Mt. Tabor Park

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Portland’s Mt Tabor was named after another Mt Tabor, which sits six miles east of Nazareth in Israel. Our Mt Tabor makes Portland one of only two cities in the continental U.S. to have an extinct volcano within its boundaries; the other city is Bend, Oregon. The volcanic features of Mt Tabor became known in 1912, years after it became a public park. The volcanic cinders discovered in the park were later utilized in surfacing the park’s roads.

At the top of the park is a bronze statue of Harvey W. Scott, editor of The Oregonian newspaper from 1865-1872 and from 1877 until his death in 1910. A gift to the city by Scott’s widow, Margaret, and family, it was sculpted by Gutzon Borglum in the early 1930s while at work on his monumental sculpture of four American presidents on Mt Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Cast by the Kunst Foundry in New York, it was unveiled in June 1933 with great ceremony.

 

January 31, 2009 by Greg ·

Eastbank Esplanade

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The Eastbank Esplanade has been an important part of the long-term vision for downtown Portland. Early city planners included the park in the 1988 Central City Plan. At the direction of City Council in 1993, work began on developing a master plan to guide the design and construction of the Eastbank Esplanade. The City formed a citizen Eastbank Riverfront Project Advisory Committee (PAC) to provide project oversight to City staff. The PAC included members of adjacent neighborhoods, the Central Eastside Industrial
Council, landowners, river and environmental enthusiasts, and long-time parks activists. Hargreaves Associates, landscape architects based in San Francisco, was selected as the lead consultant.

Completed in January 1994, the Eastbank Master Plan described an esplanade with docks, piers, overlooks, a plaza for festivals and gatherings, floating walkways, fountains, public art, and connections to the neighborhoods and Portland’s bridges. The Esplanade would connect the east and west sides of the Central City around its central feature – the Willamette River. Construction of the Esplanade began in October 1998 and was completed in May 2001.

The Esplanade was named after Mayor Vera Katz in November 2004 to honor her vision and leadership for Portland – which included support for the construction of the esplanade. A bronze sculpture of the mayor by Bill Bane was installed on the plaza at the south end of the esplanade in June 2006.

January 30, 2009 by Greg ·