A centerpiece of Portland’s Jantzen Beach Amusement Park from 1928 to 1970, the historic carousel has languished in storage since 2012. Supporting Restore Oregon’s mission to return the carousel to the local public, SERA worked with the nonprofit to develop a detailed urban concept to market the once-treasured attraction to developers.
SERA’s design concept features a large timber-framed pavilion with a curtain wall exterior to showcase the carousel and house additional programming to help the attraction be financially-sustainable. The pavilion’s ‘floating’ diagrid roof domes, supported by tree-shaped columns, mimics the undulating movement of the horses. A surrounding plaza, with tiered programmable spaces, integrated seating and a reflective water feature, serves as both an event space and second living room for the city.
SERA developed this concept pro-bono.
