The Oregon Zoo, originally the Portland Zoo and later the Washington Park Zoo, is a zoo located in Washington Park, Portland, Oregon, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) southwest of downtown Portland. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest zoo west of the Mississippi River.
Main entrance in January 2024.
Washington Park was known as City Park until 1909. Charles M. Meyers was the first park keeper and he transformed the wilderness area into a park filled with drives, walkways, gardens, lawns and a zoo.
The Continuity of Life Forms, a 1959 mosaic by Willard Martin, is one of the many artworks at the zoo.
The Washington Park and Zoo Railway's Zooliner train.
Washington Park (Portland, Oregon)
Washington Park is a public urban park in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. It includes a zoo, forestry museum, arboretum, rose garden, Japanese garden, amphitheatre, memorials, archery range, tennis courts, soccer field, picnic areas, playgrounds, public art and many acres of wild forest with miles of trails.
The park's main entrance, 2006
View of park entrance at Southwest Washington Street (now Burnside Street), 1898
Washington Park wayfinding sign
Image: Rose Garden PDX