Vancouver Waterfront Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Vancouver Waterfront Park |
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The waterfront in 2019
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| Type | Urban park and pier |
| Location | Vancouver, Washington |
| Area | 7.3 acres (3.0 ha) |
| Status | Open |
Vancouver Waterfront Park is a cool park right on the water in Vancouver, Washington. It's about 7.3 acres big, which is like seven football fields! It's a great place to visit in the United States.
Contents
Discovering Vancouver Waterfront Park
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This park is part of a much bigger project. It's a 32-acre area with new buildings for offices, shops, and homes. This whole area used to be a big paper factory owned by a company called Boise Cascade. That factory closed down in 2005.
In 2006, a company named Gramor Development, Inc. teamed up with some local families. They bought the land in 2008. The city government then approved their big plan for the area.
New streets were built in 2014 and 2015 to connect the area. Around the same time, the company gave the 7.3-acre park land to the City of Vancouver.
How the Park Was Built
A group called the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust was the first office to move into the new area in 2015. The whole project cost about $1.3 billion. It included the city park, a pier, and five buildings for homes, offices, and shops.
Construction on the park started in 2016. The Vancouver Waterfront Park officially opened its doors on September 29, 2018. It quickly became a popular spot for everyone to enjoy.
Cool Toilets at the Park
In October 2018, the city added special public toilets to the park. They are called Portland Loos. These toilets are designed to be open all day and night, every day of the week.
They have special slats that let you see if someone is already inside. This helps keep everyone safe. They are also big enough for someone to bring in a stroller, a shopping cart, a bicycle, or even a dog!
Amazing Art at the Waterfront
There's a really cool art piece at Waterfront Park called Headwaters. It's also sometimes called the Headwaters Wall. This artwork is made of stone and bronze and stands 12 feet tall.
What is the Headwaters Sculpture?
Artist Larry Kirkland designed Headwaters, and it was put in the park in August 2019. It's an interactive water feature, which means water is part of the art! It cost $3.5 million to build.
On one side, Headwaters has a bronze map of the Columbia River area. On the other side, there's a stone map showing where the Columbia River starts. Water flows down this stone map into a shallow pool.
A small "river" that is one inch deep flows 150 feet along a special riverbed. This riverbed has stacks of granite that look like the smaller rivers that feed into the Columbia River. The Vancouver Parks and Recreation Department takes care of this amazing water feature.
See also
- Captain George Vancouver Monument Plaza
- Vancouver Land Bridge
