Pioneer Courthouse Square, Portland
Pioneer Courthouse Square is Portland's central hub 鈥� a pleasant, sunny spot made perfect for sampling the city's essence. The equivalent of a New Mexican/Californian plaza, it hosts food carts, public art pieces (e.g., Seward Johnson's 'Allow Me', also known as 'The Umbrella Man'), a Monday farmers' market, cultural festivals, a visitor center with a clean public bathroom... you name it! The water feature in the form of a cascading waterfall does make this a picture-perfect place.
Part of the square's immediate success in the 1980s was due to its timing, affirming as it did the "new age of the pedestrian" heralded by the transit mall. Designs were submitted from around the world, and models of the best submissions were put on display. The winning scheme was a simple brick-paved plaza with a waterfall, an arc of steps overlooking a central arena, and a whimsical colonnade separating it from the streets. The public was further drawn into the venture by funding construction through buying individual bricks; thus, from the first concept, ordinary people took possession of the square as their own. It is a place where everyone is welcome, a place to see and be seen, or just to chill out amid the hubbub of the working day. Danish architect Jan Gehl who, for more than fifty years, has focused on improving the quality of urban life by helping people to "re-conquer the city", has acclaimed it as one of the world's best public squares.
Part of the square's immediate success in the 1980s was due to its timing, affirming as it did the "new age of the pedestrian" heralded by the transit mall. Designs were submitted from around the world, and models of the best submissions were put on display. The winning scheme was a simple brick-paved plaza with a waterfall, an arc of steps overlooking a central arena, and a whimsical colonnade separating it from the streets. The public was further drawn into the venture by funding construction through buying individual bricks; thus, from the first concept, ordinary people took possession of the square as their own. It is a place where everyone is welcome, a place to see and be seen, or just to chill out amid the hubbub of the working day. Danish architect Jan Gehl who, for more than fifty years, has focused on improving the quality of urban life by helping people to "re-conquer the city", has acclaimed it as one of the world's best public squares.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Portland. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
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Pioneer Courthouse Square on Map
Sight Name: Pioneer Courthouse Square
Sight Location: Portland, USA (See walking tours in Portland)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Portland, USA (See walking tours in Portland)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Portland, Oregon
Create Your Own Walk in Portland
Creating your own self-guided walk in Portland is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Portland Introduction Walking Tour
Portland, the largest city in the US state of Oregon, was founded at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers in a virgin forest, near the end of the Oregon Trail, less than two centuries ago.
Named after Portland, Maine, which is itself named after the English Isle of Portland, the Oregon settlement began to be populated in the 1840s. Portland quickly flourished as a major port... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.2 Km or 2 Miles
Named after Portland, Maine, which is itself named after the English Isle of Portland, the Oregon settlement began to be populated in the 1840s. Portland quickly flourished as a major port... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.2 Km or 2 Miles
Portland Food Tour
While Portland's "foodie scene" is still in its relative infancy, it has rightfully earned the number 1 spot on more than one list ranking the "Best Foodie Cities in America." Albeit rather small in size, the city is blessed with easy access to quality natural bounty, be it fresh seafood, fresh vegetables, fresh fungi, or delicious local wines.
Adding to this the... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.8 Km or 1.1 Miles
Adding to this the... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.8 Km or 1.1 Miles