SW Terwilliger Blvd Parkway
Public ownership and inventory records do not establish permission to enter. 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 public entry and current hours.
Confirm the inferred property type with PP&R.
Photo from the City's park pagePark history
The construction of Terwilliger Boulevard was first mentioned in landscape architect John C. Olmsted's 1903 report to the Portland Park Board. Olmsted envisioned a comprehensive system of parks and parkways for all of Portland - with Terwilliger Blvd, or South Hillside Parkway as he called it, becoming the principal pleasure drive leading south from the city. John and his stepbrother, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., felt that boulevards and parkways were important additions to cities and added a feeling of civility to movement in an urban area. Of the four proposed parkway systems, Terwilliger is the only one completed for public use and utilized as envisioned by its planners.
The parkway got its name from the James Terwilliger family. James came to Oregon in 1845, built a log cabin at what is now SW First and Morrison St, and opened a blacksmith shop. He traded an eastside land claim for a horse, then traded that horse for 640 acres in Portland's west hills. In 1854, he, his wife, and some adjacent landholders donated a total of 10 acres that became the city cemetery. James died in 1892 and his heirs donated 19.24 acres in the form of a right-of-way through the Terwilliger property in 1909 as a part of the development of Terwilliger Blvd. The deeds stated that the donated land was intended to form part of the "Park and Boulevard System of the City of Portland."
Nothing was done to develop the parkway until 1909 when Portland lawyer Joseph Simon became mayor. By the end of his two-year term, the City had a design for the parkway, received gifts of land, purchased 2.84 acres and graded the portion between Hamilton and Slavin Roads. The 200-foot right-of-way was designed to ensure that no buildings would be built to obstruct the views. The formal dedication was held on August 4, 1914, and more than 200 autos paraded along the boulevard. The road was illuminated by electric lights, making the road seem "as light as day."
There was a great deal of discussion in 1917 regarding the surface of the roadway. It was not completely paved and the surface had begun to deteriorate. The boulevard had become one of the best routes between downtown and the southwest, and some people wanted to open Terwilliger to commercial traffic. The Oregon Railway and Navigation Company (which had donated 41.2 acres) and the heirs of James Terwilliger threatened to reclaim the right-of-way. The City attorney pointed out that much of the land was given expressly to "be used forever as a boulevard and parkway for the benefit and use of the public," and if the city failed in this or in the improvement of the parkway, the land would immediately revert to those granting the gift. The City paved the road within a year.
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.
No visitor activities are verified from the available entry and amenity evidence. Inventory records alone do not establish public use.
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.
The available evidence does not establish a complete set of enabling assets for this screen.
No single-addition candidate passes this preliminary screen.
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.
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.
- No seasonal facilities verified in this index
Fields and gardens open; showers between sun. Leagues, planting, first picnics.
- No seasonal facilities verified in this index
Water, shade, long evenings — the season the system is built around.
- No seasonal facilities verified in this index
Light shortens and leagues wind down; shelters and lighting carry the season.
- No seasonal facilities verified in this index
| 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 |
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 SW Terwilliger Blvd Parkway in the Partnership Atlas. This is an opportunity signal, not an official priority.
See opportunity signalsSupport this park
Real ways to help SW Terwilliger Blvd Parkway 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. Historical project estimates appear below; they are separate from these condition records.
Historical cost profile · 2023 reporting
SW Terwilliger Blvd Parkway
$2.3M
10 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
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 (10 source rows)
Pathway Renovation$980,206
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 1023. Source field: “Escalated Estimate.” Estimate date, inflation basis, funded amount and completion status are not supplied.
Original source table ↗Pathway Renovation$583,016
Asset as named in source: SW Terwilliger Blvd Parkway
Replace the damaged pathway, trails and sidewalks that have been rated as 5 in Pathway assessment
KGW table row 1025. Source field: “Escalated Estimate.” Estimate date, inflation basis, funded amount and completion status are not supplied.
Original source table ↗Interpretive Signage$180,655
Asset as named in source: SW Terwilliger Blvd Parkway
Terwilliger Parkway is a high-profile, historic, linear park with beautiful scenery and dedicated stakeholders. It runs south from SW Jackson Drive near downtown Portland to SW Barbur Boulevard. The parks many stakeholders are very interested in celebrating the historic character of the parkway by the planning and installation of interpretive elements along the route. A rough conceptual (low confidence) budget estimate for this plan and installation is $130,000.
