Westmoreland Park is a municipal park located in the
Westmoreland area of southeast
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 ...
's
Westmoreland neighborhood, United States.
The property for the park was acquired in 1936 and encompasses .
[ Located along McLoughlin Boulevard, the park straddles Crystal Springs Creek just downstream from the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden. The park is operated by Portland Parks & Recreation and includes sports fields, a playground, and pond.][
]
History
Prior to becoming a park, the land where Westmoreland Park sits was used for farming, a golf course, and even a landing strip.[ The landing strip was originally known as simply aviation field, but in October 1919 became Broomfield Aviation Field.]Reed College
Reed College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus in the Eastmoreland neighborhood, with Tudor-Gothic style architecture, and a forested canyon nature preserve at ...
, Hugh Broomfield, who was a pilot who died during World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
while in combat.[ In 1936, the city bought from the Oregon Iron & Steel Company for use as a park, with Francis Benedict Jacobberger then commissioned to develop a plan for the new park.][ Among other things, the plan called for a lagoon and pond that were to be used as ]ice rink
An ice rink (or ice skating rink) is a frozen body of water and/or an artificial sheet of ice created using hardened chemicals where people can ice skate or play winter sports. Ice rinks are also used for exhibitions, contests and ice shows. The ...
s in winter.[ Construction began on the park the same year, with labor provided by the ]Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...
.[ The casting pond was completed that year, but about June 1937 other construction halted due to funding, but resumed in July 1939.][ A baseball stadium was added in 1942, which was named as Sckavone Field in 1955.][ Lawn bowling was added in 1945, and a restroom in 1949.][
After repeated flooding issues and the degradation of the water infrastructure in the park, a new master plan was developed to re-imagine the natural water features, which the plan was completed in 2003.][ The project included conversion of the duck pond into wetlands, the installation of a nature-based playground featuring boulders and logs, and the addition of more paths.][
]
Amenities
The park has a variety of sports features including a baseball diamonds, a football field, a soccer field, and a softball field.[ The southern end of the park is occupied by Sckavone Stadium, which is used for baseball.][ Other features include a playground, paths, picnic area and tables, and a restroom.][ '']Uroboros
The ouroboros or uroboros () is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail. The ouroboros entered Western tradition via ancient Egyptian iconography and the Greek magical tradition. It was adopted as a symbol in Gnos ...
'' is an outdoor sculpture by Charles Kibby, installed in 1979.
See also
* List of parks in Portland, Oregon
The city of Portland, Oregon, has more than of public parks and other natural areas, including one of the largest municipal parks in the United States, Forest Park. Many are managed by Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R). One of the smallest ...
References
External links
*
{{Sellwood-Moreland, Portland, Oregon
1936 establishments in Oregon
Parks in Portland, Oregon
Protected areas established in 1936
Sellwood-Moreland, Portland, Oregon
Works Progress Administration in Oregon