Jamison Square Explained

Jamison Square
Photo Width:300
Type:Urban park
Location:810 NW 11th Ave.
Portland, Oregon
Coords:45.5289°N -122.682°W[1]
Area:0.94acres
Created:2000
Operator:Portland Parks & Recreation
Status:Open 5 a.m. to midnight daily

Jamison Square is a city park in Portland, Oregon's Pearl District. It was the first park added to the neighborhood.

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 PWP 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] 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.[9] [10]

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.[11]

The square includes four 30-foot modern totem poles, created by Kenny Scharf and Paige Powell in 2001, named Tikitotmoniki Totems.[12] [13] [14] [15] [16] 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.[17] 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.[18]

The Pearl District kept a cancer survivors' memorial from being placed in the park.[19] 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.[20] [21] [22] [23] 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.[6] [24]

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.[25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] The Portland Bastille Day festival attracted 5,500 visitors in 2007.[32] A form of boules, Pétanque, plays in a court at the park.[33] [34] 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.[35] [36] 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.[37] [38]

Reception

The park has been very popular with locals, and has been considered a modern success in the vein of Pioneer Courthouse Square.[39] [40] The Oregonian called it "Portland's biggest kid magnet".[41] Architect Laurie Olin 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."[42] It's been observed that it's a "water park for kids" that is "nestled among the Pearl's poshest pads and toniest boutiques".[43] The park has also been criticized for being a "missed opportunity to produce something visionary".[44] 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."[45]

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.[8] [46] [47] [48] A 24-hour public restroom called Portland Loo opened at the park in December 2010.[49]

See also

Notes and References

  1. 2040299. Jamison Square. February 26, 2010. May 26, 2004.
  2. News: Plan Spares Historic Buildings. Rivera. Dylan. September 26, 2004. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  3. Web site: Jamison Square. February 26, 2010. Portland Parks & Recreation.
  4. News: Nature, Artfully Embraced. Valerie. Easton. The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. November 5, 2006. February 26, 2010. 0745-9696. 9198928.
  5. News: Oops! Portland's good intentions often have unexpected results. Korn. Peter. October 30, 2008. Portland Tribune. Pamplin Media Group. September 1, 2013.
  6. News: Fountains of life. Hyams. Juliet. July 27, 2007. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  7. News: Pack your bags -- and take off for downtown. Daniels. Lisa. August 23, 2009. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  8. News: How do you spell relief? T-O-I-L-E-T. Korn. Peter. October 19, 2008. Portland Tribune. Pamplin Media Group. February 27, 2010.
  9. News: Standing Tall in the River District a Reassessment of Goals is Needed Before Moving Onward (and Upward) in Northwest Portland. Gragg. Randy. January 16, 2005. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  10. News: The urge to splurge. Sarasohn. David. David Sarasohn. Michael C.. Zusman. Grant. Butler. June 15, 2007. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  11. Web site: Jamison Square | PWP Landscape Architecture.
  12. News: "Portlandia" by Raymond Kaskey. Row. D. K.. August 11, 2005. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  13. News: Body blogger builds community through art. Gallivan. Joseph. October 23, 2007. Portland Tribune. Pamplin Media Group. February 27, 2010.
  14. News: Sara Perry profiles the eclectic interests of Portlander Paige Powell an advocate for art and animals. Perry. Sara. March 1, 2009. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  15. News: Balancing new, familiar. Libby. Brian. March 14, 2008. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  16. News: Footsteps lead from fountains.... Dworkin. Andy. December 16, 2007. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  17. News: In the Pearl, not even best gems make cut. Mitchell. S. Renee. September 18, 2002. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  18. News: Parking Places. Hill. Lisa. February 25, 2005. The Oregonian. DM3. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  19. News: Pearl District votes against park for cancer survivors. June 18, 2001. The Oregonian. E02. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  20. News: Choice Seats. Bondarowicz. Marv. May 21, 2002. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  21. News: Briefly: Tanner Springs Park will open this weekend. Green. Susan. August 4, 2005. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  22. News: Park Blocks gain one more piece. Redden. Jim. October 8, 2009. Portland Tribune. Pamplin Media Group. February 27, 2010.
  23. News: Visiting Asia Without Crossing the Pacific. Laskin. David. December 17, 2006. The New York Times. February 27, 2010. 0362-4331. 1645522.
  24. News: Going with the Flow. Gragg. Randy. June 10, 2002. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  25. News: Performance/classical. Stabler. David. August 24, 2007. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  26. News: Art in the Pearl. Sommer. Joshua. August 24, 2007. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  27. News: Neighborhood News Updates. Koffman. Rebecca. Holly. Carpenter. July 10, 2008. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  28. News: Neighborhood News Updates. Green. Susan. August 7, 2008. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  29. News: Downtown Calendar. August 22, 2008. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  30. News: Neighborhood News Updates. Koffman. Rebecca. July 31, 2008. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  31. News: Head out. June 15, 2008. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  32. News: Scene & Heard. September 29, 2007. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  33. News: Home-field advantage. Balmer. Kay. August 13, 2009. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  34. News: Mix Magazine. Butler. Grant. November 23, 2008. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  35. News: Move into the moment, then hold it in your hand at Time-Based Art festival. Cirillo. Joan. August 22, 2008. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  36. News: TBA '08: The 'here' was here. Butler. Grant. September 15, 2008. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  37. News: Sampling the 'Neighborhood of Dreams'. Puro. Emily. September 9, 2009. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  38. News: Fenouil restaurant in Pearl District to close Sunday, the Dussin Group announces. Michael. Russell. The Oregonian. May 6, 2012. April 1, 2011.
  39. News: Portland, Ore.. Solomon. Christopher. November 6, 2005. The New York Times. 0362-4331. 1645522.
  40. News: Halprin plazas tell story of city plan. Johnson. Barry. December 14, 2009. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  41. News: Fancy feasts, pure kid stuff. Cole. Katherine. August 25, 2006. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  42. News: Sight Lines - Of parks and plazas. Gragg. Randy. November 8, 2006. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  43. News: In the Mix. July 29, 2008. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  44. News: 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. Row. D. K.. May 31, 2009. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  45. News: Out with the Kids Night on the Town. Fitzgibbon. Joe. February 22, 2007. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  46. News: Jamison Square's restroom put on hold. Mayer. James. December 3, 2009. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  47. News: Flush with a new contract, more Portland Loos are coming. Harden. Kevin. August 29, 2009. Portland Tribune. Pamplin Media Group. February 27, 2010.
  48. News: City's new public toilet is open for business, with more on way. Beaven. Stephen. December 9, 2008. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. 8750-1317.
  49. News: Hottle. Molly. Northwest Portland: Portland Commissioner Randy Leonard to christen city's fourth loo today. December 16, 2010. The Oregonian. October 6, 2013.

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