 Pioneer Courthouse Square.
 Another view of the square. Pioneer Courthouse Square, affectionately known as Portland's Living Room, is a public space occupying a full 40,000 ft² (3700 m²) city block in the center of downtown Portland, Oregon. The square is bounded by Southwest Morrison Street on the north, Southwest 6th Avenue on the east, Southwest Yamhill Street on the south, and Southwest Broadway on the west. Image File history File linksMetadata Pioneersqcourthouse. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Pioneersqcourthouse. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Pioneer_Sq_Portland_Oregon. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Pioneer_Sq_Portland_Oregon. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Gathering place. ...
City Blocks are a part of the fictional universe recounted in the Judge Dredd series that appears in the UK comic book 2000 AD. // Overview Also known as starscrapers or stratoscrapers (compare skyscraper), they are the most common form of mass-housing in Mega-City One, averaging a population of...
Nickname: City of Roses, Stumptown, Bridgetown, PDX Location in Multnomah County and the state of Oregon Coordinates: Country United States State Oregon County Multnomah County Incorporated February 8, 1851 Mayor Tom Potter Area - City 376. ...
Features and use
On Morrison and Yamhill streets are sheltered MAX light rail stops. On the Yamhill Street side are towering classical columns which progressively topple over like those of an ancient ruin. There is also a cascading waterfall feature which frames the entrance to a public information center. The center of the square is arranged like an amphitheater, with a semi-circle of approximately two dozen steps serving as seats when the square is used for musical performances or other events. When not used for events, it is a place where citizens congregate, eat lunch, talk, juggle or play hacky sack. On many days you'll find buskers lining the edges of the square. There are also many outdoor chess tables stationed in the northwest corner of the park. A number of food carts, including longtime fixture Shelly's Garden Burritos, can also be found in the square throughout the year. Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) is a light rail system in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. ...
The name amphitheatre (alternatively amphitheater) is given to a public building of the Classical period (being particularly associated with ancient Rome) which was used for spectator sports, games and displays. ...
A typical freestyle footbag. ...
Busking is the practice of doing live performances in public places to entertain people, usually to solicit donations and tips. ...
Chess is an abstract strategy board game and mind sport for two players. ...
Art One of the more recognized pieces of public art in Portland is Seward Johnson's Allow Me, often popularly referred to as Umbrella Man. It is on the south side of the square, just above the amphitheater. Allow Me is a bronze statue of a man in a business suit, holding an umbrella and welcoming you with a friendly gesture. Seward Johnson (born 1930), also known as J. Seward Johnson, Jr. ...
Assorted ancient Bronze castings found as part of a cache, probably intended for recycling. ...
Another public art installation, the Weather Machine, consists of a tall metal column topped with a large silver-colored orb. At noon each day, the following day's weather is announced with a fanfare of trumpets, flashing lights, and a spray of mist. The orb opens to reveal one of the following: A fanfare is a short piece of music played by trumpets and other brass instruments, frequently accompanied by percussion, usually for ceremonial purposes. ...
- a golden sun, for a clear day;
- a great blue heron, to forecast a rainy day;
- an open-mouthed dragon, when storms are forecast.
Light bulbs on the side of the machine are reminiscent of a mercury thermometer and light up progressively as the temperature increases. Binomial name Ardea herodias Linnaeus, 1758 The Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias, is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, common all over North and Central America as well as the West Indies and the Galápagos, except in deserts and high mountains where there is no water for...
Saint George versus the dragon, Gustave Moreau, c. ...
Events Dozens of events are held here each year, including free shows during spring and summer, sponsored by local businesses. Events held in the square are usually all age. In 2006 the square played host to an all-city pillow fight, and later an all-city slumber party. Pioneer Courthouse Square is a venue for speeches, political demonstrations, rallies and vigils. By Thanksgiving, a tall Christmas tree occupies the center of the square, with a tree-lighting ceremony held each year on the Friday evening after Thanksgiving. Another Christmas event in the square is Tuba Christmas. This is a celebration featuring nearly 200 tuba and euphonium players who perform a medley of holiday songs. An annual New Year's Eve celebration is also held there. Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is an annual one-day holiday to give thanks, traditionally to God, for the things one has at the close of the harvest season. ...
The tuba is the largest of the low-brass instruments and is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the ophicleide. ...
The euphonium is a conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument. ...
New Years Eve is December 31, the final day of the Gregorian year, and the day before New Years Day, New Years Eve is a separate observance from the observance of New Years Day. ...
