Western Room, Ver 2.0
Great colletion of Western themed furniture and collectables. Also mixed in are some National Parks and WPA collectables. Great conversation room.
February 7, 2009
March 8, 2008
Neon of Porland Oregon
I thought Omaha had great neon but Portland Oregon is filled with great old neon signs. I didn’t have the time, a car (used public transit) or a tri pod to capture this neon at night. However, Portland must clearly be the neon capital of the US or at the very least the North West. Look at the 7 Up building in the photo. I didn’t see this until I got home and looked at the photo. The curving corner of the building almost looks like it has 2 eyes and a yawning mouth. Wonderful old guilding very close to the triangle made by Burnside Street and Sandy Blvd in NE Portland.
Keller Fountain Park
Example of another downtown park of Brutalist design like Omaha’s "central park mall".
History
Even before remodeling of the Civic Auditorium began in the early 1960s, plans to create an open space across the street were being proposed. The proposal submitted by Lawrence Halprin, the well-known San Franciscan architect who had designed the Lovejoy Fountain a few years earlier, was unanimously approved in 1968. Designed by Angela Danadjieva, the Forecourt Fountain was completed in 1970. 13,000 gallons of water per minute cascade through its terraces and platforms, suggesting the Northwest’s abundant waterfalls. The concrete fountain became an instant city landmark and an internationally acclaimed open space.
In 1978, the fountain was renamed after Ira C. Keller (1899-1978), civic leader and first chairman of the Portland Development Commission (1958-72). Keller pushed through the renewal plan for the South Auditorium area of downtown which included the construction of the Forecourt Fountain. It has been said that "it was Keller’s enormous energy that made urban renewal work in Portland." (City of Portland website)
