Summary
Audrey McCall Beach (also known as Eastbank Crescent Beach, or the Eastbank Crescent and Dock)[1] is an urban beach along the east bank of the Willamette River, near the Hawthorne Bridge in Portland, Oregon, United States.[2]
Audrey McCall Beach | |
|---|---|
 View of the beach from the Hawthorne Bridge, July 2020 | |
  Audrey McCall Beach Location in Portland, Oregon | |
| Coordinates: 45°30′44″N 122°40′05″W / 45.5122911°N 122.6680385°W | |
| Location | Portland, Oregon |
| Offshore water bodies | Willamette River |
Description and history edit
Named after Audrey McCall, the opening was spearheaded by the Human Access Project (HAP).[3][4][5][6] HAP removed 19 tons of concrete from what would become Audrey McCall Beach during 2013–2019 with assistance of volunteers and inmate work crews.[7][8]
In 2015, HAP successfully lobbied City Council to create an improved public beach on the east side of the river, ostensibly Audrey McCall Beach.[9][10]
On October 8, 2017, Tad McCall (son of former Oregon Governor Tom McCall and Audrey McCall) expressed support of development of a beach park to honor his mother.[11][12] In 2018, HAP partnered with Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) to produce Sunday Splashways in conjunction with PBOT's Sunday Parkways program.[13]
The beach opened as the city's second official public beach on July 5, 2019.[7][14][15][16] HAP spearheaded the effort, acquiring necessary permits for the swimming area and funding a lifeguard program at the beach for the opening year. Lifeguards were stationed at the beach during select hours on Fridays through Sundays between July 5 and September 1, 2019.[17][18][19] In 2019 HAP partnered with non profit Ground Score to fund the hiring of homeless individuals to keep the beach clean in the summer.[20]
July 25, 2022, Portland Parks & Recreation in partnership with HAP named Audrey McCall Beach one of six recommended safer swimming areas on the Willamette River.[21]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Swimming in Portland's Rivers | Portland.gov". www.portland.gov. June 12, 2023. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
- ^ Tannler, Nancy (July 1, 2019). "The Big Float". The Southeast Examiner. Archived from the original on July 5, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
- ^ "Human Access Project encourages river swimming, social distancing during the pandemic - OPB". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on July 29, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ^ Bancud, Michaela (May 14, 2015). "New beach on east bank offers place to recreate". Portland Tribune. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ^ "Portland's Willamette River Is Now Safe for Swimming. But Will Locals Be Convinced?". Bloomberg.com. November 10, 2015. Archived from the original on July 29, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ^ Lake, Hillary (May 7, 2015). "Mayor proposes Portland's 1st official beach along Willamette". KATU. Archived from the original on July 29, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ^ a b Ogle, Wesleigh (March 23, 2019). "Audrey McCall Beach set to 'officially' open this summer". KATU. Archived from the original on July 5, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
- ^ Theen, Andrew (June 8, 2017). "Portland eyes future of Willamette River, talks 'renaissance'". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ Law, Steve (October 6, 2015). "Public access to east bank of Willamette hits rough water". Portland Tribune. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ^ Oregonian/OregonLive, Andrew Theen | The (June 25, 2015). "The Central Question: After years of work, Willie Levenson sees advocacy turn to action". oregonlive. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ "A new beach to honor the McCall family's love of the Willamette: Guest opinion". The Oregonian. October 8, 2017. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ Ogle, Wesleigh (March 23, 2019). "Audrey McCall Beach set to 'officially' open this summer". KATU. Archived from the original on July 5, 2019. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ "News Release: Mayor Ted Wheeler joins Kaiser Permanente, the Rose Quarter and City Officials to celebrate brand new Sunday Parkways route | Portland.gov". www.portland.gov. July 17, 2018. Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ Profita, Cassandra (July 3, 2019). "Portland Is Getting a New Swimming Beach on the Willamette River". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on July 5, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
- ^ "Audrey McCall Beach opens on east bank of Willamette River, marking Portland's second public beach". KGW. July 5, 2019. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ "Audrey McCall Beach opens on east side". KOIN. July 5, 2019. Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ "Audrey McCall Beach opens on east bank of Willamette River, marking Portland's second public beach". KGW. July 5, 2019. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ "Audrey McCall Beach opens on east side". KOIN. July 5, 2019. Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ "New swimming beach to open on Willamette River in July". www.kgw.com. May 9, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ^ "Ground Score puts homeless Portlanders to work for a fair wage". Street Roots. Archived from the original on July 29, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ^ "Portland Parks & Recreation highlights 6 safer swimming spots along the Willamette River". KATU. July 25, 2022. Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
External links edit
- Audrey McCall Beach, Human Access Project