O'Bryant Square facts for kids

Quick facts for kids O'Bryant Square Park
Park signage in 2014
Location	SW Ninth at Washington
Nearest city	Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Created	1973
Operated by	Portland Parks & Recreation

O'Bryant Square is a public square that used to be a small park and fountain in downtown Portland, Oregon. It is located where Southwest Park Avenue and Southwest Harvey Milk Street meet. The square is named after Hugh O'Bryant, who was Portland's first mayor.

The Story of O'Bryant Square

How the Park Began

The land for O'Bryant Square was given to the city of Portland in 1971 by Mr. and Mrs. William E. Roberts. Before it became a park, there was a building and a parking lot on the site. Building the park and an underground parking garage cost about $1.25 million. This money came from federal grants and bonds, which are like loans that are paid back with money from the parking garage.

The park and its fountain were officially opened in 1973. People in both the business world and city planning liked the park a lot. In 1976, O'Bryant Square even won a special national design award from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. This award recognized its excellent design.

Changes and Closure

In 2006, a famous landscape architect named Laurie Olin was asked to help redesign the park. He was also working on another park nearby called Director Park. Some people thought O'Bryant Square looked a bit plain or old-fashioned, with one newspaper calling it "a relic of 1970s urban design" in 2007.

In March 2018, the City of Portland decided to close O'Bryant Square. The main reason for the closure was safety concerns. There were structural problems with the underground parking garage beneath the park, which made it unsafe for people to use the area above. The park has remained closed since then.

Images for kids

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  Closed off O'Bryant Square taken in April 2019