South Park Blocks

{{Infobox park

| name = South Park Blocks

| photo = South Park Blocks PSU.JPG

| photo_width = 300

| photo_caption = Part of the South Park Blocks in 2009

| coords = {{coord|45|30|45|N|122|41|06|W|type:landmark_region:US-OR|display=title,inline}}{{cite gnis|id =2040366| name=South Park Blocks|access-date=February 26, 2010|entrydate=May 26, 2004}}

| area = {{convert|8.76|acre}}

| created =

| operator = Portland Parks & Recreation

| visitation_num =

| status = Open 5 am to 9 pm daily

}}

The South Park Blocks form a city park in downtown Portland, Oregon.{{cite web|url=http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?action=ViewPark&PropertyID=674|title=South Park Blocks|access-date=February 26, 2010|publisher=Portland Parks & Recreation|archive-date=February 13, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213043949/http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?PropertyID=674&action=ViewPark|url-status=live}} The Oregonian has called it Portland's "extended family room", as Pioneer Courthouse Square is known as Portland's "living room".{{cite news|title=Destination: South Park Blocks|last=Beck|first=Byron|author-link=Byron Beck (blogger)|date=September 13, 1996|work=The Oregonian}}

Twelve blocks in length, it is intersected by the Portland Streetcar and forms the Portland Cultural District and the greenspace at the center of Portland State University. The New York Times stated the blocks are "literally at the heart of the city's cultural life."{{cite news|title=What's doing in: Portland|last=Boss|first=Suzie|date=March 20, 1994|work=The New York Times}} Public artworks in the park include Shemanski Fountain (1926), In the Shadow of the Elm, Peace Chant, (1984), Alexander Phimister Proctor's Theodore Roosevelt, Rough Rider, and a statue of Abraham Lincoln. The park also contains approximately 337 elm, oak, and maple trees valued at $3.4 million, as well as roses.{{cite news|title=What's doing in: Portland, Ore.|last=Kaufman|first=Naomi|date=August 24, 1986|work=The New York Times}}{{cite news|title=A study determines the value of 337 majestic trees in Portland|date=March 31, 2005|agency=Associated Press|location=Portland, Oregon}} A plaque from the Lang Syne Society was placed in the South Park Blocks at Jefferson Street in 1991, commemorating the Great Plank Road.{{cite news|title=Plaques commemorate two prominent citizens|date=December 18, 1991|work=The Oregonian|page=C01}}

History

===Continuous Park Blocks===

Portland was platted in 1845, then Daniel H. Lownsdale purchased land south and west of the original platting.{{cite news|title=Dueling histories vex blocks: Today's dreamers find that the past offers no single vision for Portland's Park Blocks|last=Oliver|first=Gordon|date=June 9, 2002|work=The Oregonian|page=C01}} He drew up a plat in 1848 that included 11 narrow blocks, {{convert|100|ft}} × {{convert|200|ft}}, instead of the standard {{convert|200|ft}} × {{convert|200|ft}}. He then brought on Stephen Coffin and William W. Chapman as partners, and dedicated the South Park Blocks and midtown park blocks in 1852.{{cite book|last=MacColl|first=E. Kimbark|title=The Growth of a City: Power and Politics in Portland, Oregon 1915–1950|year=1979|publisher=The Georgian Press|location=Portland, Oregon|isbn=0-9603408-1-5}} This made them the first official greenspace in Portland.{{cite news|title=Parking Places|last=Hill|first=Lisa|date=February 25, 2005|work=The Oregonian|page=DM03}} While they were dedicated to the city, they weren't owned by the city until September 22, 1870, when Mayor Bernard Goldsmith and Chapman agreed on selling the South Park Blocks and the two Plaza Blocks (Chapman and Lownsdale Squares) to the city for $6,250. Most of the purchase price was for the Plaza Blocks, since the park blocks were at the edge of the developed city.

Ownership of the continuous park blocks was not without dispute, however. After Lownsdale died without a will, and then his wife Nancy died, his estate challenged that his plat didn't require the central section to be dedicated to public use since Nancy had not signed over legal title to the land. The courts agreed in 1865. Benjamin Stark reneged on the donation of two north central park blocks to the city, instead offering to sell them for $138,000.{{cite book |title=Portland: People, Politics, and Power 1851–2001|year=2001|last=Lansing|first=Jewel |publisher=Oregon State University Press|isbn=978-0-87071-118-3 }} Captain John H. Couch deeded his section, which became the North Park Blocks to the city on January 25, 1865, only ten days after receiving the federal patent for the land. Six of the South Park Blocks were lost to private parties in the 1870s, and elected city officials were unwilling to spend the asking price of $6,000 per block to purchase them so soon after the city had bought the land for Washington Park.{{cite news|title=Once more feel feeling, but without hand in your pocket|last=Nicholas|first=Jonathan|date=April 1, 1996|work=The Oregonian|page=C01}} Only a year later, a proposal to acquire the six blocks for $92,000 was brought by the city council, showing the increase in prices in that year.

A 1907 tax bond issue was brought to the voters. It would have been a $2 million bond, likely including money to buy back the blocks. The measure failed, and some time later, the street name changed from "West Park" to Southwest 9th". Two missing blocks have been recaptured since then: O'Bryant Square was purchased in 1973, and Director Park opened in 2009.

Residential park blocks

By the late 1870s, the Park Blocks near the current location of Portland State University were fronted by formal Italianate mansions.{{cite book|last=MacColl|first=E. Kimbark|title=The Shaping of a City: Business and politics in Portland, Oregon 1885 to 1915|publisher=The Georgian Press Company|location=Portland, Oregon|date=November 1976|oclc=2645815}}

By the 1920s, the central park blocks were home to the 12-story Stevens Building and the 9-story Woodlark Building, as well as six or more hotels.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/portland_park_blocks/|title=Portland Park Blocks|encyclopedia=The Oregon Encyclopedia|access-date=March 1, 2010|publisher=Portland State University|archive-date=May 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521005352/http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/portland_park_blocks/|url-status=live}} Edward H. Bennett proposed making the Park Blocks continuous in 1912, part of his "Greater Portland Plan". Otherwise, the next spark was the conversion of one central park block into O'Bryant Square in 1972. The next block to be reclaimed was Director Park, dedicated as a park in 2009, inspired by a 1995 plan to turn the block into a 12-story parking lot.