On June 27, 2006, Pioneer Courthouse Square held one of the largest gatherings in its history, with approximately 8,500 fans filling the public square to pay tribute the recently crowned 2006 NCAA College World Series Baseball Champion Oregon State Beavers. June 27 is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 187 days remaining. ...
2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The College World Series is the tournament which determines the NCAA Division I collegiate baseball champion. ...
The Oregon State Beavers is a name shared by all sports teams at Oregon State University, which is located in Corvallis, Oregon in the United States. ...
History The square is named after the Pioneer Courthouse, an 1875 federal building occupying the block directly east of the square. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1796x1080, 926 KB) Flag of Portland, Oregon, flying in Pioneer Courthouse Square. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1796x1080, 926 KB) Flag of Portland, Oregon, flying in Pioneer Courthouse Square. ...
Flag of Portland, OR (2002-present) The city flag of Portland, Oregon consists of a green field on which is placed a white four-pointed directional star from which radiate blue stripes, each bordered by L-shaped yellow elements. ...
A town square is an open area commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings. ...
Pioneer Courthouse The Pioneer Courthouse in Portland, Oregon is the oldest federal building in the Pacific Northwest. ...
1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...
The square itself dates back to 1856, when the city purchased land which included the site as the location for Central School. The school was moved in 1883 when plans were made for a major hotel on the site in response to the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad. After delays due to a recession, the 17-story Portland Hotel was completed on the site in 1890. 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...
1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...
Northern Pacific Railway Categories: Stub | Defunct railroad companies of the United States | Idaho railroads | Minnesota railroads | Montana railroads | North Dakota railroads | Oregon railroads | Washington railroads | Wisconsin railroads ...
A recession is usually defined in macroeconomics as a fall of a countrys real Gross Domestic Product in two or more successive quarters of a year. ...
1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ...
The hotel was the center of the city's social activity for the first half of the 20th century. In 1951, the hotel was torn down and a two-story parking lot was built. An original archway and gatework from the hotel were conscientiously made part of the square's design and are found today on the south side of the square. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999...
1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ...
In the early 1970s, a comprehensive downtown plan proposed that the site become dedicated public space. By early 1980, a design competition was announced, seeking proposals for what was to become Pioneer Courthouse Square. Out of 162 submissions, five finalists emerged, from firms based in New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco/Los Angeles, Boston, and Portland. The Portland team, including chief designer Willard Martin, was selected. Their design received an "Architectural Design Citation" from Progressive Architecture magazine in 1981. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ...
1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...
Nickname: Big Apple, City that never Sleeps, Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Manhattan Queens Brooklyn Staten Island Settled 1613 Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area - City 1,214. ...
Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Area - City 369. ...
Nickname: The City by the Bay; Fog City Location of the City and County of San Francisco, California Coordinates: Country United States of America State California City-County San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom Area - City 122 km² (47 sq mi) - Land 121. ...
Nickname: City of Angels Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Area - City 1,290. ...
Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area - City 232. ...
1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Funding problems surfaced after the design was completed. Portland mayor Frank Ivancie led some downtown business owners and other influential citizens in opposing the concept of an open (instead of enclosed) public square, based on concerns that an open design would attract transients to the area. Former Governor Tom McCall, who by then was a television commentator, was indignant: A homeless Frenchman. ...
Thomas Lawson McCall (March 22, 1913 – January 8, 1983) was an American politician, a Republican, and the thirtieth governor of Oregon from 1967 to 1975. ...
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It would be a shock ... to many Oregonians to learn that a few power brokers have declared that the result of a nationwide design rivalry is meaningless... The square's construction required $3 million for land acquisition and $4.3 million for the structures and amenities, a large enough amount that the opposition nearly doomed the project. Martin, together with other architects and volunteers, drew attention to the delays from the opposition by painting a stylized blueprint of the proposal on the site itself. But it took the formation of "Friends of Pioneer Square", a citizen's group led by city commissioners Charles Jordan and Mike Lindberg, and $750,000 raised by the sale of 50,000 inscribed bricks, to rescue the project. Modern blueprint of the French galleon La Belle. ...
The project was completed in 1984. 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
In 2001, the completion of Fox Tower, a skyscraper on the block immediately southwest of the square, caused controversy among citizens due to the fact that it blocks sunlight from the majority of the square during the afternoon and evening hours. View of the Fox Towers curving east side. ...
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