Pioneer Courthouse Square

Pioneer Courthouse Square, with Fox Tower in the background.

This article is about the town square in Portland, Oregon. For the neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, see Pioneer Square, Seattle, Washington.

Pioneer Courthouse Square, affectionately known as Portland's living room, is a public space occupying a full 40,000 ft² (3700 m²) city block in the center of downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. The square is bounded by Southwest Morrison Street on the north, Southwest 6th Avenue on the east, Southwest Yamhill Street on the south, and Southwest Broadway on the west.

History

Flag of Portland, Oregon flying in the Square

The square is named after the Pioneer Courthouse, an 1875 federal building occupying the block directly east of the square.

The square itself dates back to 1856, when the city purchased land which included the site as the location for Central School. The school was moved in 1883 when plans were made for a major hotel on the site in response to the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad. After delays due to a recession, the eight-story Portland Hotel was completed on the site in 1890.

The hotel was the center of the city's social activity for the first half of the 20th century. In 1951, the hotel was torn down and a two-story parking lot was built. An original archway and gatework from the hotel were conscientiously made part of the square's design and are found today on the south side of the square.

In the early 1970s, a comprehensive downtown plan proposed that the site become dedicated public space. In 1975, then mayor of Portland Neil Goldschmidt began negotiating with local department store Meier & Frank to obtain the property for the city and eventually convinced the store to sell the land to the city after its parking concerns were alleviated. By early 1980, a design competition was announced, seeking proposals for what was to become Pioneer Courthouse Square. Out of 162 submissions, five finalists emerged, from firms based in New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco/Los Angeles, Boston, and Portland. The Portland team, including chief designer Willard Martin, was selected. Their design received an "Architectural Design Citation" from Progressive Architecture magazine in 1981.

Funding problems surfaced after the design was completed. Portland mayor Frank Ivancie led some downtown business owners and other influential citizens in opposing the concept of an open (instead of enclosed) public square, based on concerns that an open design would attract transients to the area. Former Governor Tom McCall, who by then was a television commentator, was indignant:

It would be a shock ... to many Oregonians to learn that a few power brokers have declared that the result of a nationwide design rivalry is meaningless...

The square's construction required $3 million for land acquisition and $4.3 million for the structures and amenities, a large enough amount that the opposition nearly doomed the project. Martin, together with other architects and volunteers, drew attention to the delays from the opposition by painting a stylized blueprint of the proposal on the site itself. But it took the formation of "Friends of Pioneer Square", a citizen's group led by city commissioners Charles Jordan and Mike Lindberg, and $750,000 raised by the sale of 50,000 inscribed bricks, to rescue the project.

The project was completed in 1984.

In 2001, the completion of Fox Tower, a skyscraper on the block immediately southwest of the square, caused controversy among citizens due to the fact that it blocks sunlight from the majority of the square during the afternoon and evening hours.

A panorama of Pioneer Courthouse Square from 2007-05-04.

Features and use

On Morrison and Yamhill streets (the north and south boundaries of the square) are sheltered MAX Light Rail stops. On the north side is an artistic feature, consisting of towering classical columns which progressively topple over like those of an ancient ruin. There are outdoor chess tables on some of the toppled columns; chess players frequently congregate there during the day. A cascading waterfall on the west side of the square frames the entrance to a public information center. The center of the square is arranged like an amphitheater, with a semi-circle of approximately two dozen steps serving as seats when the square is used for musical performances or other events. Pioneer Courthouse Square was a designated non-smoking area as of 1 January 2007.

The bricks used to pave the square were sold to raise funds for the square's construction, and are inscribed with donors' names. Eric Ladd, an "early pioneer of…sustainable living," built the wrought-iron gateway on the eastern edge of the Square in the 1970s, out of scrap salvaged from the Portland Hotel.

Portland's NBC affiliate KGW announced in January 2008 that the station will build a high-definition news studio at the square, taking over the space previously occupied by Powell's Books. The station plans to broadcast its morning and noon newscasts from the studio upon its completion, scheduled for summer 2008.

Art

Weather Machine showing a clear day.

Allow Me

One of the more recognized pieces of public art in Portland is Seward Johnson's Allow Me, often popularly referred to as Umbrella Man. It is on the south side of the square, just above the amphitheater. Allow Me is a bronze statue of a man in a business suit, holding an umbrella and welcoming you with a friendly gesture.

Weather Machine

Another public art installation, the Weather Machine, consists of a tall metal column topped with a large silver-colored orb. At noon each day, the following day's weather is announced with a fanfare of trumpets, flashing lights, and a spray of mist. The orb opens to reveal one of the following:

• a golden sun, for a clear day;
• a great blue heron, to forecast a rainy day;
• an open-mouthed dragon, when storms are forecast.

Light bulbs on the side of the machine are reminiscent of a mercury thermometer and light up progressively as the temperature increases.

Events

Another view of the square.

Dozens of events are held here each year, including free shows during spring and summer, sponsored by local businesses. Events held in the square are usually all age. In 2006 the square played host to an all-city pillow fight, and later an all-city slumber party. Pioneer Courthouse Square is a venue for speeches, political demonstrations, rallies and vigils. By Thanksgiving, a tall Christmas tree occupies the center of the square, with a tree-lighting ceremony held each year on the Friday evening after Thanksgiving. Another Christmas event in the square is Tuba Christmas. This is a celebration featuring nearly 200 tuba and euphonium players who perform a medley of holiday songs. An annual New Year's Eve celebration is also held there.

On June 27, 2006, Pioneer Courthouse Square held one of the largest gatherings in its history, with approximately 8,500 fans filling the public square to pay tribute the recently crowned 2006 NCAA College World Series Baseball Champion Oregon State Beavers.

In July 2006, an LCD screen was raised in the square for the viewing of the semifinals and finals of the FIFA World Cup of soccer.

References

• Frozen Music: A History of Portland Architecture, (1985, ISBN 0-87595-164-3)

External links and sources

• Official website for non-profit organization managing the square
• Information on the Square from the Portland Parks & Recreation website