In 1933, the area surrounding Skidmore Fountain was "tawdry" and nearly neglected, and there was an effort to move the fountain to the South Park Blocks. This did not happen.{{cite news|title=Oregon's trails: Skidmore Fountain stands tall as civic tribute, fine art|last=Terry|first=John|date=March 16, 2003|work=The Oregonian|page=A22}}

After a 1990 Dutch elm disease outbreak in Portland, including one diseased tree at Park and Market in the South Park Blocks, the elm trees have been immunized with Tiabendazole.{{cite news|title=Portland's 5,000 towering elms watched closely|last=Sullivan|first=Ann|date=July 8, 1991|work=The Oregonian|page=B02}}{{cite news|title=More diseased trees discovered in Portland|last=Sullivan|first=Ann|date=July 20, 1990|work=The Oregonian|page=B02}} Portland's first outbreak of Dutch elm disease occurred in 1976 at Overlook Park, and the peak infections were in 2003.{{cite news|title=The Defenders|last=Pokorny|first=Kym|date=May 5, 2005|work=The Oregonian|page=HG28}}{{cite news|title=Passionate about saving American elms|last=Fitzgibbon|first=Joe|date=December 24, 2009|work=The Oregonian}}

=Events=

File:PSU campus in spring 07.JPG.]]

On May 5, 1918, the dedication of the Vista House at Crown Point began with a parade of cars from the South Park Blocks, on the newly completed Historic Columbia River Highway.{{cite news|title=Faded Vista|last=Richards|first=Suzanne|date=August 10, 1995|work=The Oregonian}}

The Portland Rose Festival began and was located in and around the South Park Blocks in 1936, but were outgrowing the blocks by the 1950s.{{cite book|last=Mackenzie|first=Hilary|title=The Portland Park Blocks: their origin and development (thesis)|publisher=University of Washington|location=Seattle, Washington|year=1988|oclc=19841853}}{{cite news|title=A look at Rose Festival history "Gracious sovereign" |date=January 29, 2007|work=The Oregonian|page=B02}} Residents sued to prohibit the Rose Festival from using the parks and lost. By 2007, the festival was relocated to Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

The first Earth Day, on April 22, 1970, was celebrated with a fair on the blocks.{{cite news|title=Earth Day organizers hope activities inspire changes|last=Dulken|first=Diane|date=April 8, 1990|work=The Oregonian|page=D05}} In 1975, the Portland city council held Portland's first gay pride fair along the park. It was moved to Tom McCall Waterfront Park the following year.{{cite news|title=Gay Pride Chronology|date=June 18, 1995|work=The Oregonian|page=D08}} The Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic, known as STP, concluded in the South Park Blocks from 1979 to 1998, then moved to Cathedral Park.{{cite news|title=2-wheelers riding the wind; With the breeze at their back, 6,949 Seattle-to-Portland cyclists make the 200-mile journey to the St. John's Bridge|last=Duchene|first=Paul|date=July 12, 1999|work=The Oregonian|page=E01}} In 1997–1999, Tony n' Tina's Wedding, an interactive theatre, took place using the park as the stage; the wedding was held at the First Unitarian Church and later at the Oregon History Center, and the reception was held at the Portland Art Museum, being a "little street theater" on the park blocks.{{cite news|title=Tony, Tina move on to happily ever after|last=Johnson|first=Barry|date=July 30, 1999|work=The Oregonian|page=AE68}}

After the September 11 attacks, the Park Blocks filled with a candlelight vigil and a memorial concert by the Oregon Symphony, which was free in the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall and was also broadcast into the blocks.{{cite news|title=Major events, major emotions|last=Hughley|first=Marty|date=March 23, 2003|work=The Oregonian|page=F02}}

On December 3, 2011, Occupy Portland established camp in the South Park Blocks.{{cite news|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/12/occupy_portland_takes_new_park.html|title=Occupy Portland takes new park, but city says they won't be allowed to stay|last=Kost|first=Ryan|date=December 3, 2011|work=OregonLive.com|access-date=December 4, 2011|archive-date=December 6, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111206022834/http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/12/occupy_portland_takes_new_park.html|url-status=live}}

