View Larger Map
Today's fun expedition takes us to Southwest Portland, in the area around SW 45th Avenue & Vermont Street. Given that intro you might assume we're headed to Gabriel Park, but we're not. Gabriel Park isn't quite obscure enough for this humble blog, I think. And besides, I saw quite enough of the place back in high school, mumble-mumble years ago, since our home cross country course was located there. Come to think of it, I haven't been back since. I doubt that nostalgia alone can trigger psychosomatic shin splints, but why risk it?
In any case, thanks to a very obscure document from the city, I ran across a much more obscure spot in the vicinity of Gabriel Park: A three block span of park blocks -- or more accurately, a very long and skinny single park block, about three blocks long -- runs along the north side of Vermont St. between SW Idaho Drive and 50th Avenue. Instead of separating east and westbound traffic, the south side has busy through traffic going both directions, and the north side is basically a residential side street, and both sides are named Vermont St. Maybe that was the plan all along. Or maybe Vermont Street was supposed to have a grassy center strip with trees the whole way, and the plan didn't pan out for some reason, and this is the only remnant of that design. So far I haven't found any explanation anywhere on the interwebs. Or for that matter any mention of the place at all other than that one list in the city archives.
PortlandMaps says it's not a tax lot, which usually means the city's transporation bureau owns the place, similar to most of the East Park Blocks. That's not always the same thing as who mows the grass and trims the trees. Which again, I've been unable to find any info at all about.
