Laurelhurst Park
Encyclopedia
Laurelhurst Park is a city park in the neighborhood of Laurelhurst
in Portland
, Oregon
. The 26.81 acres (10.8 ha) park was acquired in 1909 from the estate of former Portland mayor William S. Ladd
. The City of Portland purchased the land in 1911, and the following year park superintendent Emanuel Mische designed the park in accordance with the Olmsted Plan.
In 1919, the Pacific Coast Parks Association named Laurelhurst Park the "most beautiful park" on the West Coast
, and in February 2001 it was the first city park ever to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
The park costs the city approximately $274,000 per year to maintain.
, the former Portland mayor who developed Ladd's Addition. The tract of land, part of a larger parcel Ladd used to generate "one of the most prestigious stock farms in the West", later became too valuable for agricultural use. The City of Portland purchased the land in 1911 with the hope of establishing a park in accordance with the Olmsted Plan. Emanuel Mische, Portland's park superintendent from 1908 to 1914, designed the park in 1912 with experience he acquired as a longtime horticultural
"expert" for the Olmsted Brothers
landscape design
firm. Mische was guided by the firm's natural approach to landscaping and created seven distinct areas: the concert grove, Firwood Lake, children's lawn, plateau and broad meadows, picnic grove, and Rhododendron Hill. A spring-fed pond once used as a watering hole for cattle was deepened into a 3 acres (1.2 ha) lake. A "play park" was established between Oak and Stark Streets; here boys could play on the south side while girls played on the north side, and general games could be held on the east side. A comfort station building was built in 1914, and the following year a series of paths and sidewalks were lit by electric light
s.
court, soccer field, tennis
court, volleyball
court, playground, dog off-leash area, historical site, horseshoe
pit, paved and unpaved paths, picnic site with tables, public art, stage, and restrooms.
Queen's Coronation used to take place in the park pond "on floating boats and decorated rafts", drawing thousands of visitors. Junction City
residents often held their annual picnic at Laurelhurst during the 1930s; the park has hosted many other picnics and reunions over the years. Easter
Sunrise Services were held at the park during the 1950s, also drawing thousands of people.
population is 10 male/female pairs. In 1987, the normal duck population was 120, at times reaching more than 200, including migratory visitors. Murky water problems prompted Portland Parks & Recreation to attempt reducing the duck population, though an "adopt-a-duck" program was unsuccessful as the birds proved to be too difficult to catch.
In 1990, lake sediment was being stirred up by nearly 20,000 catfish
, carp
, and black crappie
fish. This overcrowding
also led to odor problems. The Oregon Bass and Panfish Club attempted to reduce the fish population
without success. By 2008, the lake had become acutely eutrophic
(lacking oxygen), and the sediment layer had reduced the lake depth from 13 to 15 ft (4 to 4.6 m) to only 18 inches (45.7 cm). Each year, large amounts of blue-green algae were produced as the sun quickly heated the shallow water. In response, Portland City Council allocated funds to dredge the lake and install a water aeration and circulation system.
, and in February 2001 it was the first city park ever to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Laurelhurst, Portland, Oregon
Laurelhurst is a neighborhood of vintage homes and undulating streets surrounding a park of the same name, straddling the NE and SE sections of Portland. Stone markers flank the entrances to the area...
in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. The 26.81 acres (10.8 ha) park was acquired in 1909 from the estate of former Portland mayor William S. Ladd
William S. Ladd
William Sargent Ladd was an American politician and businessman in Oregon. He twice served as Portland, Oregon’s mayor in the 1850s. A native of Vermont, he was a prominent figure in the early development of Portland, and co-founded the first bank in the state in 1859...
. The City of Portland purchased the land in 1911, and the following year park superintendent Emanuel Mische designed the park in accordance with the Olmsted Plan.
In 1919, the Pacific Coast Parks Association named Laurelhurst Park the "most beautiful park" on the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
, and in February 2001 it was the first city park ever to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
The park costs the city approximately $274,000 per year to maintain.
History
In 1909, the land that would later become Laurelhurst Park was purchased from the estate of William S. LaddWilliam S. Ladd
William Sargent Ladd was an American politician and businessman in Oregon. He twice served as Portland, Oregon’s mayor in the 1850s. A native of Vermont, he was a prominent figure in the early development of Portland, and co-founded the first bank in the state in 1859...
