PROJECTS Archives - Mayer Reed

Re-Introducing Pride Plaza

A band plays during the Grand Reopening celebration of Portland's Pride Plaza. A colorful Pride-flag-inspired ribbon is painted on the street plaza. There is a mix of people sitting on street furnishings, standing to watch the band, and strolling through the plaza.

On October 3, the community gathered to celebrate the grand reopening of Pride Plaza in downtown Portland. The plaza became a stage as drag queens and musicians performed, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden shared remarks and neighbors came together to honor the history and future of this beloved gathering place.

Illustrative plan of Pride Plaza for PBOT by Mayer/Reed. Plan shows a colorful "Pride ribbon" ground graphic and street furnishings.

Our studio led the redesign of Pride Plaza. It was the first implementation of PBOT’s Street Plaza Design Toolkit, developed by Mayer/Reed to help transform streets into comfortable, inviting places for people to gather. Community feedback helped us answer the question: What does Pride look like here in Portland? Inspired by queer theory’s embrace of fluidity and nonconformity, we explored whimsically interrupting the linear nature of the existing street with a patterned and colorful “Pride ribbon” inspired by the Pride flag. The ribbon arranges social zones for gatherings, playful furnishings, accessible crossings and a bike hub and invites engagement by providing space for future layering of art, performance and activations.

Rooted in Portland’s LGBTQ+ history, the revitalized plaza looks to the future with new energy, color and opportunities.

Celebrating 11 Fall Design Awards

Mayer/Reed is honored to be involved in so many award-winning projects this fall. They vary in scale, setting and purpose, but all share a common goal: serving the communities they are built for. We take great pride working with clients and communities to shape thoughtful, welcoming environments. Congratulations to all our design partners on these well-deserved recognitions.

OHSU Vista Pavilion, Portland, OR
AIA Oregon 2026 Honor Award
NBBJ | Mayer/Reed Landscape Architecture

East County Library, Gresham, OR
AIA Oregon 2026 Honor Award
Holst Architecture | Mayer/Reed Signage + Wayfinding

Midland Library, Portland, OR
AIA Oregon 2026 Merit Award
Bora Architecture & Interiors | Mayer/Reed Signage + Wayfinding

Redmond Senior & Community Center, Redmond, WA
AIA Oregon 2026 Merit Award
Opsis Architecture | Mayer/Reed Wayfinding + Graphics

U.S. Embassy Asuncion, Asuncion, Paraguay
AIA Oregon 2026 Merit Award
ZGF Architects | Mayer/Reed Signage + Wayfinding

Benson Polytechnic High School, Portland, OR
AIA Oregon 2026 Merit Award
Bassetti Architects | Mayer/Reed Landscape Architecture

Lincoln High School, Portland, Oregon
AIA Oregon 2026 Citation
Bora Architecture & Interiors | Mayer/Reed Landscape Architecture

Clackamas County Courthouse, Oregon City, OR
AIA Oregon 2026 Citation
DLR Group | Mayer/Reed Signage + Wayfinding

Mt. Scott Community Center, Portland, OR
ORPA 2026 Design and Construction Award
FFA Architecture and Interiors | Mayer/Reed Landscape Architecture

Concord Community Center Renovation, Oak Grove, OR
Restore Oregon 2026 DeMuro Award
Opsis Architecture | Mayer/Reed Wayfinding + Graphics

Oak Lodge Library, Oak Grove, OR
ALA 2026 Library Design Showcase Top 15 Projects
Opsis Architecture | Mayer/Reed Wayfinding + Graphics

Community Helps Shape New Vancouver Park

A Mayer/Reed landscape architect stands with an east Vancouver community member, pointing at the large multilingual display boards at a community engagement event. The boards feature images different types of programming and park uses. Participants marked images they are drawn to with red dots.

Mayer/Reed is designing a new 14-acre community park within the Vancouver Innovation Center mixed-use development. The large, wooded parcel was privately owned and fenced off from the public for decades, and now neighbors are helping shape its future. Together with our partner JLA Public Involvement, we hosted a series of multilingual in-person and virtual open houses that have garnered ideas from across the community. We asked participants: What do you want to see at the new park? How do you want to play and exercise? How do you want to experience and connect with nature?

An image of the undeveloped wooded parcel within the Vancouver Innovation Center. Large fir trees filter dappled sunlight onto a small, grassy meadow.

The input shared so far is informing design options that will be presented to the community in October, with a master plan anticipated in December. We look forward to transforming this long-inaccessible landscape into a welcoming public park for east Vancouver.

Jumping for Joy at Frog Pond Neighborhood Park

Beneath a bright blue sky on August 27, families and community members celebrated the grand opening of Frog Pond Neighborhood Park in Wilsonville, Oregon. Children enthusiastically explored the new playground, winding trails and cast their votes to name the park’s signature green frog.

Beneath a swatch of mature evergreen trees, children play on the new, bright green playground equipment at Frog Pond Park. A concrete frog sits proudly amongst the play equipment, both as the park's mascot and a place to play and climb.

Mayer/Reed designed Frog Pond Neighborhood Park to reflect the personality and desires of the neighborhood. Shaped by community engagement, the 2.8-acre park features places to gather and play, and the meandering pathway system creates an important connection to the adjacent primary school.

An aerial photo of the lily-pad inspired playground of Frog Pond Primary School — Frog Pond Primary School

The neighborhood has another reason to celebrate this week. Just a short walk from the newly opened park, Frog Pond Primary School (designed by Arcadis with landscape architecture by Mayer/Reed) welcomes students for the first time on September 1. Although the park and school are two distinct projects, they were designed with a shared vision for a connected community open space. Together, with their nature- and water-inspired landscapes, Frog Pond Park and Frog Pond Primary School establish a welcoming new destination for play, discovery and gathering in the growing Frog Pond neighborhood.