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Dawson Park is a historic
Dawson Park was designed by
urban 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 (United Kingdom, UK), is a park or botanical garden in cities, densely populated suburbia and oth ...
in north 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, ...
, in the United States. The park is located at Stanton Street and North Williams Avenue
North Williams Avenue is a north–south street located in Portland, Oregon, United States, and it defines the eastern boundary of Neighborhoods of Portland, Oregon#North, North Portland. North Williams Avenue stretches from its southern terminu ...
.
History
Dawson Park was designed by Florence Holmes Gerke
Florence Holmes Gerke (1896–1964) was an American landscape architect and newspaper editor.
Early life and education
Florence Holmes Hill was born in Portland, Oregon, February 16, 1898. Her father was Joseph A. Hill. Her mother, Edith Knight Ho ...
, and acquired by 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 ...
in 1921.
In November 2013, a $2.6 million renovation began, resulting in the park's closure for nearly a year. City officials, aware of gentrification of the surrounding neighborhood, utilized community input to avoid ruining the park's role as a gathering place favored by African Americans. The upgraded park now includes a new playground and interactive water feature, enhanced accessibility and lighting, and new barbecue and picnic areas. Dawson Park also features double-sided artistic medallions designed by Isaka Shamsud-Din, with traditional African patterns on one side and depictions of the neighborhood on the opposite side. Additionally, the twelve artistic "story boulders" were added to the park to help preserve its history.
See also
*African Americans in Oregon
African Americans in Oregon or Black Oregonians are residents of the state of Oregon who are of African American ancestry. In 2017, there were an estimated 91,000 African Americans in Oregon.
History
Black people likely began arriving in Oreg ...
* List of parks in Portland, Oregon
The city of Portland, Oregon, has more than of public parks and other natural areas,
Portland is home to one of the largest municipal parks in the United States, Forest Park (Portland, Oregon), Forest Park, as well as the world's smallest par ...
References
External links
* {{Parks in Portland, Oregon 1921 establishments in Oregon African-American history in Portland, Oregon Eliot, Portland, Oregon Parks in North Portland, Oregon Protected areas established in 1921