, the former Portland mayor who developed Ladd's Addition. The tract of land, part of a larger parcel Ladd used to generate "one of the most prestigious stock farms in the West", later became too valuable for agricultural use. The City of Portland purchased the land in 1911 with the hope of establishing a park in accordance with the Olmsted Plan. Emanuel Mische, Portland's park superintendent from 1908 to 1914, designed the park in 1912 with experience he acquired as a longtime horticultural
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
"expert" for the Olmsted Brothers
Olmsted Brothers
The Olmsted Brothers company was an influential landscape design firm in the United States, formed in 1898 by stepbrothers John Charles Olmsted and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. .-History:...
landscape design
Landscape design
Landscape design is an independent profession and a design and art tradition, practised by landscape designers, combining nature and culture. In contemporary practice landscape design bridges between landscape architecture and garden design.-Design scope:...
firm. Mische was guided by the firm's natural approach to landscaping and created seven distinct areas: the concert grove, Firwood Lake, children's lawn, plateau and broad meadows, picnic grove, and Rhododendron Hill. A spring-fed pond once used as a watering hole for cattle was deepened into a 3 acres (1.2 ha) lake. A "play park" was established between Oak and Stark Streets; here boys could play on the south side while girls played on the north side, and general games could be held on the east side. A comfort station building was built in 1914, and the following year a series of paths and sidewalks were lit by electric light
Electric light
Electric lights are a convenient and economic form of artificial lighting which provide increased comfort, safety and efficiency. Most electric lighting is powered by centrally-generated electric power, but lighting may also be powered by mobile or standby electric generators or battery systems...
s.
Features
Laurelhurst Park includes a basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
court, soccer field, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
court, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
court, playground, dog off-leash area, historical site, horseshoe
Horseshoes
Horseshoes is an outdoor game played between two people using four horseshoes and two throwing targets set in a sandbox area. The game is played by the players alternating turns tossing horseshoes at stakes in the ground, which are traditionally placed 40 feet apart...
pit, paved and unpaved paths, picnic site with tables, public art, stage, and restrooms.
Events
The Portland Rose FestivalPortland Rose Festival
The Portland Rose Festival is an annual civic festival held during the month of June in Portland, Oregon. It is organized by the volunteer non-profit Portland Rose Festival Association with the purpose of promoting the Portland region...
Queen's Coronation used to take place in the park pond "on floating boats and decorated rafts", drawing thousands of visitors. Junction City
Junction City, Oregon
Junction City is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. The population was 5,392 at the 2010 census.- History :In the 1870s, Junction City was named by railroad magnate Ben Holladay, who decided this would be where the rail line on the east side of the Willamette Valley would meet the rail...
residents often held their annual picnic at Laurelhurst during the 1930s; the park has hosted many other picnics and reunions over the years. Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
Sunrise Services were held at the park during the 1950s, also drawing thousands of people.
Ecology
According to Portland Parks & Recreation, the park's ideal duckDuck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
population is 10 male/female pairs. In 1987, the normal duck population was 120, at times reaching more than 200, including migratory visitors. Murky water problems prompted Portland Parks & Recreation to attempt reducing the duck population, though an "adopt-a-duck" program was unsuccessful as the birds proved to be too difficult to catch.
In 1990, lake sediment was being stirred up by nearly 20,000 catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
, carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
, and black crappie
Crappie
Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...
fish. This overcrowding
Overpopulation
Overpopulation is a condition where an organism's numbers exceed the carrying capacity of its habitat. The term often refers to the relationship between the human population and its environment, the Earth...
also led to odor problems. The Oregon Bass and Panfish Club attempted to reduce the fish population
Animal population control
Animal population control is the practice of artificially altering the size of any animal population besides humans. It typically refers to the act of limiting the size of an animal population so that it remains manageable, as opposed to the act of protecting a species from excessive rates of...
without success. By 2008, the lake had become acutely eutrophic
Eutrophication
Eutrophication or more precisely hypertrophication, is the movement of a body of water′s trophic status in the direction of increasing plant biomass, by the addition of artificial or natural substances, such as nitrates and phosphates, through fertilizers or sewage, to an aquatic system...
(lacking oxygen), and the sediment layer had reduced the lake depth from 13 to 15 ft (4 to 4.6 m) to only 18 inches (45.7 cm). Each year, large amounts of blue-green algae were produced as the sun quickly heated the shallow water. In response, Portland City Council allocated funds to dredge the lake and install a water aeration and circulation system.
Reception
In 1919, the Pacific Coast Parks Association named Laurelhurst Park the "most beautiful park" on the West CoastWest Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
, and in February 2001 it was the first city park ever to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Crime
In February 2008 a woman's body was found partly submerged in the park's pond. In May 2009 a duck was killed after dozens of arrows were shot at waterfowl in Firwood Lake. In February 2010 a man was reportedly held at gunpoint in northeast Portland, forced to drive to Laurelhurst Park, then beaten and sexually assaulted.See also
- List of parks in Portland, Oregon
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Southeast Portland, OregonNational Register of Historic Places listings in Southeast Portland, OregonThe following list attempts to comprehensively present the full set of National Register of Historic Places listings in Southeast Portland, Oregon, and offers brief descriptive information about each of them...