Rocky Butte Scenic Historic District – Portland OR

City:
Portland, OR

Site Type:
Parks and Recreation, Infrastructure and Utilities, Roads, Bridges, and Tunnels

New Deal Agencies:
Work Relief Programs, Works Progress Administration (WPA)

Started:
1934

Completed:
1939

Quality of Information:
Very Good

Marked:
No

Site Survival:
Extant

Description

Rocky Butte Scenic Historic District consists of two approach roads up the butte and a viewing area on the top of the hill, which were constructed between 1934 and 1939 by the State Emergency Relief Administration (SERA) and federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) from local ranks of the unemployed in the Great Depression.  The top of the butte is today known as Joseph Wood Hill park.

The approximately $500,000 cost of the whole project was funded jointly by the WPA and Oregon SERA – itself funded in part by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA). When The Oregonian announced completion of the project in September 1939, it noted that “work on the project provided employment at times for as many as 700 men who would have otherwise been on direct relief” [Oregonian 1939b].

The scenic drive and northern approach road was built during the first two years of work.  Its steep banks are carefully walled with stone from the butte. The more ambitious southern approach road required construction of a 375-foot tunnel.

In addition, WPA workers built an impressive viewing area on the summit of Rocky Butte with a massive stone parapet wall that encircles the summit. The viewing area offers panoramic vistas of the Columbia River valley and Portland.

Rocky Butte is a 607 foot extinct volcanic cone (one of several in the city of Portland) and the second highest point in the city.  As early as 1903, Rocky Butte had been identified in the Olmsted Brothers’ City of Portland Plan as a site for recreational driving and passive recreation [Oregon SHPO]. All of the improvements for the drive and vista structures, however, lacked funding until support provided by New Deal era programs.

The top of Rocky Butte was later designated Joseph Wood Hill Park by the city.  The Rocky Butte Scenic Drive Historic District was created in 1991 to preserve the site and its craftsmanship.

(From the plaque on site, it seems that one of the roads up Rocky Butte was originally known as “Academy Drive”).

Source notes

Oregon SHPO– Application for National Historic Registration - https://heritagedata.prd.state.or.us/historic/index.cfm?do=v.dsp_siteSummary&resultDisplay=4977

Oregonian (1939a), “Rocky Butte Improved: Workmen Finish Tunnel Project,” August 26, 1939.

Oregonian (1939b), “Road, Tunnel to be Opened,” September 14, 1939.

https://bluebook.state.or.us/facts/scenic/dep/depintro.htm

https://www.portlandonline.com/parks/index.cfm?a=299256&c=39473

Historic photo at: https://bridgehunter.com/or/multnomah/rocky-butte-tunnel/

Site originally submitted by Judith Kenny on June 14, 2012.
Additional contributions by Richard A Walker.

Location Info


Rocky Butte Scenic Drive
Portland, OR 97220

Coordinates: 45.546714, -122.56594

Site Details

Total Cost
$500,000

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3 comments on “Rocky Butte Scenic Historic District – Portland OR

  1. Joyce Davenport

    My father worked on the Rocky Butte project from 1935-1939. Is there a place where I might locate his name on a list of workers or payroll? His name was Walter O. Nabower.

    • Alex Tarr

      Records from these kinds of projects are rather sparse, and not something we have as part of our site, but you may have some luck in Oregon state archives.

    • Evan Kalish

      It’s quite possible this information would also be available at the National Archives, Record Group 69 (files created by the WPA), but I can’t speak to that for certain.

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Contribute to this Site

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3 comments on “Rocky Butte Scenic Historic District – Portland OR

  1. Joyce Davenport

    My father worked on the Rocky Butte project from 1935-1939. Is there a place where I might locate his name on a list of workers or payroll? His name was Walter O. Nabower.

    • Alex Tarr

      Records from these kinds of projects are rather sparse, and not something we have as part of our site, but you may have some luck in Oregon state archives.

    • Evan Kalish

      It’s quite possible this information would also be available at the National Archives, Record Group 69 (files created by the WPA), but I can’t speak to that for certain.

Join the Conversation

Please note:

  • We are not involved in the management of New Deal sites and have no information about visits, hours or rentals.
  • This page shows all the information we have for this site; if you have new information or photos to share, click the button above.

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This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.