The neighborhood was platted in 1907, the year of the first Portland Rose Festival. Trolley service from Downtown Portland was inaugurated that year by the Portland Railway, Light & Power Co., and discontinued November 30, 1936.
Amenities
Rose City Park is a neighborhood in Northeast Portland, Oregon. It borders Beaumont-Wilshire and the Hollywood District on the west, Cully on the north, Roseway and Madison South on the east, and Center on the south.
The Rose City Park neighborhood has easy access to public transportation. The NE 60th Ave station on the Blue Line and Red Line of the MAX light rail system is on the boundary (Interstate 84) with the Center neighborhood.
points of interest
The namesake park, Rose City Park was acquired in 1920. Other parks in the neighborhood include Frazer Park (1950, on the site of a former juvenile detention center), Normandale Park (1940), and the western part of Rose City Golf Course (1920). A statue of George Washington was commissioned by Henry Waldo Coe and sculpted by Pompeo Coppini. It was dedicated on July 4, 1927 and stands at 57th Avenue and Sandy Boulevard, in the center of the neighborhood.
The Rose City Park is located within the neighborhood and includes disabled access to the play area and restroom, paved and unpaved paths, picnic tables, a mulched surface in the playground area, soccer field, softball field, and lighted tennis court. Park hours are from 5:00 am to midnight. There is street parking and a paved pathway and ramp to the play area. To reserve a sports field, call 503-823-2525.
The Rose City Golf Course is located on the spot once occupied by the Portland Country Club. The first nine holes of today's golf course used to be one of four racetracks which are now park property. A spectacle sponsored by the American Legion featured a head-on collision between two locomotives. This was also the first landing field for airplanes in the vicinity. Historically, this property has seen a progression of use by planes, trains, horses, motorcycles, and cars.
Today, this golf course features challenging long par 4s and lovely tree-lined fairways. Built in 1923, it is the second oldest course in the city of Portland. The Rose City Golf Course is both playable and challenging for players at all levels. Recent renovations have improved conditions and year-round playability.
Built in 1937, as part of the New Deal Public Works Project, the clubhouse at Rose City is a beautiful, brick building with steep pitched roofs. Inside, you will be welcomed in the pro-shop where you will find the staff eager to assist with your check in. Before or after your round you may choose to relax in the grill area where breakfast, lunch and snacks are available every day.
Rose City Golf Course has golf professionals on staff to work with golfers of all abilities and private, individual, and private group lessons are available. Getting to Rose City Golf Course is easy from any section of town or SW Washington. It is located at 2200 NE 71st Avenue, just west of Rocky Butte, and adjacent to Madison High School. For additional information call 503-253-4744.
Frazer Park is a modest-sized shared park located at NE 52nd Avenue and Hassalo Street in the Rose City Park neighborhood. The off-leash area for dogs is at the west end of the park and offers a large grassy area on a moderately steep hillside. The area is large enough for long games of fetch and hosts many trees for shade in the summer. It's unfenced, like most of the shared parks and is relatively secluded. Garbage cans and picnic tables are on site but not running water, so come prepared. Parking is on 52nd Avenue. No small dogs are allowed and dogs visiting the dog park must be kept on leash from the car to the off-leash area because the area is adjacent to a school and a playground.
The idea for Frazer Park Community Garden was conceived by the Rose City Park Neighborhood Association in early 2009. They coordinated the initial work of reaching out to residents, engaging potential stakeholders, and soliciting a neighborhood consensus around where and how big the garden should be. The garden opened in April of 2012.
Frazer Park was selected as an optimum location for a community garden and is within walking distance for a growing number of apartment complexes and rental homes. This higher density extends along both sides of I-84 from Hollywood to the South Tabor and Madison South neighborhoods.
culture
The gems of the Rose City Park neighborhood are the parks and golf course. However, there are numerous restaurants and businesses adjacent to the neighborhood. You will find tremendous variety in this northeast area of Portland. Here are just a few of the restaurants that receive high reviews from their patrons.
Just a few steps off of Sandy Blvd on NE Sacramento is one of Portland’s best kept neighborhood bistro secrets, Cabezon. Open since 2009, this bustling restaurant focuses on local seafood and wood fired meats, and bistro classics like french onion soup, oysters on the half shell, and chocolate pot de crème.
Fire on the Mountain is known as a great spot for wings–they claim to be Portland’s Original Buffalo Style Wings Joint–but their menu also includes classic brewpub fare like burgers, pizza, and plenty of beer from their onsite brewery. Perched at the northern edge of Rose City Park, this location also has a taproom open to those 21 and up.
If you’re looking for an old school Portland vibe, check out Clyde’s Prime Rib for an evening of dinner and dancing. Clyde’s has been a fixture on NE Sandy since the 1950s. New owners took over in 2016 and they opted to upgrade the ingredients instead of changing the menu so you can still get classics like Prime Rib Soup and Oysters Rockefeller. Their musical guest lineup is posted on their website so you can make your reservations accordingly.
Case Study Coffee saw an opening for a neighborhood cafe and opened their original location in Rose City Park back in 2010. A favorite among locals, Case Study serves up their own beautiful roasts in a variety of formats. It’s easy to spend a couple hours there with a book or the paper, and a warm cup of joe.
The Rose City Park neighborhood has much to offer residents and visitors. Take a friend, take your dog, and take the time to visit this lovely area of northeast Portland.