As you meander around Peninsula Park and marvel at the manicured grounds fit for a French chateau, call on the high lady — “Madame Caroline Testout,” a vivid hybrid tea rose with a pedigree unlike any other.
Although you’ll now encounter a multi-hued oasis, when the garden opened in 1913, it was planted with nothing but these fragrant, pink blooms — 300,000 people, more than Portland’s entire population at the time, came to stroll and sniff the flowers in that first year.
The man responsible for cultivating a setting fit for the City of Roses’ official rose was Emmanuel Mische, a landscape architect well-versed in the theory of Olmsted design (he worked for the renowned firm before his stint as Portland’s parks superintendent).
Many of the original elements, including the ornamental fountain, lampposts, and brick pathways still exist. During World War I, the bandstand was used for patriotic demonstrations; today, the historic landmark mostly hosts concerts and weddings.
In 1957, the Italian villa style community center and pool served as a temporary enclosure for Adelie and Emperor penguins that had arrived from Antarctica before their facilities were complete in the Washington Park Zoo. Sadly, a number of them died due to the less-than-ideal conditions.
For a slice of land that once hosted a horse racetrack and roadhouse, we’d say Peninsula Park bloomed in the best way.
