Pioneer Courthouse Square

The block was originally bought in 1849 by Elijah Hill, a shoemaker. He paid $24 and a pair of boots. Later the Portland School Board purchased the site and opened Central School in 1858 and was Portland’s first real schoolhouse. It was moved to an adjoining street in 1883 to make way for the Portland Hotel which occupied the site from 1890-1951. The elegant hotel was torn down and for the next 30 years the site was a parking lot. In 1979, the City acquired the block from Meier & Frank Company who donated $500,000 toward creating an open space. In 1980, a national design competition was held to select a design team. The winning team was led by Portland architect Will Martin, who died in a plane crash not long after the square was dedicated. Located across from its namesake, the historic Pioneer Courthouse, Pioneer Courthouse Square officially opened April 6, 1984, sharing Portland’s birthday 133 years before.The Square’s features include the Waterfall Fountain, built of granite; sixteen columns with classical pillars topped with carved yellow roses on which crawl pink-and-green spotted bugs; and two brick amphitheaters which provide seats for events. Other pieces of artwork include Tom Hardy’s sculpture of three racing horses and J. Seward Johnson’s Allow Me, a bronze statue of a man holding an umbrella. A signpost lets visitors know how far they would have to travel and in which direction to reach sights such as Walden Pond or Moscow’s Red Square. And every noon, the Weather Machine performs, forecasting upcoming weather by displaying one of three metal figures amid a show of mist and flashing lights. Helia, a golden sun, indicates a clear, sunny day; Blue Heron predicts mist, drizzle, and changeable weather; and fierce, open-mouthed Dragon forecasts storms. This whimsical machine also tells the temperature.

Visit the Pioneer Courthouse Square website at www.pioneercourthousesquare.org.

Portland Saturday Market

The Portland Saturday Market  runs from the 1st weekend of March until December 24th., on Saturdays  from 10:00 – 5:00 and Sunday .-11:00 – 4 :30.  You will be able to sample International foods, and find numerous booths offering candles, bath products, photography, pottery, jewelry and clothing from local artists and vendors.

This is a great place to find that unique gift, or just spend some time browsing through the many unique booths.  It is a must-see while visiting the Portland area.

http://www.saturdaymarket.org

108 W Burnside Portland, OR

Portland Classical Chinese Gardens

The Portland Classical Chinese Garden  Also referred to as the Garden of Awakening Orchids. 

The Portland Classical Chinese Gardens location was donated by Northwest Natural. The land was originally used as a parking lot , in 1999 the groundbreaking ceremony was held and the dream of making a Suzhou-style garden began. In September 2000, it was completed.

All of the plants in the Gardens are indigenous to China but were grown in the United States.

There are 5 Elements in a Chinese Garden, Stone, Water, Plants, Architecture and Literature. These 5 Elements are used in the Portland Chinese Gardens in order to balance nature with humanity.

The Gardens take up one city block in Portlands Chinatown, making this the largest Classical Chinese Garden outside of China. 

One can easily spend  hours  strolling through the  gardens and enjoying chrysanthemum tea in the authentic tea house. 

There is a small gift shop adjacent to the ticket counter for souvenirs, books and trinkets.  Admission is $8.50- for Adults and Seniors and Students are $7.50.  The  Gardens are open daily 10am-5pm November -March and 9am-6pm April – October.