Halprin Landscape ConservancyStewards this parkConfirmed
Conservancies & operating nonprofits
Portland.gov — Keller Fountain ParkPortland Downtown · District 4 · Plaza or memorial · 0.9 acres
Ira Keller Fountain Park
Plaza or memorialPublic entry documented
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: walk or roll on pavement, meet in a public square, and be in a park.
Photo from the City's park pagePark 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 landscape 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."
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.
…gather
- meet in a public squarePlaza or terrace
…cool off
- sit by a fountainFountain
…get here and move
- be in a parkAny park
- walk or roll on pavementPaved path
…remember and belong
- see public artPublic art
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.
Enabling assets recorded
- Nature education — Environmental programs and guided walks.
One addition to investigate
- Evening use — needs restroom
- Gatherings & events — needs restroom
- Summer water play — needs splash pad or interactive fountain
Outside the size-and-type screen for this 0.9-acre park property: be inside when it rains (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.
What else should this park let you do?
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.
- Emerson School · Portland Public Schools · 1.4 acres0.2 mi
Nothing recorded inside the grounds yet.
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.
Winter
Dec–Feb
Dark by 5 and wet most days: cover, lighting, indoor rooms, and paths that drain.
- walk or roll on pavement
- meet in a public square
- be in a park
- sit by a fountain
- see public art
0 programs · 0 events starts captured
Fewest modeled facilities
Spring
Mar–May
Fields and gardens open; showers between sun. Leagues, planting, first picnics.
- meet in a public square
- be in a park
- sit by a fountain
- walk or roll on pavement
- see public art
0 programs · 0 events starts captured
Summer
Jun–Aug
Water, shade, long evenings — the season the system is built around.
- meet in a public square
- be in a park
- sit by a fountain
- walk or roll on pavement
- see public art
0 programs · 0 events starts captured
Fall
Sep–Nov
Light shortens and leagues wind down; shelters and lighting carry the season.
- meet in a public square
- be in a park
- sit by a fountain
- walk or roll on pavement
- see public art
0 programs · 0 events starts captured
What the record holds here, by season
| Season | Programs | Recurring events | One-time |
|---|---|---|---|
Winter Dec–Feb Not yet published | — | — | — |
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 2026-10; 1 month still to come | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Our reading of the calendar
Which facilities count as in season is our model of Portland's year (splash pads and wading pools in summer; fields, gardens and interactive fountains spring through fall; everything else year-round) — not the City's schedule. Check posted hours for pools, splash pads, and restrooms. From 16 weekly catalog snapshots (2026-06-11 to 2026-10-12). "Programs" are distinct titles; "sections" are the catalog's individual records — a swim level at one time slot for one week is one section. Complete through 2026-10; later months fill in as registration opens. Winter counts fill in when winter registration opens.
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 ecosystemCommunity organizations that steward, fund, operate, or run programs at Ira Keller Fountain Park. Labels show what is confirmed and what is still being filled in.
Support this park
Real ways to help Ira Keller Fountain Park and parks like it. This site does not process donations; every link below goes to an official giving or volunteering channel.
Donate via Portland Parks FoundationThe independent nonprofit philanthropic partner for Portland's parks. Gifts support parks and programs citywide.Volunteer with Portland Parks & RecreationJoin official PP&R volunteer and stewardship programs, from work parties to ongoing roles.Find park partners and friends groupsDozens of community organizations steward specific Portland parks. See who works where.
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. Historical project estimates appear below; they are separate from these condition records.
Historical cost profile · 2023 reporting
Ira Keller Fountain Park
$117.9K
2 distinct source rows. Proposed repair and improvement costs, not a current funding gap.
All-in annual service cost: Not established
Current remaining repair cost: Not verified
What the estimates cover
Paths & access$106.1K
Energy & building systems$11.8K
Categories are Atlas labels based on project titles. Expansion and new provision are included where proposed; a project can include several kinds of work.
The work, cost & reason (2 source rows)
Pathway Renovation$106,131
Asset as named in source: Internal Pathway/ Sidewalk
Replace the damaged pathway, trails and sidewalks that have been rated as 4 and 5 in Pathway assessment
KGW table row 476. Source field: “Escalated Estimate.” Estimate date, inflation basis, funded amount and completion status are not supplied.
