Vista Bridge Centennial Celebration

The Vista Bridge Turns 100

The Goose Hollow Neighborhood Association is leading the charge to celebrate the centennial of one of its most iconic features – the Vista Bridge. Completed in 1926, Portland’s Vista Bridge is an iconic part of the historic Goose Hollow neighborhood west of downtown. The bridge connects the King’s Hill area with Vista Ridge and the rest of Portland Heights, and hosts protected public views of Mount Hood to the east and the Washington Park Reservoir to the west. Street cars ran on the bridge until 1950. The neighborhood fund-raised for historic streetlights in 1984. The chain link fence was put up by the city in 2013. The Bridge was designed by architect Fred T. Fowler, is 512 feet long, 120 feet high, is on the National Historic Registry, and its view is featured in the opening credits of the show Portlandia.

So come party like it’s the roaring 20s again. The Vista Bridge turns 100 and we’ll be celebrating in style with a variety of activities and events sure to please people of all ages. From horticultural teams showing their best at the four corners of the bridge all throughout summer 2026, to historic streetcar tours, vintage cars aplenty, a soapbox derby race, food, music, history talks, celebrities, and games.

Planning is underway for our annual Goose Hollow Days event, which will culminate in our August 2026 celebration of the Vista Bridge (is it still a “viaduct” if Tanner Creek over which it crossed has now been buried underground?). We are looking for a few people with an interest in the neighborhood, the Vista Bridge, and history to help us out. Interested in Participating? Contact us at info@goosehollow.org.

VISIONS AND VISTAS:

A participatory art project celebrating 100 years of the Vista Avenue Bridge

There is something empowering about standing on the Vista Avenue Bridge or seeing it from somewhere in Goose Hollow. In that moment, what you’re seeing has never been seen before: not from that angle, in that light, or at that exact time. The bridge—whether you’re standing on it or looking up at it—gives many of us the feeling that our perspective matters.

That idea was part of its original vision. In the early 1900s, the Olmsted Brothers recommended building the Vista Avenue Viaduct so Portlanders could stroll, pause, and gaze beyond the city, especially toward Mount Hood. One hundred years later, the bridge still offers that gift.

Most of us who live here carry a memory of the bridge: walking across it with someone we love, standing beneath it to escape the rain, or passing over it as part of a daily route through the neighborhood.

This project invites Goose Hollow residents to share how they see and remember the bridge. We welcome drawings, photographs, paintings, poems, stories, videos, and regional memorabilia such as postcards, brochures, or newspaper clippings. Works may be recent or decades old, abstract or documentary.

Contributions will be featured as part of the 100-year anniversary celebration in August 2026, with additional works included in an ongoing digital collection.

Send your submissions and questions to: info@goosehollow.org.