Other events have included Artquake, an art festival that attracted 200,000 people on Labor Day weekends in the Park Blocks from 1982 until at least 2003 and based on an art show that began in July 1949,{{cite news|title=Arts fest returns to South Park Blocks|last=Row|first=D. K.|date=May 30, 2003|work=The Oregonian|page=AL08}}{{cite news|title=Artquake's rocky, shaky history|date=September 1, 1995|work=The Oregonian}}{{cite news|title=It's Labor Day Do you know where your Artquake is?|last=Hicks|first=Bob|date=September 1, 1996|work=The Oregonian|page=E01}} a 1983 protest against U.S. nuclear missiles placed in Europe (3,000 protesters),{{cite news|title=Three-thousand Americans carrying balloons and signs marched in chilly Boston on Sunday to protest the deployment of U.S. nuclear missiles in Europe....|date=October 23, 1983|agency=Associated Press}} an Oregon Public Employees Union strike in 1987,{{cite news|title=POEU's maturity a key outcome of strike union wins emotionally; state officials misjudged commitment of workers|last=Hortsch|first=Dan|date=September 25, 1987|work=The Oregonian|page=C03}}{{cite news|title=Strikers converge at PSU, just days before classes start|last=Hortsch|first=Dan|date=September 19, 1987|work=The Oregonian|page=B03}} a rally with presidential candidate Michael Dukakis in 1988,{{cite news|title=Campaign '88: The Final Days|last1=Mapes|first1=Jeff|first2=Dee|last2=Lane|date=November 6, 1988|work=The Oregonian}}{{cite news|title=Dukakis due Sunday in Portland|last=Mapes|first=Jeff|date=November 1, 1988|work=The Oregonian|page=B03}} Shakespeare in the Parks in 1989,{{cite news|title=Much ado about Saturday afternoon with Shakespeare|last=Hicks|first=Bob|date=July 30, 1989|work=The Oregonian}} a 1990 rally to pay tribute to Mulugeta Seraw, killed in Portland by white power skinheads in 1988, which had 1,500 people with 150 police officers defending against skinheads,{{cite news|title=1,500 rally against prejudice|last=Snell|first=John|date=October 8, 1990|work=The Oregonian|page=A01}}{{cite news|title=People from melting pot that makes America rally against bigotry|last1=Manzano|first1=Phil|first2=Michael|last2=Rollins|first3=Holley|last3=Gilbert|date=October 18, 1990|work=The Oregonian|page=A05}}{{cite news|title=Security measure under wrap for 'dignity and diversity' rally|last=Rollins|first=Michael|date=August 7, 1990|work=The Oregonian|page=A23}}{{cite news|title=Police brace for turbulence at white supremacist trial|last=Rollins|first=Michael|date=October 4, 1990|work=The Oregonian|page=D01}} and the Homowo Festival of African Arts held from 1990 to at least 2004.{{cite news|title=Homowo Festival of African Arts|last=Mahar|first=Ted|date=August 6, 2004|work=The Oregonian|page=AL49}}{{cite news|title=Homowo Festival offers lively celebration of African arts, crafts, lore and culture|last=Mahar|first=Ted|date=August 23, 2002|work=The Oregonian|page=AE49}} Lara Flynn Boyle filmed scenes from The Temp in the South Park Blocks in 1992,{{cite news|title=Portland of years past|date=January 13, 2005|work=The Oregonian|page=E12}} and The Hunted was filmed partially in the South Park Blocks in 2003, including a crash scene by Benicio del Toro.{{cite news|title=Extras|date=March 17, 2003|work=The Oregonian|page=C02}}

In celebration of Harley-Davidson's 100th anniversary in 2003, an event called Rose City Thunder was held in the South Park blocks, to send riders off for the "Harley-Davidson 100th Anniversary Ride Home".{{cite news|title=Going hog-wild|last=Nkrumah|first=Wade|date=August 15, 2003|work=The Oregonian|page=C01}}{{cite news|title=Rose city thunder|last=Hamilton|first=Ross William|date=August 17, 2003|work=The Oregonian|page=B01}}{{cite news|title=Saturday in the park, bikers by the block|last=Jones|first=Melissa L.|date=August 17, 2003|work=The Oregonian|page=B01}} Two appeals seeking a venue change were held prior to the event, but the city council rejected them, with City Commissioner Jim Francesconi stating "We don't discriminate against groups, period. That's the rules and that's what we abide by."{{cite news|title=Thousands of bikers ready to roll; residents in Park Blocks not|last=Nkruman|first=Wade|date=June 17, 2003|work=The Oregonian|page=C02}}{{cite news|title=Neighbors will appeal over Harley event|last=Nkrumah|first=Wade|date=June 18, 2003|work=The Oregonian|page=D03}}{{cite news|title=City to hear appeals of motorcycle event|last=Nkrumah|first=Wade|date=July 4, 2003|work=The Oregonian|page=D02}}{{cite news|title=Harley event good to go in South Park Blocks|last=Nkrumah|first=Wade|date=July 10, 2003|work=The Oregonian|page=D03}} Featuring live music, beer gardens, and thousands of people, it led to questions about why the residential Park Blocks were used, rather than a venue such as Tom McCall Waterfront Park.{{cite news|title=Harley party revs up downtown shops|last=Learn|first=Scott|date=August 18, 2003|work=The Oregonian|page=D07}} An editorial in The Oregonian stated the celebration was "more potbelly than pot smoking", but held the loud exhausts, public address systems, and rows of portable toilets weren't appreciated in a neighborhood setting.{{cite news|title=Harley party should have been in Waterfront Park (editorial)|last=Hortsch|first=Dan|date=August 19, 2003|work=The Oregonian|page=B07}}{{cite news|title=Portland needs more Harley (editorial)|date=August 19, 2003|work=The Oregonian|page=B06}} Organizers estimated 15,000 visitors, plus 2,000 motorcycles attended.

In 2006, because of the implosion of the cooling tower at Trojan Nuclear Power Plant, a group got together in the South Park Blocks and brought down a {{convert|25|ft|adj=on}} model tower to celebrate the implosion.{{cite news|title=Anti-Trojan activists enjoy tower's implosion --twice|last=Foyston|first=John|date=May 22, 2006|work=The Oregonian|page=A07}}

