Observations and Reactions:
I
had never been to Deering Oaks prior to this visit. Deering Oaks was, in my
opinion, just like any other city park but just on a much smaller scale. There
is a bridge, there is a small pond, and there are play areas for kids. The
people there were there for leisure and were just walking around, watching
their kids, or just relaxing. There are a ton of trees everywhere which makes
it not an optimal place for Frisbee (very disappointing). The pond was always a
mystery to me as I had driven past the place a gazillion times and I had always
wondered why there was a miniature house in the middle. Either way, it was cool
to see and the fountains were on which made it even more appealing. My favorite
part of the Park was the bridge.
Historical Background:
Deering
Oaks was designed in 1879 by William Goodwin, a Portland engineer. As Portland
changed so did the park. In 1883 a bandstand was built. In 1887 the mini duck
house and fountain were constructed. In 1894 the castle was constructed.
Lighting for the Oaks did not come until 1904 and it only came because the
surrounding roads were being upgraded. The amount of lighting the park received
increased as the road lighting around the park increased and not until 1980 was
the lighting completed. In 1911 the bridge was built and has been under repair
since the early 2000s (I thought it looked fine). Lighting still seems to be
the main problem in the park as the parks website is begging for money: “Scott
Hanson, the City's Historic Preservation Associate, has done some research on
the globe fixtures on the pillars and received an estimate of approximately
$150,000 for rehabilitating these dramatic features. What a wonderful
opportunity for philanthropic generosity!”. The bold and underlining
is their emphasis, not mine.
In the 1930s the circular garden was
designed and constructed by William Dougherty, another Portland Engineer. Karl
Switzer made it a garden for roses only in the mid 1930s. The rose garden seems to be an object of pride
for the website: “The Rose Circle is one of 134 public
rose gardens in the United States that the American Rose Society (ARS) allows
to preview its "All American Rose Selections." Each year three plants
each of three different new varieties are released for Portland's Rose Circle.
Rose fanciers can monitor brand new, not-yet-on-the-market roses”. On Sundays there is an active Farmer’s market
where people can purchase locally grown food. In the late 1680s there was a
battle between the British, Native Americans, and French. It can also be found
in Max Brooks’ novel World War Z
The
park seems to be in a great location for visitors traffic as Hadlock field and
The Expo are a half mile down the road. The future of the park looks promising
as there are some people who care a great deal for the park.
Gross.
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