Nearly ten years ago Mayor Vera Katz launched a vision for Portland’s Downtown District, one that would extend the city’s public spaces in corridors that run both east and west – and north and south – intersecting in a very special park in the center of it all. Director Park is that place.

Serving as a complement to the grandness of Pioneer Courthouse Square, Director Park offers over 44,000 square feet of granite plaza (approximately 1 acre), a fountain, a café with a public restroom, a glass canopy for protected outdoor seating, public artwork, park benches, and trees.

An economic “shot in the arm” for the downtown retail core, the new park allows for the resurgence of this central part of our city and sets the stage for increased investment in the surrounding Cultural District, West End, and Retail Core.

The public is invited to join in the free celebration underwritten by the Portland Parks Foundation, which begins at 5 p.m. that evening with music by the gypsy jazz band Swing Papillon. Beginning at 5:15 p.m., the formal ceremony features Parks Commissioner Nick Fish and representatives from the Portland Development Commission, Portland Parks Foundation, and TMT Development, and Jordan Director Schnitzer whose grandparents are honored in the park’s name. A dedication performance by BodyVox Dance Company concludes the ceremony and officially opens the park.

Director Park has been made possible through generous donations from the Thomas P. Moyer family and Jordan Director Schnitzer in partnership with the Portland Parks Foundation, as well as funding from the City of Portland and the Portland Development Commission’s South Park Blocks Urban Renewal Area.

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2. Downtown Portland Sees Decline in Jobs
3. Exploring Sellwood Park and Oaks Bottom Park