The grassy 23-acre park that now stretches for about 1.5mi along the Willamette River was once Portland's raucous river port. A waterfront esplanade used by strollers, joggers, bicyclists and in-line skaters reaches almost the entire length of the park, from Riverplace, an upscale retail, hotel and condominium development, up to the Steel Bridge. In 1929 the old downtown wharves were demolished and the first seawall erected; from the 1940s until the 1970s a major east-west highway plowed through the area. As part of its downtown urban renewal scheme, the city reclaimed the land and named the new park after Tom McCall (1913-83), an early proponent of land-use planning who served as governor from 1967-75.The park is frequently the venue for summertime concerts and festivals. Eight Portland bridges can be seen by strolling the length of the park.
