Pettygrove Park

There is an interesting urban diversion to be found in Pettygrove Park. It is near Portland State University and the waterfront. There are lots of benches, nice tall cylinders of grass, a small fountain and some small steps. Pettygrove Park is something of a shortcut for going in-​between parts of downtown.
I usually walk here after going to the Lovejoy Fountain. There is a set of stairs which go from the park down to near the courthouse. The corridor appears to be a place for office space. At the top, there is plenty of opportunity for relaxation with the vast shade.
Try crisscrossing into Pettygrove Park.

If you have a stroller you can’t go to this park, it doesn’t have easy access for people with disabilities the only possible access is using stairs.
I don’t like that this park is great for skateboards and the rules don’t allow skateboarding.

This is a wonderful, quiet gem in a busy part of town. There are many benches, curves and shady + sunny spots to choose from. There are even a few spots to hide from the rain! Bonus. This little park is wonderful for a peaceful break from your otherwise very busy life!

A very nice little park hidden behind some office buildings and a couple of apartments. There are a few benches around the paths that are pretty good for sitting and enjoying a lunch during the summer months. With the apartments there, I’m not sure that sitting on the grassy knolls would be a good idea with all the pets using the area.
Summer time, one of the office buildings often has a weekly concert during lunch. Can be a nice free entertainment venue for lunch.

Do they drain all the fountains in Portland in December? When I visited in December 2012, the fountain in Pettygrove Park was drained. Though I enjoyed walking around the park (and also visiting nearby Lovejoy Fountain Plaza and the Ira Keller fountain), I was disappointed that I didn’t actually get to see the water
This place is convenient to get to, as it’s located in the downtown area of Portland.
And it’s nice to learn about its history and the person for whom it’s named — one of the founders of the city of Portland.

Next door to Lovejoy Fountain Plaza is Pettygrove Park. These are the two gentlemen for which we have to be thankful for Portland’s existence. Just as Lovejoy and Pettygrove used a coin to decide the name of the city, so that same coin was used to decide which park was to be named what. Psst — Lovejoy won this toss.
Pettygrove Park is located between the walkways that used to be 2^nd and 3^rd Avenues and Market and Harrison Street. This park was also created as part of the Urban Renewal Program along with Lovejoy and the Chimney fountains. This park contains mounds of grass and trees and in one corner contains a statue and reflecting pool. This is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a fountain.
More information and photos in my blog:

Another great park hidden away in the heart of the city. Lacking the impressive water features of nearby Keller & Lovejoy parks, Pettygrove is still worth a visit as a great place to escape from a busy day, up your heart rate on a few hills, or occasionally catch dance groups trying out their moves amidst the hills and trees. Recently restored by the owner of the 200 Market ‘black box’ that towers over the park, it is one of the best maintained parks in downtown.

The hills with meandering paths that make up this park remind me a lot of the burial mounds in Ireland. So maybe it isn’t much of a surprise that this park makes me very contemplative. While I don’t much care for modern, abstract art, the Dreamer statue really fits in here.
During the summer this is really a lovely place for a quiet picnic.