Cathedral Park is a

city park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a city park, municipal park (North America), public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park or botanical garden in cities, densely populated suburbia and other incorporate ...

in the eponymous neighborhood of northern

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, on the east shore of the

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward ...

. The park is situated under the St. Johns Bridge, and was given its name due to the

pointed arch A pointed arch, ogival arch, or Gothic arch is an arch with a pointed crown meet at an angle at the top of the arch. Also known as a two-centred arch, its form is derived from the intersection of two circles. This architectural element was partic ...

es that support the bridge, which resemble those in

Gothic cathedrals Gothic cathedrals and churches are religious buildings constructed in Europe in Gothic style between the mid-12th century and the beginning of the 16th century. The cathedrals are notable particularly for their great height and their extensive u ...

History

The land the park occupies was originally part of the city of St. Johns. The St. Johns Bridge opened in 1931, but at that time there was no park. In August 1949, a fifteen-year-old girl named Thelma Taylor was kidnapped and murdered under the bridge in the space where the park now exists. According to local folklore, due to this, the park is supposedly haunted. In 1968, the city acquired the land under the bridge, which became a dumping ground. Residents then raised $7.5 million in the 1970s to build a park on the site, which opened on May 3, 1980. A sculpture by Donald Fels was added to the park in 2008, entitled "Drawing on the River". In August 2013, the amphitheater hosted the final "Trek in the Park" performance put on by the Atomic Arts group. The boat ramp was used as a staging area for protests in 2015 against the MSV ''Fennica'', an icebreaker used by

Shell Oil Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company, headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New Y ...

Recreation

The park contains several walking trails, picnic benches, as well as a floating dock that extends onto the Willamette River. It also is home to a small outdoor stage, where the city has held an annual summer

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

festival since 1980. The Cathedral Park Jazz Fest is the oldest free jazz festival west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

. Cathedral Park also contains a boat ramp on the north end of the park. It is considered a popular location for weddings. In 2021, Human Access Project (HAP) led an effort to remove 25 tons of concrete and rubble from the river's edge of Cathedral Park with help from partners and volunteers. In 2022, HAP and

Portland Parks & Recreation Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) is a Bureau of the City of Portland, Oregon that manages the city parks, natural areas, recreational facilities, gardens, and trails; properties that occupy more than in total. The bureau employs a total of 4,36 ...

designated six safer swimming areas on the Willamette River: Audrey McCall Beach, Cathedral Park Beach, Kevin Duckworth Memorial Dock, Poet's Beach, Sellwood Riverfront ParkBeach, and Tom McCall Bowl Beach. In 2013, HAP partnered with Green Anchors, other partner organizations and 200+ volunteers to remove 100 tons of concrete and rock from the south end of Cathedral Park Beach. June 29, 2024 HAP held its first “Cathedral Park Riverfest” in celebration of the installation of a new swimming and fishing dock at Cathedral Park. HAP said it will hopefully start a new era where the public uses the park to recreate in the Willamette River. Located just under the Cathedral Bridge in the St. John’s neighborhood, the dock is the culmination of years of efforts to increase access to the water for one of the more industrial parts of the city. The cleanup has been years in the making, Levenson says. Volunteers got rid of about 25 tons of strewn concrete in 2021. Another 150 volunteers and some heavy equipment moved out another 125 tons in 2023 as plans came together for the new dock, part of a partnership involving Portland Parks & Recreation and HAP’s $300,000 grant through the

American Rescue Plan Act The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, also called the COVID-19 Stimulus Package or American Rescue Plan, is a Stimulus (economics), economic stimulus bill passed by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President of the Unite ...

(ARPA). The Cathedral Park beach had long been uninviting to swimmers, both because of the aging dock and piles of concrete along the shore which was removed by HAP between 2021-2023.

References

External links

Trees of Cathedral Park
{{Parks in Portland, Oregon 1980 establishments in Oregon Cathedral Park, Portland, Oregon Parks in North Portland, Oregon Protected areas established in 1980 Reportedly haunted locations in Portland, Oregon

History

Recreation

See also

References

External links