Columbia Park - Bits and Pieces

Tall evergreens tower in Columbia Park, a mecca for picnicing, sports, and swimming.  Columbia Park's 33 acres, were patterned after a famous park in Berlin, Germany, by a man named Hoch, who joined the city as a gardener for Washington Park, and later took over much of the design work for Columbia Park.

1902: Peninsula Park was cleared out and its name changed to Columbia Park. Citizens of the area requested a baseball ground on the cleared area and the board allowed a temporary ground only in the area of the part cut off by the streetcar line.

1920: New playground constructed. Playgrounds were still segregated by gender.  The play would be supervised during school vacations by mostly male physical education specialists. E.W. Lawrence a prominent Oregon architect and Dean University of Oregon School of Architecture, was hired to design comfort stations  (rest rooms) near the playground.

Comfort station at the Northwest corner of Columbia Park.

1939: Funding was obtained for a community house (now Columbia Cottage).

1942: Mrs. Elizabeth Yeon, daughter of John Mock, namesake of Mock's Crest and widow of John Yeon, former state highway commissioner and civic leader, donated property in Mock's Crest for a parkway on N. Dana between Willamette Boulevard and Lombard Street.

Dorothea Lensch paid special attention to the needs of large groups of war workers in Pier, Columbia and Peninsula parks by providing what was essentially free childcare. Playground supervisors in the parks were available to tend small children whose mothers had them in the park for extended periods of time. In addition, summer playground activities increased, with free zoo trips, bicycle tours, softball, tennis, dance, and crafts.

Columbia Circus

1922-1935: The bureau of parks displayed vision in their concern for developing recreational property and scores of the green parks were strategically scattered throughout the metropolitan area.

1935: Neighborhoods had community houses featuring bingo games and card parties.

1940's: Air wardens for each block and soldiers from nearby camps and training centers bivouacking in the city parks and victory gardens springing up in the backyards across the city. Blackout curtains hung on the windows.

Information on this page came from: A Point of Pride - The University of Portland - Story by James T. Covert

Victory gardens and "Rosie the Riverter" posters
inspired patriotism at Columbia Park.
Several members of the FOCP were Riveteers.