More events included a pro-choice march, rally, and workshops in 1989 with 2700 to 7500 attendees,{{cite news|title=Pro-choice forces to rally|date=November 8, 1989|work=The Oregonian|page=B08}}{{cite news|title=Thousands send pro-choice message|date=November 13, 1989|work=The Oregonian|page=B04}} a Tiananmen Square anniversary memorial ceremony in 1990,{{cite news|title=Tiananmen memorial set|date=June 2, 1990|work=The Oregonian|page=D02}} the "Earth Fair" (celebrating Earth Day, held in at least 1990 and 1991; 1990 saw 15,000–20,000 visitors in the rain),{{cite news|title=Festivals all around state tell how to keep the planet healthy|last=Nelson|first=Jonathan|date=April 22, 1991|work=The Oregonian|page=A01}} a 1991 Fourth of July parade to honor returnees from Operation Desert Storm (called the Defenders of Liberty Welcome Home Parade),{{cite news|title=Fourth of July parade is enlisting few takers despite post-Desert Storm patriotic fervor|date=May 31, 1991|work=The Oregonian|page=C01}} the Potluck in the Park homeless meal (held from 1991 until 1996, when it was moved to O'Bryant Square),{{cite news|title=It's no longer the potluck in the park|last=Nkrumah|first=Wade|date=October 4, 1996|work=The Oregonian|page=B04}} a 1,000-strong rally for Rodney King on May 2, 1992,{{cite news|title=Speakers urge calm at rally on PSU campus|last1=Gilbert|first1=Holley|first2=Phil|last2=Manzano|date=May 2, 1992|work=The Oregonian|page=A11}} the Oregon Trailfest, a 1993 celebration of the Oregon Trail (including an authentic encampment with teepees and wagons),{{cite news|title=Oregon Trailfest to transform Park Blocks into living history|date=March 14, 1993|work=The Oregonian|page=R04}}{{cite news|title=Cue the oxen; media hit the Oregon Trail|last=Schulberg|first=Pete|date=March 19, 1993|work=The Oregonian|page=E07}}{{cite news|title=American Indians protest at celebration|last=McNichol|first=Bethanye|date=March 21, 1993|work=The Oregonian|page=C02}}{{cite news|title=Pioneer's descendant helps kick off Oregon Trail festivities|last=Bella|first=Rick|date=March 20, 1993|work=The Oregonian|page=D05}} Portland's first Critical Mass, held on September 24, 1993 with 100 cyclists in the South Park Blocks,{{cite news|title=Pedaling for Change|last=Heinz|first=Spencer|date=May 25, 2003|work=The Oregonian|page=B01}} the Portland Arts Festival (part of the Portland Rose Festival) held in 1998 through at least 2006,{{cite news|title=Arts festival stands pat|last=Row|first=D. K.|date=June 3, 2005|work=The Oregonian}}{{cite news|title=2005 Rose Festival Calendar|date=June 12, 2005|work=The Oregonian|page=R07}}{{cite news|title=Five live Portland Children's Museum turns 57|last=Stein|first=Rosemarie|date=June 16, 2006|work=The Oregonian|page=AE50}}{{cite news|title=Arts Festival: Paintings, sculptures will line the Park Blocks|last=Mahar|first=Ted|date=May 29, 1998|work=The Oregonian|page=RF24}}{{cite news|title=Rose Festival Events|date=May 31, 1998|work=The Oregonian|page=B10}} a gun control rally in 2000,{{cite news|title=National gun control group bashes Bush's Texas record|last=Flaccus|first=Gillian|date=October 26, 2000}} the 2,000 people (which included the Million Mom March) for the Amala Peace Walk in 2000, welcoming the Dalai Lama,{{cite news|title=2,000 amble downtown for peace and Dalai Lama's visit|last=Colburn|first=Dan|date=May 14, 2001|work=The Oregonian|page=A08}} an AIDS Walk in September 2000, the "PDX AIDS Day Promise Vigil" at Shemanski Fountain to mark World AIDS Day in 2006,{{cite news|title=Events in Oregon to mark World AIDS Day|last=O'Neill|first=Patrick|date=December 1, 2006|work=The Oregonian|page=B04}} a campaign rally and speech by Al Gore in October 2000,{{cite news|title=Who let the dogs out|last=Nicholas|first=Jonathan|date=October 25, 2000|work=The Oregonian|page=D01}} the Twilight Criterium from 2002 to 2006 (attracting 10,000 spectators, moved in 2007 to the North Park Blocks due to construction),{{cite news|title=Flat course should speed up criterium|last=Herzog|first=Boaz|date=August 24, 2007|work=The Oregonian|page=E03}} a protest by about 150 people against the use of deadly force by Portland Police in a racially motivated traffic stop,{{cite news|title=Rally decries shooting with shouts, silence|last1=Rose|first1=Joseph|first2=Maxine|last2=Bernstein|date=April 24, 2004|work=The Oregonian|page=B01}} a march of grandmothers and mothers on Mother's Day 2004 titled "Mothers Acting Up",{{cite news|title=Grandmother plans march on Portland|last=Blackmun|first=Maya|date=May 4, 2004|work=The Oregonian|page=B03}}{{cite web|url=http://www.mothersactingup.org/|title=Mothers Acting Up|access-date=March 13, 2010|publisher=MothersActingUp.org|archive-date=March 15, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100315032908/http://www.mothersactingup.org/|url-status=live}} a reading of Pablo Neruda's poetry on the 100th anniversary of his birth (July 2004),{{cite news|title=Street scene: Neruda for Portland's masses|last=Ramos|first=Nestor|date=July 16, 2004|work=The Oregonian|page=AL07}}{{cite news|title=Get out five live|last=Stein|first=Rosemarie|date=July 9, 2004|work=The Oregonian|page=AL49}} a protest with 150 people to "mourn for the loss of our country" in November 2004 when John Kerry lost the 2004 presidential election,{{cite news|title=Election 2004: Gloom descends on Democrats|last1=Colburn|first1=Don|first2=Michelle|last2=Roberts|first3=Erin|last3=Barnett|first4=Esme|last4=Bermudez|first5=Shelby|last5=Oppel|first6=Joseph|last6=Rose|date=November 4, 2004|work=The Oregonian|page=D05}} a celebration of the Oregon State Quarter's launch in 2005,{{cite news|title=Coin of our realm|last=Krawczak|first=Jolene|date=June 14, 2005|work=The Oregonian|page=E01}}{{cite news|title=Celebrations planned for state quarter|date=May 3, 2005|agency=Associated Press}}{{cite news|title=New Oregon Quarter Release Will Promote Statewide Tourism and Benefit Crater Lake National Trust; Several Promotions Will Encourage Exploration and Support Economic Development|date=May 2, 2005|publisher=PR Newswire}}{{cite news|title=Oregon to make big splash as nation's deepest lake is featured on new state quarter|date=June 8, 2005|publisher=United States Department of the Treasury}} a parade titled "Procession for the Future" for "climate stabilization and ecological well-being", "worker dignity", "think outside the (water) bottle", "just security and global justice", as well as costumed George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Condoleezza Rice "dressed as jailbirds" held on March 4, 2008.{{cite web|url=http://backbonecampaign.org/page.cfm?id=129|access-date=March 12, 2010|publisher=backbonecampaign.org|title=Bring the Procession for the Future to Your Campus or Town!|archive-date=December 26, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071226203146/http://backbonecampaign.org/page.cfm?id=129|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=News Updates – In Portland|last=Green|first=Susan|date=March 13, 2008|work=The Oregonian}}

