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Pettygrove Park facts for kids

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Pettygrove Park
PettygroveParkPortland.JPG
The park in 2010
Type Urban park
Location Portland, Oregon, United States
Area 0.8 acres (0.32 ha)
Created 1966
Operated by Portland Parks & Recreation
Status Open 5 a.m. to midnight daily

Pettygrove Park is a cool city park located in downtown Portland, Oregon, in the United States. It's the second park in a series of special outdoor spaces designed by a famous landscape architect named Lawrence Halprin. These parks are part of an urban renewal project in the South Auditorium District. The park has soft, rolling hills and green areas, which led to its fun nickname, 'Mae West Park'.

What is Pettygrove Park Like?

Pettygrove Park - Portland Oregon
A winter view of the park

Pettygrove Park is surrounded by walking paths that connect it to other nearby parks. These include Keller Fountain Park and Lovejoy Plaza. The park is known for its many trees, which create a lot of shade. Underneath the trees, you'll find winding asphalt paths that go around grassy hills and walls made of basalt stone.

Art and Design in the Park

In one corner of the park, there's a calm reflecting pool and a sculpture. This sculpture is called The Dreamer. It was created by an artist named Manuel Izquierdo. The sculpture was added to the park in 1979.

How Did Pettygrove Park Get Its Name?

The park is named after Francis Pettygrove. He was one of the very first people to settle in the area that became Portland. There's a cool story about how Portland got its name! Francis Pettygrove and another settler, Asa Lovejoy, flipped a coin to decide if the city would be called Portland or Boston.

The Coin Flip Story

That same coin was used again to decide the names of two parks in the area. One park would be named Lovejoy, and the other would be Pettygrove. That's how Pettygrove Park got its unique name!

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