Original source table ↗ESPC-III_Buildings Lighting to LEDs$11,760
Asset as named in source: Maintenance
LED conversion for Exterior and Interior Lights
KGW table row 475. Source field: “Escalated Estimate.” Estimate date, inflation basis, funded amount and completion status are not supplied.
Original source table ↗0 of 17 assessed built records are rated poor or very bad in the separate condition dataset. Condition ratings do not determine these dollar estimates.
Source: KGW’s November 2023 table. Current status, remaining scope and funding are unverified. Exact duplicate rows count once; other scope overlaps remain unresolved.
Compare repair estimates across parks →Annual service · FY 2026–27 adopted
A complete annual cost is not yet available.
This property has no named account linked in the public budget extract. Shared crews and citywide programs may still fund its care.
Later budget supplements and unallocated shared services are not included.
Annual breakdown & district context →District picture · District 4
This park in the district picture
The same public records, read the same way for every property, so this park can be set next to its district. Each figure keeps its own source and date. “Not available” means the source has no record for this property. It is not a zero.
People nearby
- Residents within a half mile
- 12,883
- Households within a half mile
- 9,181
2020 Census blocks whose centre point lies within a half mile of the park boundary, measured in a straight line. Residents, not visitors. Blocks outside the city limits count.
Recorded backlog
- Open backlog IDs
- 2
- Closed backlog IDs
- 1
Records in the PP&R backlog map workbook that name this property. The workbook publishes no cost field, so these are counts of records, not dollars.
Active capital projects
- Active geocoded projects
- 0
Geocoded PP&R capital projects at this property, a subset of the full capital program. The cost is the published estimated total project cost, not spending to date.
Who is on record
Stewardship group on record
A conservancy, friends group or stewardship partner is on record here. The split of tasks between staff and volunteers is not published.
- Halprin Landscape Conservancy · Stewardship Agreement, Apr 1, 2022 to May 31, 2027Stewardship of Portland Open Space Sequence
Partners at assets here: Halprin Landscape Conservancy (stewardship)
From the department-provided partnership directory. It records what is on paper, not who does each task. Each agreement links to its entry on PP&R's agreements with partners, with the public text where it's posted, how to request it where it isn't, and the rules that govern partnerships.
Condition across all assets
Citywide condition atlasAcross 17 assessed assets at this park, 0% 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.
Good · 0Above fair · 6Fair · 11Poor · 0Very bad · 0
Assessed asset families here
Amenities & furnishings2007 (2007–2026)Buildings2018Pathways & trails
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. These assessment records do not contain repair costs. Historical project estimates are shown separately.
Repair ledger
Public data does not currently flag repair candidates for this park. Additional PP&R maintenance exports can be added without changing the page structure.
Know this park?
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 13Furnishings the City inventories here, with each item's condition score — 1 is good, 5 is very bad. Asset photos aren't public yet.
Flag Pole×4
2222
Permanent Trash Can×4
3332
Memorial×3
332
Permanent Bollard×2
33
Official Portland.gov profile
From the City's park page
Keller Fountain Park on Portland.gov
This page contains information about Keller Fountain Park.
Keller Fountain is a beloved decorative fountain. But did you know PP&R offers many interactive fountains and splash pads at parks across the city where splashing and playing in the water are encouraged?
Visit our Interactive Fountains and Splash Pads page for a list of locations and hours.
Keller Fountain, Lovejoy Fountain, Pettygrove Park, and Source Fountain are collectively known as the Portland Open Space Sequence, an effort to provide welcoming public gathering places for the Portland community.
City label
Park
Year acquired
1968
Official acres
0.918
City section
Downtown
Neighborhood
Portland Downtown
Hours
Park hours: 5am to 9pm
Amenities and activities
PlazaStatue or public artPaths (paved)Fountain
All dogs must be leashed in this park.
This page, on a sign
The QR label for this park points here. Print labels →
https://parks.portlandciviclab.org/parks/ira-keller-fountain-park-194?utm_source=park_qr&utm_medium=sign&utm_campaign=park_194
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.