Other events have been held, including the Park Block Revels (held from 1972 to at least 1992), the Oregon Historical Society's Holiday Cheer and Authors Party,{{cite news|title=Park Blocks revels|last=Hunt|first=Phil|date=December 4, 1992|work=The Oregonian|page=AE24}} the Portland Poetry Festival (held from 1972 to at least 1992),{{cite news|title=Portland poets breathe life into imagination|last=Pintarich|first=Paul|date=August 7, 1992|work=The Oregonian|page=AE23}} Shakespeare-in-the-Park by the Portland Actors Ensemble,{{cite news|title=Get in the groove|last=Hunt|first=Phil|date=June 5, 1992|work=The Oregonian|page=AE33}} the Meier & Frank Holiday Parade (held from 1988 on),{{cite news|title=It's that season: Parade, glitter|date=November 28, 1991|work=The Oregonian|page=G01}} the Downtown Community Association's Ice Cream Social (held from 1990 to at least 1992),{{cite news|title=Portland Focus|date=August 22, 1991|work=The Oregonian}} Carifest, a party by the Caribbean Cultural Association, held from 1996 until at least 2003,{{cite news|title=Take a tropical vacation: sail on down to the Carifest culture celebration|last=Mahar|first=Ted|date=July 18, 2003|work=The Oregonian|page=AL51}}{{cite news|title=Try a tropical punch|last=Mahar|first=Ted|date=June 27, 2001|work=The Oregonian|page=AL47}} and PeaceQuake, "an event focused on refugee experiences and

alternatives to war", held by Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility in at least September 2002 and 2003.{{cite news|title=PeaceQuake draws attention to victims, destruction of war|last=Chuang|first=Angie|date=September 3, 2003|work=The Oregonian|page=D02}} In 2008, a local resident was known for wheeling her piano down an elevator and 1.5 blocks to the Park Blocks, setting it up and playing "Chopin under the trees."{{cite news|title=Chopin – for tips – in the park|last=Wood|first=Shelly|date=December 1, 2008|work=The Oregonian}} The Bicycle Transportation Alliance hosted a breakfast to support Bike to Work Month in May 2009.{{cite news|title=Bonus breakfast for bike commuters|last=Rose|first=Joseph|date=May 11, 2009|work=The Oregonian|page=A2}}

==Protests==

File:May Day rally, PDX, 2017 - 4.jpg

The South Park Blocks, especially near Portland State University, have been home to protests and marches. A workers' rights protest on May 1, 2000, organized by the May Day Coalition, gathered 300–400 people.{{cite news|title=Downtown protest turns ugly|last=Franzen|first=Robin|date=May 2, 2000|work=The Oregonian|page=A01}}{{cite news|title=Marchers say a protest became unruly because of a mass police presence, while officers say protesters bear the responsibility|last=Franzen|first=Robin|date=May 3, 2000|work=The Oregonian|page=A01}}{{cite news|title=Protesters say police used too much force|last=DuBois|first=Steven|date=May 3, 2000|agency=Associated Press}} Police chief Mark Kroeker said 19 people, some "dressed like anarchists and (carrying) gas masks" were arrested, and Portland Police used bean bag rounds, with fears of repeating the 1999 WTO riots in Seattle unless sufficient force was shown early.{{cite news|title=Portland police use force to try to break up protest|last=DuBois|first=Steven|date=May 2, 2000|agency=Associated Press}} The police declared emergency at 3:45 pm after a lit newspaper box was thrown at officers, then the police corralled the marchers into a smaller space with mounted officers and ordered them to disperse.{{cite news|title=Portland police arrest 19 protesters; Officers declare an emergency and fire beanbag rounds during a four-hour downtown showdown with 300 marchers|last=Franzen|first=Robin|date=May 2, 2000|work=The Oregonian|page=A01}} A protest march against the police action was held on May 4, 2000, stating that the show of force was excessive and contrary to the city's community policing ethos.{{cite news|title=Police contend show of force necessary to prevent violence|last=Bernstein|first=Maxine|date=May 5, 2000|work=The Oregonian|page=C05}} 23 complaints of excessive police force led to a large citywide hearing on June 28, 2000.{{cite news|title=Critics decry May Day review: Portland's police chief and marchers comment at a hearing on the protest|last=Bernstein|first=Maxine|date=June 29, 2000|work=The Oregonian|page=D01}} The 2009 May Day rally, supporting immigration reform, attracted 1500 people.{{cite news|title=Mellow May Day marches back immigration reform|last1=Har|first1=Janie|first2=Helen|last2=Jung|first3=Michael|last3=Russell|date=May 2, 2009|work=The Oregonian}}

In 2006, approximately 1,200 protesters, primarily Latino high-school age students joined by Jobs with Justice, took part in the 2006 United States immigration reform protests.{{cite news|title=Young Latinos add their voices to the immigration 'movimiento'|last=Chuang|first=Angie|date=April 14, 2006|work=The Oregonian|page=A01}}{{cite news|title=Hundreds march in solidarity with immigrants|last=Chuang|first=Angie|date=April 15, 2006|work=The Oregonian|page=B01}}{{cite news|title=Portland rally – Immigrant rights movement|last1=Kjellstrand|first1=Torsten|first2=Faith|last2=Cathcart|date=April 15, 2006|work=The Oregonian|page=B01}}{{cite news|title=Youthful marchers stress immigration issue|last=Frazier|first=Joseph B.|date=April 14, 2006|agency=Associated Press|location=Portland, Oregon}} In 2007, 15,000 protesters of all ages began a rally and march as part of the March 17, 2007 anti-war protest, including local activists affiliated with the radical Students for a Democratic Society.{{cite news|title=Rights activist sees disconnect in U.S., Iraq|last=Larabee|first=Mark|date=March 17, 2007|work=The Oregonian|page=A04}}{{cite news|title=After 4 years of war, Portland marchers want an end|last1=Rose|first1=Joseph|first2=Noelle|last2=Crombie|first3=Michael|last3=Rollins|first4=Stuart|last4=Tomlinson|date=March 19, 2007|work=The Oregonian|page=A01}}{{cite news|title=Anti-war protesters march in Portland, join national effort|last=Clark|first=Aaron|date=March 19, 2007|agency=Associated Press}}{{cite news|title=Campus radical group rises again|last=Graves|first=Bill|date=March 15, 2007|publisher=Newhouse News Service}} After a fringe group broke off from the protest and burned a US soldier in effigy, Michelle Malkin stated that "Portland hates America."{{cite news|title=Portland war protest photos light a fire on the Internet|last=Rose|first=Joseph|date=March 23, 2007|work=The Oregonian|page=B01}}{{cite news|title=Editorial – When protests backfire|date=May 22, 2007|work=The Oregonian|page=B06}} The Drudge Report, Lars Larson, and conservative blogs also commented on the effigy, and protest organizers with the American Friends Service Committee stated "We had a massive, peaceful demonstration against the killing and destruction going on every day in Iraq, a positive experience for thousands of people from different walks of life, and apparently the right-wing fringe is going to pick up that little portion."

