On April 7, the City of Hillsboro (and baseball fans from all over the region) celebrated the season-opening game at the brand-new Hops Ballpark. Mayer/Reed’s site design for the cutting-edge minor league baseball stadium contributes to the fun with a variety of open spaces for taking in a game. In addition to hosting Hops baseball, the stadium will provide a 7,000-person capacity venue for year-round concerts, festivals and events. Architecture by CannonDesign and Populous.
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.
“A brilliant collision of community, typography, language, and identity, all in a single plane of metal. Bravo!” — Juror
The art gate at Washington School for the Deaf received a Merit Award at the 2025 SEGD Global Design Awards. Mayer/Reed Senior Designer and Associate Debbie Shaw attended the November 13 ceremony in San Francisco to accept the honor. The awards recognize innovation in experiential design, celebrating projects that shape how people experience the built environment. The Mayer/Reed-designed art gate was one of 30 winners out of nearly 300 submissions at the international awards program this year.
The 72-foot gate, laser-cut with custom hand-lettering, is a focal point of the campus redesign by Mithun and Skanska. The jury praised the art gate’s “…beautifully crafted design that marries sophisticated metal work with the youthfulness of primary education and the building blocks of learning language. The best part of this installation is the shadows it projects on the ground, making the ASL signs a multidimensional fabric of the campus.”
This fall, four Mayer/Reed projects were honored with design awards—highlighting the power of collaboration and the impact of thoughtful, community-centered design.
At the ASLA Oregon Design Awards Soiree on September 26, Errol Heights Park received two awards: the Green Ribbon for Climate and Biodiversity Action and the People’s Choice: “I Wish This Project Was in My Neighborhood” award. The green ribbon award honors projects that lead with environmental stewardship, including contributions to carbon drawdown, biodiversity and community empowerment. Mayer/Reed partnered with Portland Parks & Recreation at Errol Heights to bring the community’s vision of a nature-focused, accessible park to life.
The modernization of Benson Polytechnic High School, led by Bassetti Architects, received a DeMuro Award for excellence in historic preservation at Restore Oregon’s October 24 event. Mayer/Reed’s site design for the 1917 campus helped transform the school into a modern learning campus while respecting its historic significance.
On October 8, the Oregon Recreation and Parks Association (ORPA) presented the Design & Construction Award to the City of St. Helens and Mayer/Reed for the St. Helens Riverwalk. This recognition honors our collaboration in realizing Phase 1 of the riverwalk, a central component of the city’s evolving waterfront district.
And finally, also in St. Helens, the South 1st and Strand Street Road and Utilities Extension received Project of the Year in the transportation category ($5–$25 Million) from the American Public Works Association (APWA) Oregon Chapter at their annual conference, October 30. Partnering with Otak, Mayer/Reed contributed to the design of this streetscape project which opens access to the riverfront and supports future private development.
These awards reflect the dedication and teamwork that go into creating meaningful places. We’re grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with clients, design teams and communities on these transformative projects.
