Darcelle XV Plaza (formerly O'Bryant Square) is a square that was a small park and fountain at the intersection of Southwest Park Avenue and Southwest Harvey Milk Street in downtown

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

, in the United States. It received the current name in July 2023. It was named after Hugh O'Bryant, Portland's first mayor. The park has also been known as "Paranoid Park", "Paranoia Park", "Needle Park", and "Crack Park". Aaron Mesh, writing for ''

Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history ''Willame ...

'' on an article discussing plans for a park space in Northwest District described city's reluctance to commit to a plaza because "junkie haven O'Bryant Square, or "Paranoid Park"—have been a security hassle."

History and features

In 1971, the property was donated to the city by Mr. and Mrs. William E. Roberts, having once contained a quarter-block building and surface parking. Development of the park and underground parking cost $1.25 million, backed by federal grants and bonds built on the projected parking revenue. The square and fountain were dedicated in 1973."Downtown square dedicated". (December 7, 1973). ''The Oregonian'', Section 1, p. 33. The park was popular in both the business and planning communities and in 1976, received a national design award from the

United States Department of Housing and Urban Development The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the Secretary of Housing and Ur ...

Laurie Olin Laurie Olin (born 1938, Marshfield, Wisconsin) is an American landscape architect. He has worked on landscape design projects at diverse scales, from private residential gardens to public parks and corporate/museum campus plans. Early life Olin g ...

was brought on to redesign the park in 2006 when he was designing

Director Park Director Park (officially Simon and Helen Director Park) is a city park in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. Opened in 2009 at a cost of $9.5 million, it covers a 700-space underground parking garage, which connects underground to the Fox T ...

. Olin called O'Bryant "a real ugly duckling". In 2007, ''The Oregonian'' called it "a relic of 1970s urban design". In March 2018, the park was closed indefinitely by the City of Portland, citing safety concerns related to structural issues in the underground parking garage. On 12 April 2023, Portland leaders voted to demolish the plaza. On July 13, 2023, the park was renamed Darcelle XV Plaza.

References

External links

* {{Parks in Portland, Oregon 1973 establishments in Oregon Garages (parking) in the United States Parks in Portland, Oregon Protected areas established in 1973 Southwest Portland, Oregon