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Another Portland landmark has been added to the National Register of Historic Places—and, unless you've spent time biking in the Southwest Hills, it's something you might not think of as a "landmark."
This month, Terwilliger Parkway was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Bike Portland was the first to note the winding, bike-and-car road's recent inclusion.
The parkway was nominated by the nonprofit Friends of Terwilliger.
Though it's now mostly known as a bike-friendly way to get to and from downtown, Terwilliger Parkway was first envisioned by famous landscape architect John C. Olmsted as a scenic gateway to the city, offering views of the urban landscape and its surrounding natural beauty. It first opened in 1914 and is considered a local hallmark of the City Beautiful Movement, a city planning philosophy that emphasized natural beauty over utilitarianism.
"Listing establishes a heightened level of review and protection for projects in the parkway," Friends of Terwilliger president Anton Vetterlein said in the organization's announcement, "Which is critical considering that Oregon Health & Science University and city bureaus are frequently doing work that affects park property and the roadway through it."