Burnside Skatepark Might Be Protected With Historic Designation

It faces a wrecking ball when county officials renovate the Burnside Bridge to ready it in case of earthquake.

Burnside Skatepark. (Marcus Kaneshiro / Flickr)
By Sophie Peel

The Burnside Skatepark is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, according to a Sept. 9 presentation by Multnomah County.

That could offer it an escape hatch from demolition when county officials renovate the Burnside Bridge to ready it in case of earthquake.

The skatepark was built under the east end of the bridge without government permission. If the skatepark is added to the register, it would require the county to mitigate negative impacts on the structure. (NextPortland first reported the county's presentation.)

But county officials and the skatepark's defenders concede the skate bowl will have to change.

Skatepark board member Sage Bolyard has misgivings about the regulations such a listing would place on the park. When asked whether the skatepark would have the money to relocate, Bolyard replied, "What money?"

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