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Physical
Esther Short Park
Esther Short Park is a public park and town square in downtown Vancouver, Washington, and the oldest public park in the state.
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The idea
Esther Short Park is a public park and town square in downtown Vancouver, Washington. It is the oldest public park in the state of Washington and one of the oldest in the West. It takes its name from Esther Short, an early Vancouver settler who left the land to the city as a public plaza after her husband, Amos, died in a shipwreck.
A town square is an open public space in the middle of a city where people gather, shop and celebrate. Esther Short Park plays that role for downtown Vancouver, hosting markets, concerts and everyday visitors. It has a children's playground, a rose garden and a large fountain built from columnar basalt, a volcanic rock that forms tall, many-sided columns. Two landmarks stand in the park: the Salmon Run Bell Tower and the historic Slocum House.
The park is also home to the Vancouver Farmers Market, which runs on weekends. During the warmer months, the park becomes a popular community gathering place for live outdoor music. A park like this gives a busy downtown a shared green space, where neighbors, workers and visitors can meet without paying to get in.
Check yourself
Question 1 of 2
What rock is the park's large fountain made of?
Composition
what it's made of
- Town square — An open public space at the heart of downtown Vancouver.
- Basalt fountain — A large fountain system made of columnar basalt.
- Rose garden and playground — Planted gardens and a children's playground.
- Landmarks — The Salmon Run Bell Tower and the historic Slocum House.
- Farmers market — The Vancouver Farmers Market, held in the park on weekends.
Connection
how it relates
Change
how and why it evolves
- Past
- The park was established in 1853, and the land was bequeathed to the city in 1862. Downtown Vancouver later fell into serious economic decline, and a 1996 newspaper article named the park as the center of most of the city's 911 emergency calls. Mayor Royce Pollard and others then pushed to revive the area, and the park received $5.67 million in direct aid. In the summer of 2007, the park hosted over 30 outdoor concerts, many of them free, and won a "Development of Excellence" award from the Urban Land Institute of Oregon and Southwest Washington.
- Now
- For 2013, the American Planning Association named it one of the nation's "ten great public spaces."
- Next
- As more people live and work downtown, the park will likely stay a central gathering place, though its events and uses may change over time.