Jamison Square

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Public park in Portland, Oregon, United States

title: "Jamison Square" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2000-establishments-in-oregon", "parks-in-northwest-portland,-oregon", "pearl-district,-portland,-oregon", "protected-areas-established-in-2000", "urban-beaches", "urban-public-parks"] description: "Public park in Portland, Oregon, United States" topic_path: "general/2000-establishments-in-oregon" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamison_Square" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Public park in Portland, Oregon, United States ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox park"]

FieldValue
nameJamison Square
photoJamison Square Park - Portland Oregon.jpg
photo_width300
photo_captionThe park's wading pool in 2008
typeUrban park
location810 NW 11th Ave.
Portland, Oregon
publictransit
coords
area0.94 acre
created2000
operatorPortland Parks & Recreation
statusOpen 5 a.m. to midnight daily
::

| name = Jamison Square | photo = Jamison Square Park - Portland Oregon.jpg | photo_width = 300 | photo_caption = The park's wading pool in 2008 | type = Urban park | location = 810 NW 11th Ave. Portland, Oregon | publictransit = | coords = | area = 0.94 acre | created = 2000 | operator = Portland Parks & Recreation | visitation_num = | status = Open 5 a.m. to midnight daily Jamison Square is a pocket park in Portland, Oregon's Pearl District. It was the first of a series of three parks to be added to the neighborhood as part of the 2001 River District Renewal plan, including Tanner Springs Park and The Fields Park. A fourth park was planned but has not begun construction.

Design

At a cost of $3.6 million, this urban green space was designed and built during the 12-year tenure of Mayor Vera Katz.

Designed by PWP Landscape Architecture, the park was initially intended as an outdoor art gallery, with square rocks and steps at the center, but no water. Water, running at random times over the rock, was added to keep skateboarding teenagers from using them. 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.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Jamison_Square,_NW_Portland,_OR_2012.JPG" caption="One of the [[totem pole]]s that also function as support poles for the Portland Streetcar's overhead wire."] ::

The park design includes three main elements: a fountain, a boardwalk, and an outdoor gallery. The stone fountain metaphorically expresses the idea of an "aquifer," as water pours out of the stone steps, filling up the gently sloping ground until the water is about 12 inches deep, at which point the water drains back out and the ground is dry.

The square includes four 30-foot modern totem poles, created by Kenny Scharf and Paige Powell in 2001, named Tikitotmoniki Totems. 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. However, the totem poles are also functional, as they hide steel support poles for the overhead trolley wires that supply power to the Portland Streetcar, which began operation in 2001. The Portland Streetcar passes on two sides of the park.

The Pearl District kept a cancer survivors' memorial from being placed in the park. The park also features an orange steel sculpture called Contact II by Alexander Liberman.

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. It was named for William Jamison (1945–1995), an art gallery owner who was a proponent of the Pearl District and died of AIDS-related illness.

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. The Portland Bastille Day festival attracted 5,500 visitors in 2007. A form of boules, Pétanque, plays in a court at the park. 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. Fenouil, a well-regarded local French brasserie, had a special "picnic in the park" menu and delivered lunch to the park until it closed in 2011.

Reception

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Jamison_Square.jpg" caption="issn=8750-1317}}"] ::

The popularity of the park with children led to requests and plans for a public restroom as early as spring 2009, but the idea encountered resistance from residents concerned about the noise and crime it might bring, due to its being planned to be open 24 hours a day. A 24-hour public restroom called Portland Loo opened at the park in December 2010.

