Plaza Blocks

History

The northernmost square is named after Daniel H. Lownsdale (1803—1862), a native Kentuckian who settled in Portland in 1845. The south square is named after legislator William W. Chapman (1808–1892), a Virginian who settled in Portland in 1850. Both Lownsdale and Chapman were some of Portland's first landowners.

The blocks were initially segregated by gender. Lownsdale Square for men and Chapman Square, planted with a grove of female ginkgo trees, for women. Public speakers and preachers used the parks for their speeches. By 1900, Lownsdale Square was a gay cruising destination, allowing a degree of deniability. This activity also took place in Chapman Square by the 1950s.{{cite book

The first electric power transmission line in North America terminated at Chapman Square. It went online at 10:00 pm on June 3, 1889, operating at 4,000 volts of direct current, with the lines between the electric generating station at Willamette Falls in Oregon City, Oregon, and downtown Portland stretching about 13 miles. A bronze tablet in the park commemorates this achievement.

The Plaza Blocks, as well as the adjacent Terry Schrunk Plaza, are frequent hotspots for protests and civil unrest. Many people participating in the 2011 Occupy Portland protests used the parks to camp in. The 2020 George Floyd protests were centered on the parks and caused significant damage to the memorials and features of the park. The damage led to the removal of the Thompson Elk Fountain and The Promised Land. The Elk Fountain is set to be replaced in 2024.

Monuments

Gallery

File:Lownsdale Square - Portland, Oregon.JPG|Lownsdale Square File:Chapman Square - Portland, Oregon.JPG|Chapman Square File:Chapman Square restroom building in downtown Portland (2016).jpg|One of the restroom buildings File:Occupy Portland November 14, Lownsdale Square after eviction.jpg|Lownsdale Square, 2011 File:Douglas Tilden’s Soldiers' Monument in Lownsdale Square. (3704168231).jpg|Top of the Spanish-American War Soldier's Monument File:Spanish American War monument, Portland (2014) - 5.jpg|One of the Fort Sumter Howitzers on the base of the Spanish-American War Soldier's Monument File:Occupy Portland November 9 path.jpg|Occupy Portland camp-in, 2011 File:George Floyd police brutality protests - Portland Oregon - July 22 - tedder - 03.jpg|Protest following the murder of George Floyd, 2020

References

References

1. Insiders' Guide® to Portland, Oregon, 7th Rachel Dresbeck - 0762774770 2011 - Page 227 "Chapman Square, the southern square, was donated to the city by early Portland attorney William Chapman, while Lownsdale Square was contributed by Daniel Lownsdale, who arrived in Portland in 1845.The squares were originally popular sites for public oratory and other gatherings. And they have a quaint history-at one time, the idea was that women would gather at Chapman Square, while the men would have Lownsdale to themselves. Lownsdale Square is the home of the Soldiers' Monument from 1906, a granite pillar supporting the likeness of an infantryman. This soldier represents Oregon's contribution to the first major force of American troops dispatched overseas, the Second Oregon United States Volunteer Infantry. "
2. "Lownsdale Square". [[Portland Parks & Recreation]].
3. "Chapman Square". Portland Parks & Recreation.
4. "The Plaza Blocks: Chapman & Lownsdale Squares". Asla.org.
5. "50 days of protest in Portland. A violent police response. This is how we got here.".
6. (2020-07-03). "Iconic, 120-year-old Portland elk statue removed after fire set during protest".
7. (2020-08-25). "Will the Elk Statue return to its spot in downtown Portland?".
8. "Portland approves $1.5 million to reinstall Thompson Elk statue in downtown".