A Tour of the Reubens Public Garden

Introduction

The Reubens Public Gardens are located downtown, hidden within the modern architecture of an office building. The gardens honor Trudy Simon, who became an internationally recognized authority on Japanese gardens and whose influence can be seen everywhere in the gardens. The Reubens Public Gardens were originally designed by Trudy Simon’s husband, renowned Japanese garden designer Paul Simon in 1985. The gardens went through a renovation in 2013. Andy Nakajima, an artist who created many famous public statues around the world, sculpted one of his last pieces, a cat that gazes into a pool of water, for the Reubens Public Gardens. “It’s very rare to have such a beautiful space for us in downtown Portland and don’t chafe at it being there – we enjoy seeing people enjoying their space or cutting through to go somewhere else.” – Roger Pearlman

A Tour of the Reubens Public Garden: a tour through a revitalized downtown garden and the people who maintain it.

The Reubens Public Garden is a hidden gem of downtown that many people do not know about. Located in an office building, it’s a great place to relax and enjoy the outdoors. If you’d like to take a break from the hustle and bustle of your day, head down there! You’ll find plenty of beautiful plants, interesting sculptures and good company there.

The Reubens Public Gardens are located downtown, hidden within the modern architecture of an office building.

The Reubens Public Garden is located in the heart of downtown Portland, hidden within the modern architecture of an office building. The garden is surrounded by glass windows and overlooks a courtyard with various types of plants and trees. When you visit this space, you can see that it was designed to create an intimate environment for visitors to relax or reflect on nature.

It’s important to note that this garden isn’t just for those who work at OSI—the public is invited to enjoy it as well!

Paul Simon came up with this name when his daughter was sick with leukemia.

Simon’s daughter was diagnosed with leukemia in 1970. She was given a 50/50 chance of survival, but ultimately lived a full life. In 1976, Simon was inspired by the song “Bridge Over Troubled Water” when he visited the newly constructed Reubens Public Garden along Portland’s Willamette River. The name was chosen because of the way the gardens flow into the river and create a bridge over it.

The gardens honor Trudy Simon, who became an internationally recognized authority on Japanese gardens and whose influence can be seen everywhere in the gardens.

The gardens honor Trudy Simon, who became an internationally recognized authority on Japanese gardens and whose influence can be seen everywhere in the gardens.

A respected horticulturalist and professor at Oregon State University, she was a world expert on Japanese landscaping. She died in 2007 after a long journey battling breast cancer but her legacy lives on through her family and friends and also through her life’s work at OSU as well as here in Reubens’ Public Garden where you can see some of the most amazing examples of what makes a traditional Japanese garden unique from those that are not traditional.

The Reubens Public Gardens were originally designed by Trudy Simon’s husband, renowned Japanese garden designer Paul Simon in 1985. The gardens went through a renovation in 2013.

The Reubens Public Gardens were originally designed by Trudy Simon’s husband, renowned Japanese garden designer Paul Simon in 1985. The gardens went through a renovation in 2013. They are located downtown, hidden within the modern architecture of an office building.

The building was constructed in 1988 and is named after David Reuben who was a real estate mogul and philanthropist who passed away during construction of the building.

Andy Nakajima, an artist who created many famous public statues around the world, sculpted one of his last pieces, a cat that gazes into a pool of water, for the Reubens Public Gardens.

The Reubens Public Garden (also known as the Reuben Park) is a popular urban green space in Portland, Oregon’s downtown core. It was built in 1916, and was designed by Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm.

The gardens are named after George Washington Reuben who donated $10,000 to the city of Portland in order to create them. George Washington Reuben was born on January 11th 1851 in Connecticut before moving to California with his family at age 18 where he worked as a miner for several years before returning east where he attended Harvard Law School graduating with honors in 1880 as class valedictorian! He passed away at age 73 due to complications from surgery after being diagnosed with cancer earlier that year (1931). Today we have many statues around town depicting people or events related to him thanks largely due some generous donations made by his heirs over time which allowed us enjoy these public works including those found here at our local park named after him.”

“It’s very rare to have such a beautiful space for us in downtown Portland and don’t chafe at it being there – we enjoy seeing people enjoying their space or cutting through to go somewhere else.” – Roger Pearlman, Docent at the Japanese Garden

The Reubens Public Garden is a place for you to go to relax, enjoy the weather and company of others, or enjoy art.

Everyone has their own way of relaxing; for some people it involves going on a hike in the wilderness, while others prefer to sit on a beach and soak up some sun. At its core, this garden is all about finding peace within yourself and letting go of your worries. You can spend hours sitting by one of the ponds listening to birds chirp or taking in the scents of flowers blooming around you as summertime melts away into fall. It makes living in an urban environment much more bearable when you have this kind of resource available just outside your door!

When people think about Portland they typically picture rainy weather with little sunshine peeking through clouds overhead; however this isn’t always true! While there are many days where clouds hang low over our heads there are also many days where clear skies provide beautiful views from Mt Tabor Park or even farther away depending on which direction we look towards (i recommend checking out Mt Hood!).

You can find peace within city limits if you know where to look.

If you’re looking for a place to relax and escape the city, look no further than Reubens Public Garden. The garden is an oasis in the middle of downtown Portland, boasting over 30 different types of trees, shrubs and flowers, along with many benches and picnic areas.

While it might not be as spacious as Forest Park or home to wild animals like Pittock Mansion’s Japanese gardens, there are still plenty of reasons why this urban park should be on your list of places to visit:

  • It’s one of Portland’s most popular public parks—and that’s saying something! With its beautiful flowers and inviting atmosphere (not to mention all the people who come here), Reubens Public Garden can help you forget about your troubles for a few minutes while you enjoy some much needed peace and quiet.
  • You’ll also find exercise equipment here if that’s what floats your boat—or maybe just something fun to do with friends when they’re around (like playing soccer). There are tons of ways we can enjoy ourselves while getting healthy at the same time!

Conclusion

Walking through the Reubens Public Gardens is an amazing experience. It is an oasis in downtown Portland and you can find peace within city limits if you know where to look. I hope that this tour helped you understand why this garden is so special and what makes it such a popular place for locals and tourists alike!

Leave a Reply