Portland’s Newest Park
Portland’s latest park, in the Argay Terrace neighborhood of outermost Northeast, is spectacular. Designed by Skylab Architecture and 2.ink Studio, Luuwit View Park has a community amphitheater, picnic shelter, fenced off-leash dog area, teen area, youth sports field, and much more.
It’s also one of the largest civic investments in parkland for Portland neighborhoods that are historically deficient in open space. Read on to know more.
1. Dog Park
With a separate fenced off-leash area, this park is an excellent choice for dog parents looking to let their pups run free and burn energy. The off-leash area is fenced with an average-height chain link that works for most active dogs.
The site is located adjacent to Shaver Elementary School in northeast Portland’s Argay neighborhood. The park features a soccer field, basketball court, accessible play, and picnic areas, a sculptural public shelter, community gardens, parking, and extensive bike and footpaths with expansive views including a majestic vista of Luuwit, the Native (Upper Cowlitz) name for Mt. St. Helens.
The park provides doggy bags and water for pets, though the bag supply can run out quickly, so it’s best to bring your own. The park also has a hose for rinsing off your pup’s paws after a romp in the furry fun zone.
2. Picnic Shelter
For nearly fifty years, Argay neighborhood residents have longed for a gathering place in their community. Through an intensive community outreach process, the 16-acre hourglass-shaped park formally named Luuwit View Park emerged.
The park’s signature element is a multipurpose picnic shelter, designed by Skylab Architecture and built from a series of interconnected equilateral triangles of perforated and galvanized steel plate. Its tectonic form reflects the angular peaks of nearby mountains, Native American plank houses, and river fishing platforms.
The park features a large, accessible playground, a fog garden where water mists over the children’s play structures, a full-size basketball court and soccer field, a teen area with two ping pong tables and group seating, public art, multi-use paved trails, parking, and community gardens. The site design preserves views of Mount St Helens, called Luuwit by local tribes. Here is another spot to visit.
3. Playground
Designed by Portland’s world-class Skylab Architecture alongside landscape architects 2inkstudio, this inclusive playground is a hidden gem. Children of all abilities will love this large and exciting park, which features a nature play area with an accessible tree house, sand play, climbing structures, and a model boat pond. The playground also offers smart, synthetic surfacing and paved paths for maneuverability and safety.
This 16-acre hourglass-shaped park (formerly Beech Park) in the Argay Terrace neighborhood represents Portland’s newest generation of parks. Its development was a collaboration with community residents in the form of park naming committees, advisory committees, and neighborhood hearings processes. Its name, Luuwit, the Native Cowlitz word for Mt. St. Helens, reflects its commanding views of distant mountains and the opportunity to reach neighborhoods historically underserved by recreational open space.
4. Water Feature
In an area of NE Portland, adjacent to single-family homes and working farm fields sits this 16-acre park serving a neighborhood that has historically been deficient in recreational open space. The park reflects the area’s farming context, preserves views, and provides opportunities for recreation – including community gardens, a public shelter, off leash dog area, a soccer field and basketball court, and multi-use paved trails.
Skylab Architecture and 2.Ink Studio worked in close collaboration with residents through a series of open houses and meetings to develop this new neighborhood park for the Argay Terrace Neighborhood Association. The 16-acre park includes a soccer field, basketball court, children’s playground and water feature, gazebo/stage and picnic shelter, community gardens, parking areas, and a fenced off-leash dog area.
5. Community Garden
Featuring an expansive grassy open space for field sports and picnics, this state-of-the-art park features community gardens, a fog garden where water mists out to attract children’s curiosity, a skate park, and public ping pong tables. It also includes a full-size basketball court, a youth sports field, and a fenced off-leash dog area.
Skylab Architecture and 2.ink Studio worked in close collaboration with Portland Parks and Recreation to redevelop this site into a neighborhood gathering place for the Argay Terrace Neighborhood. The resulting 16-acre park (Luuwit is the Native Upper Cowlitz word for Mount Saint Helens) represents Portland’s newest generation of parks in a zone that has long been underserved by park facilities.
The grand opening featured a blessing by a Shoshone-Bannock Native American, a performance by a local drumming group, and a dedication of the community’s new Mauricio Robalino “Bird” sculpture. This park, which was funded by Park System Development Charges (SDCs) — a one-time fee on new construction – was made possible by the tireless efforts of neighborhood volunteers and a dedicated team of City staff. Next blog post.
Driving directions from Rise and Shine Cleaning Service to Luuwit View Park
Driving directions from Luuwit View Park to Blue Lake Regional Park