Many protests and marches have been held in response to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. There were several anti-war rallies in 2001 through 2003,{{cite news|title=Nearly 500 march through downtown in anti-war protest|last=Oppenheimer|first=Laura|date=December 17, 2001|work=The Oregonian|page=C04}}{{cite news|title=Anti-war protesters march through Portland|date=March 29, 2003|agency=Associated Press}}{{cite news|title=Downtown protest|last=Brink|first=Benjamin|date=October 7, 2002|work=The Oregonian|page=A05}}{{cite news|title=Portland protest aims for peace|last=Blackmun|first=Maya|date=September 15, 2002|work=The Oregonian|page=B04}} including 20,000 at a January 18, 2003 rally, and 20,000–45,000 for the March 15, 2003 rally.{{cite news|title=Oregonians rally for peace|last1=Oppel|first1=Shelby|first2=Boaz|last2=Herzog|first3=Ashbel S.|last3=Green|first4=Alice|last4=Tallmadge|date=March 16, 2003|work=The Oregonian|page=A01}} Groups broke off from the protest to block roads and the Morrison Bridge; these splinter groups were broken up by the police. John Lewis spoke at the rally.{{cite news|title=Leader in civil rights at home at peace rally|last=Oppel|first=Shelby|date=March 15, 2003|work=The Oregonian|page=E01}}

Approximately 15,000 people protested the fourth anniversary of the war (March 2007).{{cite news|title=March today|date=March 15, 2008|work=The Oregonian|page=B03|quote=How many: Organizers expect about 8,000 people to participate. Last year's events drew an estimated 15,000.}} For the fifth anniversary, the Iraq Body Count Exhibit placed red and white flags in the South Park Blocks, signifying who had died between the Americans and Iraqis.{{cite news|title=Flags of remembrance|last=Wojahn|first=Brent|date=March 10, 2008|work=The Oregonian|page=B01}} There was a large fifth-anniversary protest and parade against the Iraq war ("thousands of protesters", March 2008),{{cite news|title=Five years of duty, dissent and war|last1=Roberts|first1=Michelle|first2=Annie|last2=Martin|date=March 16, 2008|work=The Oregonian|page=A01}} and a high school student protest against the war was held in March 2008, with 400 protesters.{{cite news|title=Students walk out of schools to protest war in Iraq|last=Martin|first=Annie|date=March 21, 2008|work=The Oregonian|page=B03}}

===Portland State strike and riot===

In May 1970, there was a Vietnam War protest held in the park blocks, held in response to the invasion of Cambodia and the Kent State Shootings.{{cite news|title=Far out, man: When the state threw a rock festival|last=Mahar|first=Ted|date=February 7, 2010|work=The Oregonian}}{{cite news|title=Portland State strikers sought changed world|last=Uris|first=Joe|date=May 6, 1990|work=The Oregonian|page=B01}}{{cite news|title=Protest anniversary stirs anger at long-past event|last=Boone|first=Jerry F.|date=May 25, 1995|work=The Oregonian}} Strikers barricaded streets surrounding the university and Park Blocks, causing them to become car-free, as they are now. Due in part to the Kent State Shootings on May 4, and 134 faculty members who had formally joined the strike, Portland State University was forced to close from May 6 to 11.{{cite news|title=Portland State recalls its protest 25 years ago|last=Christ|first=Janet|date=May 5, 1995|work=The Oregonian|page=C01}} By May 6, the protesters formed an underground newspaper, called the Wallposter, and had four demands: "U.S. out of S.E. Asia now; troops, cops off campus; free Bobby Seale; detoxify nerve gas." Posters with a logo were printed in the PSU Smith Center cafeteria, but protesters were evicted from the area by May 7 after a "wild, all-night party". On May 11, police officers charged{{cite news|title=Four dead in Ohio; PSU boils|last=Nicholas|first=Jonathan|date=March 10, 1995|work=The Oregonian|page=E01}} protesters and forcibly removed a symbolic hospital tent (a geodesic dome) placed on the blocks.{{cite news|title=Group plans PSU student strike retrospective|last=Christ|first=Janet|date=March 13, 1995|work=The Oregonian|page=B02}} 28 protesters were injured and taken to area hospitals, and four police officers were injured.{{cite news|title=Portland of years past|date=May 11, 1995|work=The Oregonian}} Lawsuits following the protest led to Portland Police agreeing to never use force against non-violent protesters in the future.

