Couch Park, Urban park in Northwest District, Portland, United States.
Couch Park is an urban park in Portland's Northwest District with playgrounds, mature trees, and multiple spaces for recreation and gathering. The park includes open lawn areas, shaded zones under large trees, and dedicated play equipment.
The site was part of the estate of merchant Cicero Hunt Lewis, husband of John H. Couch's daughter Clementine, with a mansion, stables and greenhouse built in 1881. Portland Public Schools acquired the property in 1913, demolished it and built Couch School, using the land that became the park as its playground. The park was planned from 1975 with MLC students and neighbours, and transferred to Portland Parks & Recreation in 1977.
The adjacent school shapes how the park functions, with students helping maintain and improve the space through hands-on involvement. This connection makes the park feel like an extension of the school community rather than just a public green area.
The off-leash dog area is unfenced, so dogs are not enclosed there; the playground itself has had a fence since 2010, paid for with funds from The Opus Foundation and a voter-approved 2002 levy. The park sits at Northwest 19th Avenue and Glisan Street, next to the Metropolitan Learning Center. In summer the dog area is used for concerts.
Three art installations went up in 1976: a steel sculpture by David Cotter, tile mosaics by Jere Grimm, and carved wood pillars by Brent Jenkins, Eric Jensen and William Moore. Only Cotter's steel sculpture survives; the wood pillars that once supported the playground are gone.
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