The Imagination Station - Troutdale - 4.22.17

 April, 2017:

I've been back to this park a few times since 2006, but probably not since 2012. In 2016, arsonists set fire to the structure. Articles at the time indicated that the play structure had been "destroyed." While fiery photographs of the structure are creepy and awful, I guess I understood from those articles that the entire thing had been reduced to a burnt husk. This is not the case.

What was destroyed was about 1/4 to 1/5 of the structure, namely what you see here in this shot:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

The wobbly stairs, the double monkey bars, the dead end, the "volcano", the tower that launched the brown curly slide -- are all gone.

RIP airplane thing....

I'll miss you, tire volcano....

You gave me shocks, but I still loved you, curly slide....

Evidence of the fire remains:

And other parts of the structure could use some TLC...

I don't think that art was original.

However, improvements to the Imagination Station have been made, especially in the way of paint. Yay for color!

Here and there, wood has been replaced -- especially along the walkways.

And though it's been through a lot, and has lost some key components, the Imagination Station still stands tall.

How much more time it has, it's hard to say. Oregon weather isn't kind to wooden structures. The Imagination Station turns 25 this year. Another wooden structure, in Portland's Couch Park, was demolished in 2014 after a 35+-year lifespan.

So maybe, if the local hooligans can keep their kerosene and matches away from it, the Imagination Station might just be able to hang on for another decade.

We can hope!

To find out what the Imagination Station looked like -- refurbished -- 2 years later, click here!

Ventura Park: Playground In Transition - SE Portland - 8.2.17 and 12.27.17

Between 2007 and 2009, I took photos at Ventura Park and Ventura Park Elementary School. A few months ago, I read that the city-owned portion (Ventura Park itself, not the school playground) was going to be renovated. Sometimes when playgrounds get remodeled, I miss the transition part of it. Luckily, I drive by this park on a weekly basis. Today, what I saw on the site made me want to go home and get my camera. So I did.

In the early years of this photography project, I knew that some of the parks I was visiting would go through major changes in the years to come. It was inevitable. Old playgrounds can deteriorate, be deemed unsafe, or even go up in smoke. And that's partly why I photograph -- to preserve the structures, somehow.

Ventura Park may be the latest victim of Playground Advancement, but I have high hopes that whatever replaces the ol' structure will be even better than the one before. 

Before:

Currently:

Another Update -12.27.17:

The new playground has begun to take shape. Although the majority of it is still fenced off and inaccessible at the moment, I was able to take some photos.

Unfriendly, that.

Up yonder to the right, there's some kind of mod/abstract structure with silver poles and red and blue -- metal? Hard plastic? Couldn't tell from my vantage point. To the right of that is a big hill with rocks on it, and it looks like there might be a slide going down the far side of it. Closer up is an... uh... well, it looks like a rock with metal bars coming out of it. Someone's idea of a horse?

There are metal poles, I'm not sure what for, although they do remind me of the similar wooden poles that used to be at the park.

Beyond them, in the photo above, you can see there's a red bouncy ride or multi-user teeter totter. Looks like 6 people can hang on and bounce around.

This thing is not behind the fence, so I was able to get up close. Fun climbing structure or cleverly disguised rabbit? YOU decide.

I won't lie, this park is really baffling me. The large hill and the use of the "rock" elements suggest they were going for a natural playground. But the abstract metal sculptures are clearly pointing this playground in a different aesthetic direction. This odd mix is usually something you find in an older playground that has gone through gradual changes, ie, the removal/replacement of one element at a time, rather than a total overhaul. Here, there has been a total overhaul, and yet...

Hey, maybe there's still time for it to all come together. I'll wait and see.

Couch Park - NW Portland - 11.4.07 and 4.9.17

Couch Park

November, 2007:

This playground is blissfully old-school, with a wooden structure, tires, slides that have lost their slipperyness, a zip line, and plenty of metal bars (who needs modern hard plastic, really?) Nestled under a myriad of leafy trees (at least in the Fall), Couch Park is within walking distance of "downtown", yet the sounds of traffic are muted and the atmosphere is that of outer suburbia.

Couch Park has one of the most interesting histories of all the parks I've photographed so far. According to this website, the playgound structure was built in the 70's.


Location: Off 19th Avenue, between NW Glisan & Hoyt

April, 2017:

Sadly, the wooden play structure was taken away in 2014. Here's the press release about it.

Some newer pieces (put in sometime after my 2007 visit) remain at the park. There's a small metal/mod climbing structure and a couple of bouncy rides.

In loving memory

Of the Couch Park wooden play structure

1977-2014

An innocent victim of the ravages of time

(And Oregon weather)

You will be missed