Peninsula Park is just a hint of what's blooming in the Piedmont neighborhood, bordered by Interstate 5, Northeast Columbia Boulevard, Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and North Ainsworth Street. It's a neighborhood in transition, with new affordable-home developments being built, older houses being remodeled, and the new Interstate MAX light-rail line just a few blocks west. It's a convenient commute to downtown Portland and just take minutes by car or public transportation.
"The Emerald, Portland's Evergreen Suburb, Devoted Exclusively to Dwellings, A Place of Homes." The original subdivision is now known as "Historic Piedmont", and includes parts of the Humboldt and King Neighborhoods, as well as the modern Piedmont neighborhood south of Rosa Parks Way (formerly Portland Boulevard).
The Piedmont subdivision was one of the early streetcar suburbs so when the Interstate MAX light-rail arrived in 2004, the neighborhood revisited its past.
Peninsula Park was originally the site of Liverpool Liz's Place, a roadhouse and horse-racing track. The 16-acre plot of land was purchased by the city in 1909 and reconfigured as a grand city park by noted architects Ellis Lawrence and Ormond Bean. The park, its Italian-style community center and rose gardens, opened to the public in 1913. The rose gardens were a big hit, drawing 300,000 visitors in their first year. The octagonal bandstand overlooking the rose garden was constructed in 1913. It was used for World War I patriotic demonstrations and is now the site for many summer weddings and concerts. This wonderful gazebo-like structure is a National Heritage historical structure and was designated a Portland Historic Landmark in 1973. It is the last of its kind in Portland.
History
The Piedmont subdivision was platted in 1889 by Edward Quackenbush and promoted in an early flyer as "The Emerald, Portland's Evergreen Suburb, Devoted Exclusively to Dwellings, A Place of Homes." The original subdivision is now known as "Historic Piedmont", and includes parts of the Humboldt and King neighborhoods, as well as the modern Piedmont neighborhood south of Rosa Parks Way.
In 1947, after a failed attempt to build a NABISCO factory in the Rose City Park neighborhood, a factory location along Columbia Boulevard was chosen. The plant was completed in August 1950.
Villa St. Rose Convent, the former convent and school for girls closed for good in 1995 and fell into disrepair before the Georgian-style building and its 7.7-acre site were purchased by the Portland Development Commission in 1998. The Villa St. Rose convent, built in 1916 and now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has been renovated as a $22 million, 100 unit low income senior rental housing. The Commons is located at 597 North Dekum Street.
In the early 2000s, the acreage has been redeveloped into a urban village for all ages, and incomes. Besides the Commons, 18 family rental townhomes; 10 Habitat for Humanity homes; six Home Ownership a Street at a Time (HOST) homes; and 10 market-rate houses. An Albina Head Start facility has also been built to serve infants and pre-schoolers.
Origin of Name
Piedmont means "lying or formed at the base of mountains" so we can assume the name refers to the land lying at the base of the Cascade Mountain Range.
1Piedmont Home Prices
Number of homes sold in Piedmont in 2010: 80. Distressed properties sales were 19%.
Median price for homes sold in Piedmont: $249,500 in 2010; $290,000 in 2008.
1-year median sales price change in 2010 from 2009 in Piedmont: -5%.
5-year average sales price change in Piedmont: -3.
Metro area median home prices: $239,900 in 2010; $247,000 in 2009; $278,000 in 2008; $290,000 in 2007.
Metro area average home prices: $282,100 in 2010; $289,900 in 2009; $330,300 in 2008; $342,000 in 2007.
Please be aware that the above figures are subject to error and are intended as guidelines only. View Piedmont homes currently for sale by clicking here.
Parks and Health Clubs
Peninsula Park is a formally designed neighborhood park, typical of the early 1900s. It includes the city's first public rose garden and first community center, an historically designated bandstand, and Portland's second oldest playground.
The rose garden, designed by Emanuel L. Mische, is one of Portland's most beautiful formal rose gardens, with 8,900 plantings on a two-acre site. The garden entrance is located on Albina Ave, between Ainsworth and Rosa Parks Way. Visitors are greeted by magnificent plantings of 65 rose varieties which border the steps leading to the sunken rose garden, the only one in Oregon. The rose garden was the showplace of its time, with 300,000 visitors in the first year alone. The official Portland rose, named Mme. Caroline Testout, was cultivated in the garden. Once planted by the thousands along the streets of Portland, this rose earned Portland the name 'City of Roses.' In 1913, floral enthusiasts selected Peninsula Park as the location for an annual rose show. In 1917, Washington Park on Portland’s west side was selected as the site of the International Rose Test Garden and most of the rose show activities were moved there.
In 1957, the city zoo housed its Humboldt penguins in the center's pool for six months because the zoo lacked the proper facilities when the birds arrived from Antarctica. Many Portlanders still remember calling it Penguin Park!
The 16 plus acre park includes a basketball court, disabled access picnic area, disabled access restroom, fountain, horseshoe pit, paths, picnic site with picnic tables, playground, public garden, rose garden, soccer field, softball field, lighted tennis court, and wedding site.
View a video of the park with pleasant music.
The Peninsula Community Center and Pool was built in 1913 and the Italian-villa style facility was the first community center in the Portland park system. Its original floor plan was perfectly symmetrical, consisting of two pools and two gyms − one for men, the other for women. Such separate-but-equal social attitudes were also reflected in the entryway murals: young men featured in the area leading to the men's side, and young women on the women's side!