KGW table row 1027. Source field: “Escalated Estimate.” Estimate date, inflation basis, funded amount and completion status are not supplied.
Original source table ↗Renovate parking lot_Parking Area I$128,308
Asset as named in source: Parking Area I
Repair parking lot that was rated 5 in condition assessment. Repair include surface, drainage and curb. approx area= 4707 sq.ft
KGW table row 1028. Source field: “Escalated Estimate.” Estimate date, inflation basis, funded amount and completion status are not supplied.
Original source table ↗Terwilliger Parkway South Marker$127,153
Asset as named in source: SW Terwilliger Blvd Parkway
For the South Marker, the estimated Total Project Cost of full build-out, is $91,500 This includes the monument sign, a 2nd wall, the plantings and soft costs. (This location does not have a little plaza.) At the South location, the estimated TPC for just the Monument Sign in lawn is $46,000
KGW table row 1029. Source field: “Escalated Estimate.” Estimate date, inflation basis, funded amount and completion status are not supplied.
Original source table ↗Structure Removal, Safety Improvements$121,765
Asset as named in source: SW Terwilliger Blvd Parkway
Norris parcel needs to have foundation removed, filled in, driveway remaining portion removed, and oil tank survey completed.
KGW table row 1030. Source field: “Escalated Estimate.” Estimate date, inflation basis, funded amount and completion status are not supplied.
Original source table ↗Terwilliger Parkway North Marker Full Design$91,717
Asset as named in source: SW Terwilliger Blvd Parkway
On the Gateway Markers, we already installed the North Marker, but not the full design, which included a little plaza, a 2nd wall and some plantings. To complete the full design, a rough estimate (we have not done a detailed cost estimate for this) is $66,000
KGW table row 1024. Source field: “Escalated Estimate.” Estimate date, inflation basis, funded amount and completion status are not supplied.
Original source table ↗Ecological Restoration_ SW Terwilliger Blvd Parkway$49,041
Asset as named in source: Not specified
Placholder for Ecological health restoration Part of (Terwilliger Parkway including George Himes and Duniway) project
KGW table row 1026. 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: Restroom
LED conversion for Exterior and Interior Lights
KGW table row 1031. Source field: “Escalated Estimate.” Estimate date, inflation basis, funded amount and completion status are not supplied.
Original source table ↗Replace Backflow preventer device$10,000
Asset as named in source: Restroom
- Replace out of compliance backflow preventer - Assembly: Double Check Valve Assembly (DCVA) - Premises Isolation (PI): 3/4" Double Check (DC)+ Vault. Serial # 19416 - Move to property line, if needed - Hazard: ROW
KGW table row 1032. Source field: “Escalated Estimate.” Estimate date, inflation basis, funded amount and completion status are not supplied.
Original source table ↗2 of 7 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
- 17,666
- Households within a half mile
- 10,587
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
- 13
- Closed backlog IDs
- 5
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
Agreement on record
A lease, license, permit or similar agreement names this property. It may be a utility easement rather than park work.
- Landry's Restaurant · Lease, Jul 1, 2021 to Sep 30, 2031Parking Lot lease at SW Terwilliger Blvd
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 7 assessed assets at this park, 29% 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. 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.
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 11Furnishings 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
Terwilliger Parkway on Portland.gov
This page contains information about Terwilliger Parkway in Portland, Oregon.
Stretching along the wooded hills of Southwest Portland, Terwilliger Parkway is one of the city's most scenic routes. This 103-acre parkway winds for about 2.5 miles through the Homestead neighborhood and beyond, offering beautiful views, quiet forest paths, and places to pause and take it all in.
First imagined in 1903 by landscape architect John C. Olmsted, the parkway was designed to be a peaceful and enjoyable route where people could move slowly and appreciate nature. Today, you can explore it by car, bike, or on foot. There's a paved pedestrian path that runs next to the road, and striped bike lanes help make it a favorite route for cyclists. Along the way, you'll find picnic tables, a playground, hiking trails, and scenic pullouts with views of the Willamette River, Mt. Hood, and Mt. St. Helens.
Tall firs, leafy shrubs, and seasonal blooms line much of the route. In spring, rhododendrons add bright color to the landscape. The parkway's forested buffer helps protect wildlife habitat and keeps the area feeling calm and natural.
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/sw-terwilliger-blvd-parkway-793?utm_source=park_qr&utm_medium=sign&utm_campaign=park_793
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.