4 PAST TENSE A walk through the PSU Park Blocks: Past and Present he South Park Blocks are the oldest parks in Portland and go through the heart of downtown. They were donated to the city in 1852 for public use by Daniel Lownsdale, a Portland landowner and tanner. Landscaping of the park blocks began in 1877 with the planting of 104 Lombardy poplars and elms to form a 12-block tree-lined street, SW Ninth Avenue. The Oregonian has called the Park Blocks Portland’s “extended family room” and The New York Times declared the area to be “literally at the heart of the city’s cultural life.” Every block contains public art. The latest art piece, Holon, was made of white Indiana limestone by Oregon sculptor Donald Wilson and installed in 2004 at SW Park between Harrison and Hall. Farewell to Orpheus, the bronze statue and fountain created by the late PSU art professor emeritus Frederic Littman, was installed in 1973 at SW Park and Montgomery. Before: Bulldozers remove pavement in the Park Blocks by College Center (now Smith Memorial Student Union) in 1972. When Portland State moved to downtown Portland in 1952, it developed around the South Park Blocks, initially at the site of the old Lincoln High School (now Lincoln Hall). Ever since, the Park Blocks have served as the University's hub. Early on, though, parked cars around the Park and buildings, coupled with free flowing traffic, interfered with pedestrians and helped, in part, to spur a redesign of the campus in 1972. During that year, the southern six blocks, from Market to Jackson Streets, were closed off to vehicular traffic. The streets were demolished and replaced with walkways, benches and seating areas, resulting in a beautiful green space under a canopy of trees in the middle of campus. Since 1973 the Park Blocks have provided a refreshing and peaceful urban environment for students, staff, faculty, and the community at large to enjoy. The Park area is now used as a meeting place, an outdoor study area, a space for art events, concerts, summer graduation, festivals, speakers, food carts, and even a Saturday Farmers’ Market. The Park Blocks are an example of a cooperative venture between Portland and Portland State, with the city owning the property and the University maintaining and controlling its use. After: With the renovation completed in 1973, walkways and seating areas transform the space opposite present-day Smith Memorial Student Union. --Mary Brannan and Steve Brannan PAST TENSE features glimpses into Portland State’s history. To submit a story (or an idea for one), email the RAPS History Preservation Committee at raps@pdx.edu. T
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