Cathedral Park
The captured official page publishes visiting hours. Check the source for current closures. Public-entry status is separate from wheelchair accessibility.
Classification and evidence
Official page label: Park; Atlas classification rules. Classification: inferred.
Source captured: 2026-06-02. Human verification: Pending.
Check current official informationConfirm the inferred property type with PP&R.
Published activities: let my dog run, use a restroom, and be in a natural area.
Photo from the City's park pagePark history
The site which now bears the name Cathedral Park is steeped in history. It is believed to be one of the 14 Lewis and Clark landing sites in the Vancouver-Portland area: William Clark and eight men camped there on April 2, 1806. This spot had been a fishing and camping site for many area Indian tribes. In 1847, the founder of St Johns, James John, settled on the site and operated a ferry to Linnton across the Willamette River. In 1931, the St Johns Bridge was built on the site with 400-ft towers and a main span of 1,207 feet. It is the only steel suspension bridge in Portland.
In the early 1970s, Howard Galbraith, the "honorary mayor" of unincorporated St Johns, got tired of the junkyard state of the area under the eastern end of the bridge. He organized a drive that eventually raised $7.5 million to build a park. After eight years of community fundraising, combined with state, county and city funding, the park was dedicated at a community celebration on May 3, 1980. It got its name from a photo of the St Johns Bridge by Al Monner that appeared on the front page of the Oregon Journal in 1968. Reference was made to its beautiful cathedral-like arches and the park found its name.
In June of 1980, the Cathedral Park Committee sealed a time capsule (complete with ash from Mt St Helens) into the Wall of History in the Memorial Garden in the park. The time capsule will be opened in 2030. Measurements for how to find the capsule (which is covered with a stone that matches the rest of the wall) have been left with the Oregon History Center. Committee chairperson Sharon Roso said, "We want to make sure that in 2030 people will remember there's a celebration due in St Johns."
In 2008, a sculpture by Donald Fels was installed beneath the St Johns Bridge. Drawing on the River reflects back on a century of industry in St Johns and is an homage to both the mills and the workers who ran them. The piece also invokes the river itself, which powered the mills and is the reason the workers settled here.
From the City's page for this park.
Visitor amenities
Published amenities are checked separately from entry conditions. Each links to other documented locations; confirm current hours before visiting.
- use a restroomRestroom
- use an accessible restroomAccessible restroom
- sit down to eatPicnic table
- watch a showStage or amphitheater
- meet in a public squarePlaza or terrace
- play in natureNature play area
- be in a parkAny park
- walk or roll on pavementPaved path
- be in a natural areaNatural area
- launch a boatBoat dock or ramp
- look out over waterRiver or vista views
- let my dog runDog off-leash area
Potential additions to investigate
Passing the initial size-and-type screen is not a feasibility finding. Usable space, existing uses, habitat, public access, utilities, permission, construction costs, and ongoing maintenance funding require site-specific review. Missing acreage or uncertain classification remains unassessed.
- Evening use — Programming after dusk — leagues, classes, walks.
- Gatherings & events — Concerts, movies, cultural events.
- Nature education — Environmental programs and guided walks.
- Markets & festivals — Vendor events and neighborhood festivals.
- League play — needs any sport field or any sport court
- Summer water play — needs splash pad or wading pool or swimming pool or interactive fountain
- Youth drop-in — needs playground
- All-weather indoor — needs indoor space or community center or arts or cultural center or gymnasium
Inventory-based screening only. Recorded assets do not establish opening hours, program staffing, permission, or operating funding. Potential additions require review of usable space, habitat, utilities, access, and ongoing maintenance. Unverified properties remain unassessed.
Something specific to this park — the thing you'd use it for if it were here.
Send an idea for this park →School grounds nearby
Public school grounds within a half mile, by straight line. What is listed is what OpenStreetMap mappers have recorded, not an inventory. The district sets public access.
- James John Elementary · Portland Public Schools · 3.3 acres0.5 mi
On record: 4 four square pitchs, 4 pitchs, 3 basketball pitchs, 2 playgrounds, 2 kickball pitchs, 2 tetherball pitchs, 2 tracks, 1 soccer pitch, 1 garden, 1 funnel ball pitch, 1 futsal pitch. Not recorded in this property’s inventory: basketball court, soccer or futsal field, playground, running track.
Beyond parks explains what opening a school ground would take.
School grounds: Metro RLIS. Features inside them: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Through the year
Seasonal facilities and listings captured by the Atlas. These records do not measure attendance, utilization or all activity at the site.
Counts describe captured listings, not attendance or all activity. No listings captured does not mean the site is unused.
