At a cost of $3.6 million, this
urban green space was designed and built during the 12-year tenure of
Mayor Vera Katz. Designed by
PWP Landscape Architecture, the park was initially intended as an outdoor art gallery, with square rocks and steps at the center, but no water. Water, running at random times over the rock, was added to keep skateboarding teenagers from using them. A wooden
boardwalk, made of
ipê, connects Jamison Park to
Tanner Springs Park, two blocks away, and is intended to eventually connect to the
Willamette River. s that also function as support poles for the Portland Streetcar's overhead wire. The park design includes three main elements: a fountain, a boardwalk, and an outdoor gallery. The stone fountain metaphorically expresses the idea of an "aquifer," as water pours out of the stone steps, filling up the gently sloping ground until the water is about 12 inches deep, at which point the water drains back out and the ground is dry. The square includes four 30-foot modern
totem poles, created by
Kenny Scharf and
Paige Powell in 2001, named
Tikitotmoniki Totems.
The Oregonian lampooned the art in late 2002, saying "the Pearl Arts Foundation commissioned '80s art star Kenny Scharf to put up goofy Tiki Totems" in the park. However, the totem poles are also functional, as they hide steel support poles for the
overhead trolley wires that supply power to the
Portland Streetcar, which began operation in 2001. The Portland Streetcar passes on two sides of the park. The Pearl District kept a cancer survivors' memorial from being placed in the park. The park also features an orange steel sculpture called
Contact II by
Alexander Liberman. It was named for William Jamison (1945–1995), an art gallery owner who was a proponent of the Pearl District and died of AIDS-related illness. ==Recreation==