References

References

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  2. Easton, Valerie. (November 5, 2006). "Nature, Artfully Embraced". [[The Seattle Times Company]].
  3. "The Fields Park". [[Portland Parks & Recreation]].
  4. Rivera, Dylan. (September 26, 2004). "Plan Spares Historic Buildings". [[Advance Publications]].
  5. "Jamison Square". [[Portland Parks & Recreation]].
  6. Korn, Peter. (October 30, 2008). "Oops! Portland's good intentions often have unexpected results". [[Pamplin Media Group]].
  7. Hyams, Juliet. (July 27, 2007). "Fountains of life". Advance Publications.
  8. Korn, Peter. (October 19, 2008). "How do you spell relief? T-O-I-L-E-T". Pamplin Media Group.
  9. 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". Advance Publications.
  10. (June 15, 2007). "The urge to splurge". Advance Publications.
  11. "Jamison Square | PWP Landscape Architecture".
  12. Row, D. K.. (August 11, 2005). ""Portlandia" by Raymond Kaskey". Advance Publications.
  13. Gallivan, Joseph. (October 23, 2007). "Body blogger builds community through art". Pamplin Media Group.
  14. Perry, Sara. (March 1, 2009). "Sara Perry profiles the eclectic interests of Portlander Paige Powell an advocate for art and animals". Advance Publications.
  15. Libby, Brian. (March 14, 2008). "Balancing new, familiar". Advance Publications.
  16. Dworkin, Andy. (December 16, 2007). "Footsteps lead from fountains...". Advance Publications.
  17. Mitchell, S. Renee. (September 18, 2002). "In the Pearl, not even best gems make cut". Advance Publications.
  18. Hill, Lisa. (February 25, 2005). "Parking Places". Advance Publications.
  19. (June 18, 2001). "Pearl District votes against park for cancer survivors". Advance Publications.
  20. Bondarowicz, Marv. (May 21, 2002). "Choice Seats". Advance Publications.
  21. Green, Susan. (August 4, 2005). "Briefly: Tanner Springs Park will open this weekend". Advance Publications.
  22. Redden, Jim. (October 8, 2009). "Park Blocks gain one more piece". Pamplin Media Group.
  23. Laskin, David. (December 17, 2006). "Visiting Asia Without Crossing the Pacific". [[The New York Times]].
  24. Gragg, Randy. (June 10, 2002). "Going with the Flow". Advance Publications.
  25. Stabler, David. (August 24, 2007). "Performance/classical". Advance Publications.
  26. Sommer, Joshua. (August 24, 2007). "Art in the Pearl". Advance Publications.
  27. (July 10, 2008). "Neighborhood News Updates". Advance Publications.
  28. Green, Susan. (August 7, 2008). "Neighborhood News Updates". Advance Publications.
  29. (August 22, 2008). "Downtown Calendar". Advance Publications.
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  31. (June 15, 2008). "Head out". Advance Publications.
  32. (September 29, 2007). "Scene & Heard". Advance Publications.
  33. Balmer, Kay. (August 13, 2009). "Home-field advantage". Advance Publications.
  34. Butler, Grant. (November 23, 2008). "Mix Magazine". Advance Publications.
  35. Cirillo, Joan. (August 22, 2008). "Move into the moment, then hold it in your hand at Time-Based Art festival". Advance Publications.
  36. Butler, Grant. (September 15, 2008). "TBA '08: The 'here' was here". Advance Publications.
  37. Puro, Emily. (September 9, 2009). "Sampling the 'Neighborhood of Dreams'". Advance Publications.
  38. Russell, Michael. (April 1, 2011). "Fenouil restaurant in Pearl District to close Sunday, the Dussin Group announces". The Oregonian.
  39. Solomon, Christopher. (November 6, 2005). "Portland, Ore.". The New York Times.
  40. Johnson, Barry. (December 14, 2009). "Halprin plazas tell story of city plan". Advance Publications.
  41. Cole, Katherine. (August 25, 2006). "Fancy feasts, pure kid stuff". Advance Publications.
  42. Gragg, Randy. (November 8, 2006). "Sight Lines - Of parks and plazas". Advance Publications.
  43. (July 29, 2008). "In the Mix". Advance Publications.
  44. 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". Advance Publications.
  45. Fitzgibbon, Joe. (February 22, 2007). "Out with the Kids Night on the Town". Advance Publications.
  46. Mayer, James. (December 3, 2009). "Jamison Square's restroom put on hold". Advance Publications.
  47. Harden, Kevin. (August 29, 2009). "Flush with a new contract, more Portland Loos are coming". Pamplin Media Group.
  48. Beaven, Stephen. (December 9, 2008). "City's new public toilet is open for business, with more on way". Advance Publications.
  49. Hottle, Molly. (December 16, 2010). "Northwest Portland: Portland Commissioner Randy Leonard to christen city's fourth loo today". The Oregonian.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

2000-establishments-in-oregonparks-in-northwest-portland,-oregonpearl-district,-portland,-oregonprotected-areas-established-in-2000urban-beachesurban-public-parks