The Peninsula Pool was built in order to fill the need created by the closure of the bath houses that had been in use on the Willamette River. These structures were closed due to increasing pollution in the Willamette. As popular as the pool is with people, it also has a history of being enjoyed by Humboldt penguins. In 1957, when the penguins were scheduled to make their debut at the Washington Park Zoo, the zoo's penguin facilities were not yet finished, so the Peninsula Park Pool was used as a holding area until their own space was ready.
The center includes a basketball court, gymnasium, meeting room, party room, and outdoor swimming pool.
Farragut Park 16-acres includes a basketball court, disabled access play area, disabled access restroom, paths, picnic tables, playground, and softball field.
Walking in the Piedmont Neighborhood
This Peninsula Park and four neighborhoods 2.6 mile walk begins at the Multnomah County library and passes through Piedmont before heading back along Interstate Avenue. Click here to download the guide. Another walk (2.5 mile) in the neighborhood offers these points of discovery: Peninsula Park sunken rose garden, the North Portland Library, Portland Community College Cascade Campus, a new urban village, Portland Boulevard and N Killingsworth MAX Stations, a community art installation and the pedestrian bridge that conveniently crosses I-5 with a connection to the MAX light-rail line. Click here to download the guide.
Walk Score ranks 2,508 neighborhoods in the largest 40 U.S. cities to help you find a walkable place to live. 45% of Portland residents have a Walk Score of 70 or above. 83% have a Walk Score of at least 50—and 17% live in Car-Dependent neighborhoods. Please note that we use an address in the center of each neighborhood to determine the Walk Score. Scores will vary in a neighborhood depending upon the address.
Transit Score provides a 0-100 rating indicating how well an address is served by public transportation. Ratings range from "Rider's Paradises" to areas with limited or no nearby public transportation.
More About Piedmont
Neighborhood Association Web SitePiedmont Neighborhood Association. Neighborhood Location About three miles north of downtown Portland just to the east of I-5. Topography The topography is flat with mature trees. Sidewalks and Streets The street pattern is a grid layout. The neighborhood has sidewalks for walking. Livability Study 86.5% of Piedmont residents rated their neighborhood "good" or "very good." See Livability Study. 1Drive Time to Downtown Piedmont is 12-14 minutes from downtown. Public Transportation Bus routes on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Portland Boulevard, Lombard Street and North Albina Avenue - total of total routes in the neighborhood. The Interstate MAX light rail nearest stops are on North Interstate Avenue (at North Lombard Street) and at North Portland Boulevard. These stops are just a few blocks west of Piedmont's boundary and within walking distance for many residents of Piedmont. Transit Score provides a 0-100 rating indicating how well an address is served by public transportation. Ratings range from "Rider's Paradises" to areas with limited or no nearby public transportation. 22000 Demographics Population: 6,427 persons. Area (acres): 616. Average population density: 6 persons per acre. Number of households: 2,518. Median household income: $51,629. Home owners: 67%. Renters: 33%. Diversity: 45.5% non-Caucasian. 3Crime Stats for 2010 36 violent crimes. Total crimes per 1,000 residents was 30. 4Shopping and Services Number of supermarkets: 0. Number of health clubs: 0. Number of coffee shops: 0. Most Piedmont residents head west (cross I-5) and shop along N. Interstate Avenue where there are two supermarkets and numerous stores and restaurants. Eating Out Very limited within Piedmont. More on the east border (Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.). Try Betty Jean's at 825 North Killingsworth Street. BJ is actually located just a few blocks south of North Ainsworth Street in the Humboldt neighborhood. Betty Jean's specializes in hamburgers and spicy, curly fries with that "down home taste". Lots of kids seats. Public Library The closest branch library of the Multnomah County Library system is the North Portland at 512 N. Killingsworth Street. This is just 3-4 blocks south of the neighborhood. Who Lives in Piedmont A mix of blue collar and white collar. The median age is 37. What They Drive in Piedmont GMC and Ford - sedans, pickups and a few SUVs. Biking Quality is fair. Piedmont has eight miles of bike lanes. Bicycle Trip Planner will map a route for you and − just provide a starting point address and your destination address. Public Schools Elementary: Applegate Elementary. Middle school: Ockley Green Middle School. High school: Jefferson High School. School Report Card Grades Elementary schools: O/S. Middle school: S. High School: S. Click here for report card details.
Private Schools Holy Redeemer Area School located at 127 N. Portland Boulevard. Telephone (503) 283-5197.
1Real Estate Values Data on real estate values provided by RMLStm. Distressed properties refer to the percentage of total homes sold that were short sales and bank-owned properties.
2Drive Time to Downtown Estimated commuting time obtained from Yahoo Maps and Google Maps. Drive time was calculated from a central intersection in each neighborhood to Pioneer Courthouse Square during the morning peak commute time.
3Demographics Data Numbers were obtained from Census 2000 and www.portlandmaps.com.
4Crime Statistics Numbers on crime represent total crimes for 2010 and were obtained from Portland Police Bureau. Violent crimes are defined as murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Crimes per 1,000 are based on reported incidents of violent crime, as well as burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft.
5Shopping and Services Numbers were determined from local directory listings and county/municipal library systems.
6Biking Quality rating based on the 2007 Cycle Zone Analysis conducted by the City of Portland Office of Transportation. The six-tier ratings have been reduced to three levels: High, Fair, and Low.
7School Report Card Grades Schools ratings from the Oregon Department of Education 2009-2010 performance assessment. "O" = Outstanding; "S" = Satisfactory; "I" = In Need of Improvement; NR = Not Rated.
To learn more about the
Piedmont neighborhood
visit Portland Maps.
It will provide you with a list of businesses, demographic data,
crime stats, parks, schools, aerial photos, maps,
elevation, etc.
All you need is a property address − use
"409 N. Bryant"
Peninsula Park
