Lovejoy Columns

The four fluted steel columns standing in the park bear coats of hand-painted murals depicting local scenes and geometric patterns. These pillars once supported the Lovejoy Ramp, a massive concrete viaduct that carried traffic into downtown Portland for over seventy years. When the city demolished the ramp in nineteen ninety-nine to reconnect the Pearl District, artist Donald Munson salvaged these segments. He spent months scraping away layers of grime and road salt to reveal the steel canvases beneath, then invited neighbors to paint them.