At the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, Oregon, massive granite boulders emerge from the landscape, artfully carved by master masons and precisely placed to help tell a powerful story of Indigenous voices. As landscape architect on the new universally accessible main entry and plaza, Mayer/Reed’s work began long before a single stone was craned into place.

Mayer/Reed’s vision for the entry plaza integrates a series of boulders that intentionally interrupt the formal design elements of the landscape, carved in close collaboration with artist and linguist Dr. Phillip Cash Cash. Guided by our preliminary sketches, we traveled to the source to hand-select each boulder. At the quarry, we used LiDAR technology to create photorealistic 3D scans, which we then incorporated into our working design model.

Boulders have unique “personalities.” The digital scans captured the exact dimensions and character of each boulder and allowed us to accurately communicate these intricacies to our collaborators — from the stone masons to the crane operators. The vision came to life through thoughtful design, technical precision and hands-on collaboration.

In addition to main entry, Mayer/Reed is part of a multidisciplinary team (led by CannonDesign and Hoffman Construction) designing several phases of major improvements at the Oregon State Capitol. Together, these improvements build upon the Capitol’s symbolic significance as a place of collective memory, civic engagement and democratic expression. The project has been constructed in three phases. The final phase is currently under construction with completion expected this year.

Vista Pavilion, at Oregon Health & Science University’s (OHSU) Marquam Hill campus, opened its doors in April. Dedicated to the treatment of cancer, the addition marks OHSU’s first major in-patient expansion since 2006. Mayer/Reed’s landscape architecture for the 14-story building (architecture by NBBJ) echoes the lush, forested hills that surround campus and includes a fourth-floor green roof that opens up to sweeping views of Portland. A new ADA-accessible path connects neighboring Elk’s Children’s Eye Clinic to Vista Pavilion, providing a crucial connection for those continuing on to the existing OHSU Hospital and Kohler Pavilion. 

Flanking the west wing of the Oregon State Capitol, the four-acre Willson Park has been an important green space in Salem, Oregon, since the original Capitol was built in 1854. Now, the park will receive a much-needed renovation as the final phase of intensive improvements at the Capitol building and grounds. Construction at the park has begun with completion expected later in 2026.

Mayer/Reed’s design for Willson Park improves accessibility and circulation and unifies park elements. The new design reimagines the long-defunct Waite Memorial Fountain as a central memorial garden with a two-tiered granite seat wall. The Walk of Flags monument is repositioned along the updated central loop pathway, better connecting the Capitol to the existing World War II and Vietnam War veterans memorials at the park edges.

The Willson Park redesign is a joint project of the Oregon Department of Administration Services and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. The project is a continuation of our work with CannonDesign on prior phases of the Oregon State Capitol renovation.