=Pedestrian access and renewal=

File:South Park Blocks at Salmon Street - Portland, Oregon.JPG

The southern end of the South Park Blocks were closed to cars in 1973, removing traffic from the blocks and the center of the university.{{cite web|url=http://www.pdx.edu/profile/visit-the-south-park-blocks|title=Visit the South Park Blocks|publisher=Portland State University|access-date=March 2, 2010|archive-date=May 28, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528232108/http://www.pdx.edu/profile/visit-the-south-park-blocks|url-status=live}}

The area was the focus of a Portland Development Commission urban renewal based on a 1982 master plan, becoming an urban renewal district in 1985, and expiring in July 2008.{{cite news|title=Renewal districts' fates ride on priorities|last=Frank|first=Ryan|date=May 30, 2006|work=The Oregonian|page=A01}}{{cite news|title=New downtown apartments dedicated|date=September 11, 1987|work=The Oregonian|page=PC04}}{{cite news|title=Central city plan|last=Mayer|first=James|date=March 25, 1988|work=The Oregonian|page=D08}} The park blocks underwent serious renovations in 1987, adding plazas, large flower beds, lighting and irrigation, and newly paved sidewalks.{{cite news|title=Neighborhood to celebrate completion of South Park Blocks renovation work|last=Richards|first=Suzanne|date=November 30, 1987|work=The Oregonian|page=B02}} Several apartment complexes specifically aimed at the middle class were built, including the University Park Apartments (125 units, $10.5 million, quickly sold and converted to condos), South Park Square Apartments (184 units, $16 million, completed May 1988), and Tom Mesher's Gallery Park Apartments (31 units, $3 million).{{cite news|title=Pension fund plans apartment buys|last=Mayes|first=Steve|date=June 16, 1990|work=The Oregonian|page=E04}}{{cite news|title=Apartment building planned for South Park Blocks|last=Laatz|first=Joan|date=October 8, 1987|work=The Oregonian|page=E04}}{{cite news|title=Park Blocks apartments take shape|last=Shaw|first=Larry|date=February 20, 1988|work=The Oregonian|page=E01}} In 1987, the New Theater Building of the Portland Center for the Performing Arts was completed immediately next door to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.{{cite news|title=Architecture for art's sake new arts center fits gracefully between glitter of Broadway, quiet of Park Blocks|last=Johnson|first=Barry|date=August 23, 1987|work=The Oregonian}} The South Park Blocks Association, a commercial and institutional association, was started at that time, to attract residents and consumers to the area and to address security concerns.{{cite news|title=Effort set to draw more people to South Park Blocks|date=March 28, 1988|work=The Oregonian}}

=Crime=

File:South Park Blocks - Thomas Jefferson - Theodore Roosevelt - cameramen - Portland Oregon.jpg of Abraham Lincoln]]

A report in 1990 said the blocks were being "held hostage" by the homeless, mainly "aggressive panhandlers, stumbling drunks, violent drug users and the unpredictable mentally ill."{{cite news|title=Running out of patience|last=Lane|first=Dee|date=May 27, 1990|work=The Oregonian|page=B01}} Reports in the mid-1990s said "Downtown Portland had become a drug supermarket", with "marijuana and LSD ... being dealt openly in the South Park Blocks," and that the South Park Blocks, especially near the Lincoln statue, were home to "The Park People", who littered, used drugs, and damaged property.{{cite news|title=The park people|last=Maves|first=Norm Jr.|date=August 28, 1995|work=The Oregonian|page=B01}}{{cite news|title=Police zero in on drug dealers|last=Anderson|first=David|date=October 16, 1996|work=The Oregonian|page=B01}} Youth reported they had moved to the South Park Blocks because they had been kicked out of Pioneer Courthouse Square and O'Bryant Square. A child molester known as "Krusty the Troll" who preyed on homeless teens in the South Park Blocks, was charged with 79 counts of sex crimes in 1996.{{cite news|title=Police say man gave girls food, cash for posing nude|date=September 7, 1996|work=The Oregonian|page=D08}}{{cite news|title=Accused molester will be arraigned on 79 charges|date=September 13, 1996|work=The Oregonian|page=B09}} There was a major police sweep of the Park Blocks in 1996 for ordinances such as sitting on the Abraham Lincoln statue, marijuana possession, littering, and loud radios.{{cite news|title=Park Blocks sweep|date=August 20, 1996|work=The Oregonian}}{{cite news|title=Sweeping the Parks (editorial)|date=August 3, 1996|work=The Oregonian}}{{cite news|title=Some Park Blocks' users threaten health, livability of central city|last=Mandel|first=Irwin and Lili|date=August 10, 1996|work=The Oregonian|page=B05}}{{cite news|title=Sweeping the Park Blocks|last=Anderson|first=David R.|date=August 2, 1996|work=The Oregonian|page=B02}}

Downtown crime was down 30% from 1996 to 2003, and down 7% from 2004 to 2005.{{cite news|title=It's safer downtown, mayor's office says|last=Prince|first=Seth|date=December 7, 2006|work=The Oregonian}} Due to crime, Mayor Tom Potter declared a 9 pm curfew in 2005, stating walking is allowed, but "no one will be allowed to loiter, harass visitors or use the park as their personal camp."{{cite news|title=Potter pledges safer downtown|last=Griffin|first=Anna|author2=Ryan Frank |date=October 12, 2005|work=The Oregonian|page=A01}}{{cite news|title=Downtown confronts its fears|last1=Wilson|first1=Kimberly A.C.|first2=Spencer|last2=Heinz|date=October 16, 2005|work=The Oregonian|page=D01}}{{cite news|title=Mayor Potter comments on downtown security|date=October 11, 2005|work=US States News}} The Oregonian stated the curfew was due to a "verbally aggressive" in the area, after the group was displaced from the Burnside Bridge by the Big Pipe Project.{{cite news|title=South Park Blocks complaints draw officers|last=Beaven|first=Stephen|date=October 1, 2005|work=The Oregonian|page=B03}}{{cite news|title=Downtown plan aimed at panhandlers, drug dealers|last=Frank|first=Ryan|date=October 11, 2005|work=The Oregonian|page=A01}} The curfew was still in effect in February 2006, when it was spread to other downtown parks, citing the reduction in drug dealing that was occurring in the South Park Blocks.{{cite news|title=Neighborhood renewal reaching for its core|last=Yim|first=Su-jin|date=February 9, 2006|work=The Oregonian|page=PZ10}}{{cite news|title=Curfew will blanket 5 downtown parks|last=Herzog|first=Boaz|date=January 24, 2006|work=The Oregonian|page=B01}}

In 2006, students from the Art Institute of Portland used stencils to advertise a concert for the Oregon Food Bank. The students believed they were using spray chalk, but after completion, they learned they were actually using spray paint. The students were told that even temporary markings count as graffiti, and the students offered to remove the paint and apologize to businesses affected. Criminal charges were not filed.{{cite news|title=Accidental taggers mark up downtown sidewalks|last=Leeson|first=Fred|date=May 26, 2006|work=The Oregonian|page=D01}}

Notable places and public art

File:Theodore Roosevelt statue on Park Blocks, Portland - cropped.jpg's Theodore Roosevelt, Rough Rider (1922) in 2016]]

Portland State University buildings near the park include the Peter Stott Center, Branford Price Millar Library, Lincoln Hall, and Ladd Carriage House. The Ladd Tower, Oregon Historical Society, Portland Art Museum, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, and the Arlington Club are also nearby.

