". The Oregonian: pp. E02. June 18, 2001. 
  20. ^ Bondarowicz, Marv (May 21, 2002). "Choice Seats". The Oregonian. 
  21. ^ Green, Susan (August 4, 2005). "Briefly: Tanner Springs Park will open this weekend". The Oregonian. 
  22. ^ Redden, Jim (October 8, 2009). "Park Blocks gain one more piece". Portland Tribune (Pamplin Media Group). http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/print_story.php?story_id=125495156186033500. Retrieved February 27, 2010. 
  23. ^ Laskin, David (December 17, 2006). "Visiting Asia Without Crossing the Pacific". The New York Times (The New York Times Company). http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/12/17/travel/17dayout.html. Retrieved February 27, 2010. 
  24. ^ Stabler, David (August 24, 2007). "Performance/classical". The Oregonian. 
  25. ^ Sommer, Joshua (August 24, 2007). "Art in the Pearl". The Oregonian. 
  26. ^ Koffman, Rebecca; Carpenter, Holly (July 10, 2008). "Neighborhood News Updates". The Oregonian. 
  27. ^ Green, Susan (August 7, 2008). "Neighborhood News Updates". The Oregonian. 
  28. ^ "Downtown Calendar". The Oregonian. August 22, 2008. 
  29. ^ Koffman, Rebecca (July 31, 2008). "Neighborhood News Updates". The Oregonian. 
  30. ^ "Head out". The Oregonian. June 15, 2008. 
  31. ^ "Scene & Heard". The Oregonian. September 29, 2007. 
  32. ^ Balmer, Kay (August 13, 2009). "Home-field advantage". The Oregonian. 
  33. ^ Butler, Grant (November 23, 2008). "Mix Magazine". The Oregonian. 
  34. ^ Cirillo, Joan (August 22, 2008). "Move into the moment, then hold it in your hand at Time-Based Art festival". The Oregonian. 
  35. ^ Butler, Grant (September 15, 2008). "TBA '08: The 'here' was here". The Oregonian. 
  36. ^ Puro, Emily (September 9, 2009). "Sampling the 'Neighborhood of Dreams'". The Oregonian. 
  37. ^ Solomon, Christopher (November 6, 2005). "Portland, Ore.". The New York Times (The New York Times Company). 
  38. ^ Johnson, Barry (December 14, 2009). "Halprin plazas tell story of city plan". The Oregonian. 
  39. ^ Cole, Katherine (August 2,5 2006). "Fancy feasts, pure kid stuff". The Oregonian. 
  40. ^ Gragg, Randy (November 8, 2006). "Sight Lines - Of parks and plazas". The Oregonian. 
  41. ^ "In the Mix". The Oregonian. July 29, 2008. 
  42. ^ Row, D. K. (May 31, 2009). "Memorial Coliseum emerges as a crucible for Portland creatives Cultural interests coalesce into a movement to assert a leadership role in the city Coliseum: Forces to save the building were strong Crucible for creatives". The Oregonian. 
  43. ^ Fitzgibbon, Joe (February 22, 2007). "Out with the Kids Night on the Town". The Oregonian. 
  44. ^ Mayer, James (December 3, 2009). "Jamison Square's restroom put on hold". The Oregonian. 
  45. ^ Harden, Kevin (August 29, 2009). "Flush with a new contract, more Portland Loos are coming". Portland Tribune (Pamplin Media Group). http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=125149824381106900. Retrieved February 27, 2010. 
  46. ^ Beaven, Stephen (December 9, 2008). "City's new public toilet is open for business, with more on way". The Oregonian.