Dark by 5 and wet most days: cover, lighting, indoor rooms, and paths that drain.
- use a restroom
- walk or roll on pavement
- use an accessible restroom
- sit down to eat
- watch a show
- meet in a public square
- +6 more
Fields and gardens open; showers between sun. Leagues, planting, first picnics.
- use a restroom
- use an accessible restroom
- sit down to eat
- watch a show
- meet in a public square
- be in a park
- +6 more
Water, shade, long evenings — the season the system is built around.
- sit down to eat
- watch a show
- use a restroom
- use an accessible restroom
- meet in a public square
- be in a park
- +6 more
Light shortens and leagues wind down; shelters and lighting carry the season.
- use a restroom
- be in a natural area
- use an accessible restroom
- sit down to eat
- watch a show
- meet in a public square
- +6 more
| Season | Programs | Recurring events | One-time |
|---|---|---|---|
Winter Dec–Feb registration opens 10/08 (activities Nov 2 – Dec 13 and winter-break camps Dec 21 – Jan 3) | — | — | — |
Spring Mar–May Recorded from 2026-06-11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Summer Jun–Aug Recorded from 2026-06-11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fall Sep–Nov Recorded through 2026-09; 2 months still to come | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What's on
No current listings were captured and matched to this property. This does not establish that no activity takes place. See the citywide calendar and programs.
Partners & friends
The whole ecosystemNo known partner is currently linked to Cathedral Park in the Partnership Atlas. This is an opportunity signal, not an official priority.
See opportunity signalsSupport this park
Real ways to help Cathedral Park and parks like it. This site does not process donations; every link below goes to an official giving or volunteering channel.
How it's holding up
The City's own inventory of what is here and the condition it last recorded for each item. Dates are the source's; old dates mean no newer public assessment, not that nothing has happened since. PP&R does not publish itemized repair costs, so needs appear without dollar figures.
Condition across all assets
Citywide condition atlasAcross 138 assessed assets at this park, 18% are in poor or very-bad condition (rated 4–5). Pooled from the City's public assessment layers — buildings, bridges, playgrounds, courts, fields, fences, paths and amenities.
This count comes from the City's rated asset layers; the “Public assets” list below is a separate furnishings inventory, so its items and scores are counted separately and the two totals need not match.
Condition is rated 1 (good) to 5 (very bad); no score means not yet assessed and is excluded. Park trees are inventoried separately and not counted here. No repair costs — those aren't published.
Repair ledger
Each row is one record from PP&R's public asset layer. No itemized repair cost is published for these records, so none is shown. Dates are the source's last published assessment; treat older ones as unverified.
| Asset | Condition | Status | Replacement | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Drinking Fountain Condition rated poor (code 4). Priority high. Record 0097-DF-1 | Poor condition code 4 | Active | no | 2007-07-23 |
Picnic Table Condition rated poor (code 4). Priority high. Record 1614 | Poor condition code 4 | Active | no | 2007-07-23 |
Picnic Table Condition rated poor (code 4). Priority high. Record 1778 | Poor condition code 4 | Active | no | 2007-07-23 |
Picnic Table Condition rated poor (code 4). Priority high. Record 2629 | Poor condition code 4 | Active | no | 2007-07-23 |
Picnic Table Condition rated poor (code 4). Priority high. Public note: graffiti Record 8916 | Poor condition code 4 | Active | no | 2007-07-23 |
Seen something here that's broken, fixed, or missing from this list? Records are updated periodically; tell us what you see.
Send a condition note →Public assets
All 79Furnishings the City inventories here, with each item's condition score — 1 is good, 5 is very bad. Asset photos aren't public yet.
From the City's park page
Cathedral Park on Portland.gov
Visit our Parking Guide for Parks for more information.
Boater Parking Permit Available - February through MaySeasonal parking permits are available for boaters who use Willamette Park to launch. These permits are only valid for vehicles with trailers, in marked "Trailers Only" spaces. Permits are valid February through May and are available on a first-come, first-served basis ($75).
Purchase digital PP&R parking permits
Park hours: 5am to midnightTake a virtual tour of the trees at Cathedral Park
This page, on a sign
The QR label for this park points here. Print labels →
https://parks.portlandciviclab.org/parks/cathedral-park-97?utm_source=park_qr&utm_medium=sign&utm_campaign=park_97
Where this comes from
Facilities from the City's amenity pages and asset layers; hours, photo, and history from the City's park page; programs and events from its catalogs; condition from PortlandMaps public records. Where the City publishes nothing, this page says so instead of guessing.