Every block contains public art, such as Shemanski Fountain (1926), designed by Carl L. Linde, with drinking wells, including special drinking wells for dogs.{{cite news|title=Finding dogs' spots outdoors|last=Hauser|first=Susan|date=July 28, 2006|work=The Oregonian|page=DM02}}{{cite news|title=Shemanski Fountain will flow again after renovation|last=Richards|first=Suzanne|date=July 18, 1988|work=The Oregonian}}{{cite news|title=Historic 1910 building sparked up the town|last=Sullivan|first=Ann|date=April 3, 1989|work=The Oregonian}} Other art includes Paul Sutinen's In the Shadow of the Elm (built into the pavement),{{cite news|title=No gloom as the shadow elm passes|last=Maves|first=Norm Jr.|date=March 8, 1995|work=The Oregonian|page=B02}}{{cite news|title=City fighting for its streets|last=Gragg|first=Randy|date=September 29, 1996|work=The Oregonian|page=D04}} and three large blocks of granite titled Peace Chant (1984). Two large statues are in the block: a $40,000, {{convert|18|ft}} bronze equestrian statue called Theodore Roosevelt, Rough Rider, designed by Alexander Phimister Proctor, commissioned by Roosevelt's personal friend and Portlander Henry Waldo Coe and added in 1922, and one of Abraham Lincoln, "facing north, slump-shouldered and pensive", added in 1928, commissioned by Coe in 1926, sculpted by George Fife Waters.{{cite book|last=Snyder|first=Eugene E.|title=Portland Potpourri|publisher=Binford & Mort|location=Portland, Oregon|year=1991|pages=73–79|isbn=0-8323-0493-X}}{{cite news|title=The good doctor's RX for PDX: Teddy, Joan, George and Abe|last=Terry|first=John|date=January 11, 1998|work=The Oregonian|page=D04}}{{cite news|title='The Rough Rider' a bit rough around the edges|last=Christ|first=Janet|date=June 23, 2000|work=The Oregonian|page=C03}}{{cite news|title=Century-old war hero undergoes a rehab job|last=Christ|first=Janet|date=August 10, 2001|work=The Oregonian|page=B03}}{{cite news|title=Abe, Art and Age|last=Maves|first=Norm Jr.|date=October 15, 1995|work=The Oregonian|page=C1}}

Notable residents

Terence O'Donnell – author{{cite news|title=Seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary; "The Stuff of Dreams" will premiere at the Portland Art Museum with decorative items from a Paris museum|last=Hicks|first=Bob|date=March 18, 2001|work=The Oregonian}}{{cite news|title=Terrence O'Donnell: On Portland's walking spirit|last=Gragg|first=Randy|date=November 27, 1998|work=The Oregonian|page=AE05}}

Current events

File:Portland farmers market central looking ne P2561.jpeg

A portion of the park typically hosts the summer commencement ceremony for Portland State University students. In 2008, 550 students participated in the ceremony, and it was held rain or shine.{{cite news|title=PSU Summer Commencement, August|date=August 5, 2008|publisher=Newswire}} PSU also hosts an annual Party in the Park every fall after the school year begins.{{cite news|title=Candidates to answer questions, take part in forum at Oct. 1 event at Portland State|date=September 17, 1992|work=The Oregonian}}

=Portland Farmers Market=

The primary Portland Farmers Market location, held in the South Park Blocks every Saturday from March to December attracts up to 14,000 people per weekend to the local food booths.{{cite news|title=Markets' growing challenge|last=Brinckman|first=Jonathan|date=June 2, 2007|work=The Oregonian|page=A01}}{{cite news|title=The Oregonian on farm-direct marketing|date=May 5, 2005|agency=Associated Press|work=The Oregonian}} It was originally held at Broadway and Naito beginning in 1992, but moved to the Park Blocks in 1998.{{cite news|title=Something old, something new for Portland Farmers Market|date=May 7, 1998|work=The Oregonian|page=HG15}}{{cite news|title=Market Time|last=O'Brien|first=Kyle|date=May 29, 1998|work=The Oregonian|page=AE04}} A smaller market is held at the north end of the blocks on Wednesdays, and was held in Pioneer Courthouse Square until 1998.{{cite news|title=Farrell & Eddy Clothes Store, 95 Years Old, Plans to Close / Cities & Suburbs|date=May 8, 1998|work=The Oregonian|page=B03}}

The Saturday South Park Blocks location has been very popular, and has been credited with helping "make the city a national food destination".{{cite news|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/dining/index.ssf/2010/01/portland_farmers_market_expand.html|title=Farmers market grows just like its fresh produce|last=Brooks|first=Karen|date=January 29, 2010|work=The Oregonian|access-date=March 10, 2010|archive-date=February 2, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100202052052/http://www.oregonlive.com/dining/index.ssf/2010/01/portland_farmers_market_expand.html|url-status=live}} Beginning in March 2009, dogs were banned from the market, due to "some unfortunate incidents with dogs – tripping people, urinating on food, snatching muffins out of kids' hands".{{cite news|title=Portland Farmers Market bans pets|date=March 8, 2009|agency=Associated Press|location=Portland, Oregon}} Other satellite locations still allow pets.{{cite news|title=Vancouver Farmers Market to keep going to dogs: Bazaar in Portland opts to ban pooches|last=Middlewood|first=Erin|date=March 11, 2009|work=The Columbian}} The Saturday location was doubled in size for the 2010 season.