Plaza Blocks

Lownsdale Square & Chapman Square
Lownsdale Square
Map
LocationPortland, Oregon, United States
Coordinates45°30′57″N 122°40′39″W / 45.515721°N 122.677485°W / 45.515721; -122.677485

The Plaza Blocks, two courthouse squares known as Chapman Square and Lownsdale Square, are located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States.[1] The blocks, as well as the adjacent Terry Schrunk Plaza, are surrounded by multiple government buildings including City Hall, the Green - Wyatt Federal Building, the Portland Building, the Multnomah County Justice Center, the Hatfield United States Courthouse, and the old Multnomah County Courthouse.

  1. ^ Insiders' Guide® to Portland, Oregon, 7th Rachel Dresbeck - 0762774770 2011 - Page 227 "Chapman Square, the southern square, was donated to the city by early Portland attorney William Chapman, while Lownsdale Square was contributed by Daniel Lownsdale, who arrived in Portland in 1845.The squares were originally popular sites for public oratory and other gatherings. And they have a quaint history-at one time, the idea was that women would gather at Chapman Square, while the men would have Lownsdale to themselves. Lownsdale Square is the home of the Soldiers' Monument from 1906, a granite pillar supporting the likeness of an infantryman. This soldier represents Oregon's contribution to the first major force of American troops dispatched overseas, the Second Oregon United States Volunteer Infantry. "