Pioneer Courthouse Square History

Sitting on the brick steps of Pioneer Courthouse Square (PCS)—Portland Oregon’s most beloved downtown block—you know you’ve arrived at the citizens’ home.  In the heart of the city, hundreds of people gather in small groups, others sit alone.  Hipsters sip lattes. Artists draw.  Writers write.  Families play.  They come for the energy.  The history.  The sun breaks.  The diversity.  The activity.  Over the years, others, too, have come to picnic, to celebrate, to mourn, to vote, to protest, to find inspiration, to dance, to catch a ride, to relive memories and create new ones.

This 1.5 acre plaza in the heart of downtown Portland is a community vision that’s manifested into one of the most adored, studied and imitated, successful models of public open spaces in the country.  Its birth and continued success is a story of people moved to action, inspired by a vision of a better city. 

The site’s history is rich.  In 1849, a shoemaker purchased the property for $24 and a pair of boots.  Since then, it’s been a school house (1858), a renowned hotel where seven Presidents stayed (1890), a parking garage (1951), and finally, after ten years of planning, fundraising and dreaming, PCS was dedicated in 1984.  Since then, it hosts over 300 programmed events each year, and hundreds more spontaneously.

A Common Vision

The first glimmer of PCS came in the 1960’s when Meier & Frank proposed an 11-story parking garage for the site.  The property, owned by the department store mogul, was already a two-story parking structure.  Met with intense public dissent, the project was denied by the City of Portland.  This denial, as well as the citizens’ desire for pubic open space rather than parking, typified the ensuing battle between public and private interests, and served as the impetus of Portland’s 1972 Downtown Plan.  After a critical deal was struck, offering the department store two new parking structures nearby, the land was purchased by the City for public open space.

With hopes of returning Portland to a pedestrian-oriented environment, the City kicked off the Downtown Plan by hosting an international competition to find a designer.  In true Portland spirit, a team of local architects and landscape architects prevailed over world-renowned architects for the privileged assignment.  In collaboration with authors and historians, the team accepted the significant responsibility of creating a public square on the most high-profile piece of property in the Pacific Northwest.

Once the players were selected, months were spent designing a space that was both highly-functional and aesthetically pleasing.  When the plan was presented publicly, it was immediately met with opposition—many developers and financial supporters saw the property’s potential through a different lens, rebuking the proposed open, accessible, and all-inclusive space that would be flexible to accommodate a wide range of activities.  Instead, they desired a more enclosed environment that would keep out “undesirables.”  A funding crisis ensued.

In 1981, the Mayor announced that plans for PCS were dead, galvanizing supporters who immediately established the non-profit organization, Friends of the Square.  Their mission: to raise the $1,500,000 needed to secure a Federal Matching Grant for the construction.  A year later, through grassroots fundraising efforts, selling individual bricks with donors’ names engraved for the hardscape of the plaza, the goal was reached.   The community had spoken—the plaza could not be stopped.  The 45,000 bricks sold are still there today.

Portland’s Living Room

The first managed public open space in the nation, PCS, through unprecedented community effort, was dedicated on April 6, 1984, Portland’s birthday.  The lead designer called the project a “downtown living room for the people of Portland.”  Accommodating an estimated 7.5 million users each year, PCS is more than a place people pass through on their way to work—for many, it’s like home.

An entire city block, PCS is located across the street from the historic Pioneer Courthouse.  With numerous site-specific design challenges, the team successfully created a flexible open space that remains alive at all hours of the day.  At first glance, the most noticeable element of the square is the large central plaza laid with red herringbone bricks, but the day-to-day life of the space is seen in the smaller spaces that surround the plaza.  The crossroads of the MAX light rail, the hierarchy of rooms and the mixed-use commercial space were all planned with community in mind; a functional place for the people.  Additionally, the designers took advantage of the site’s 17-foot grade change by incorporating two amphitheaters that face the open plaza.  The amphitheaters are anchored by a waterfall fountain that becomes a dynamic focal point for the space.  It frames the Portland Visitor Association Information Office, which hosts a theater, a visitor’s center, the TriMet ticket office and public restrooms.  Sitting on the upper level, a bronze and glass restaurant pavilion is home to Starbuck’s flagship coffeeshop.  The sixteen monumental columns, marking the north and south edges of PCS, buffer the light rail stations.  Also carefully incorporated, art and elements of history were placed throughout.  Several bronze sculptures, built-in chessboards, and interactive art pieces continually provide entertainment and amusement, while, perhaps most compelling, the wrought iron Portland Hotel gate was salvaged and relocated exactly where is once stood years ago.  

Urban Chameleon

With the hundreds of events held each year including concerts, product roll-outs, festivals, political rallies, presidential speeches, and the annual Christmas tree lighting, PCS accommodates large crowds for planned events, as well as the daily activities of individuals and small groups.  Strategically, the designers considered the full range of social, political, and economic interactions that could occur there.  The ample seating and sunny exposure make it a favorite spot for the downtown workers’ lunch break.  The center plaza is used for open-air cultural and recreation events year-round.  These include sandcastle contests, concerts, and the Festival of Flowers, a temporary floral display designed by local architects, landscape architects, and artists—a continuation of the original design team’s spirit of collaboration.  At the end of the festival, the potted flowers are sold to the community with proceeds going toward the maintenance of PCS.

Through the years, PCS has maintained its original shape, character and intent, remaining the cornerstone of Portland planning and development.  PCS has also sparked economic resurgence in the downtown core.  The surrounding buildings now host retail at the ground level and offer mixed-uses above.  New office towers and high-end retail malls have been built in neighboring blocks, attracting more people downtown.The significance of this project goes beyond the vitality it brings to Portland.  The all-inclusive cultural vortex is recognized nationally as a model for public open space that’s not only well-executed and cohesive in design, but continually enhanced by its management strategy.

Recognized by Time magazine as one of the “ten most notable design achievements” in the country, PCS has become a landmark not only in Portland, but across the country.  They wrote that the square “manages to be formal and dignified yet lively.  It accommodates crowds but also yields intimate spaces with the help of different levels, a colonnade and a fountain to splash in.”  Similar accolades continue to resonate in the press today. 

A source of intense civic pride, PCS will remain a Portland hallmark.  For generations to come, morning, noon and night, it will draw the community back home, to the heart of the city.

(Text and photos courtesy of Walker Macy Landscape Architects)

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