Ellis Lawrence Sites

Acquired by the City of Portland in 1930, the ten-acre Overlook Park required improvements during the Depression years if it were to serve adequately the north Portland Overlook neighborhood, which had reached full development during the 1920s real estate boom. The site sits in a ravine and on  a former garbage dump; additional fill was added over several years to level the area. By 1937, the process of settling was complete and the park was prepared for more extensive development. In 1938, Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers undertook the largest and most significant part of the park plan – the Shelter...

Overlook Park sits on a bluff above the east bank of the Willamette River in the north Portland Overlook neighborhood. Recognizing the demand for recreational opportunities in a neighborhood built-out during the 1920s, the City of Portland acquired land for the park in 1930. Developing the park during the Depression Era, however, placed two pressures on this as well as other neighborhood parks – increased demand for affordable activities and a decrease in city funds for the development. Progress in attaining the improvements identified in the Overlook Park general plan depended on relief funding. In addition to landscaping, playground equipment, a...