Metro’s 14 historic cemeteries total 66 acres in Multnomah County and provide an important service for families throughout greater Portland. Six of the cemeteries are still open for new sales.
The cemeteries are managed as active facilities, offering scenic tranquility and a unique window into the region’s history. Most were established between 1850 and 1870. The cemeteries are open to visitors and provide opportunities for historic research, bird watching and contemplation in a natural setting.
Many sections at many of the cemeteries are special, even sacred spaces to individuals, families and even entire communities. One of these, and one with a unique, troubling history among Metro’s cemeteries, is at Lone Fir Cemetery. The southwest section of the cemetery is where more than 2,800 Chinese and Chinese Americans were buried between 1860 and the 1920s.
No headstones or monuments mark the empty field. For the past two years, Metro has worked with Portland’s Chinese American community to design the memorial to honor the memory of those buried at Lone Fir.
Story: Lone Fir cultural heritage and healing garden
Between October and December, Metro held multiple open houses both with Chinese American community members and with the general public. Metro staff also interviewed people with lived and/or professional experience with mental illness to gain their insight into the project and its relationship to patients from the Oregon Hospital for the Insane who are also buried in the cemetery. Additionally, Metro invited people interested in the project to fill out an online survey about the two design concepts, which were called “The Grove” and “The Hill.” More than 200 people filled out the online survey.
“That’s a really impressive number of respondents, and what’s even more impressive is how rich and thoughtful so many of the survey responses were,” said Metro engagement specialist Matan Gold. “People spent a lot of time writing their thoughts on both design options. It’s clear that this project is important to many people in the region.”
While the majority of feedback on both design options was positive, a clear preference emerged for The Grove, a concept that involves a path through a stand of ginkgo trees between an open-air structure on one end of the site and a small altar on the other. Slightly more than 60% of survey participants indicated that they felt a connection to The Hill, while 84% said they felt a connection to The Grove.
Respondents said that they appreciated the design’s opportunities for peaceful reflection within the shade and privacy of the trees. However, there were certain elements of The Hill’s design that prompted positive feedback, including moongate openings in one structure and a space for including the names of people known to have been buried at the site.
From: Lone Fir Cemetery enters new stage