Pioneer Square stations (TriMet)

The Pioneer Square stations occupy the sidewalk facing Southwest Yamhill and Morrison streets between Broadway and 6th Avenue at Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland. The square, commonly referred to as "Portland's Living Room", is situated on a 40,006-square-foot (3,716.7 m²) city block in the center of downtown. It features several pieces of artwork, including the Waterfall Fountain, a water feature built of granite, and the Weather Machine and Allow Me sculptures.^[2][3] Oregon's first Starbucks outlet sits on the northwest corner of the square,^[4] while a news television studio for KGW called "Studio on the Square" occupies the southeast corner.^[5] Neighboring office towers include the American Bank Building to the north and the Jackson Tower and 6Y building to the south.^[6] Nordstrom occupies the block to the west.

The downtown city block bound by Morrison and Yamhill streets to the north and south and 6th Avenue and Broadway to the east and west had been occupied by various structures,^[7] including Portland's first public school,^[8][9] the Portland Hotel,^[10] and a two-story parking garage.^[7] In 1969, block owner Meier & Frank requested a permit to construct an 800-car parking garage at the site,^[11] which the Portland City Council rejected following a series of heated public hearings.^[12] The controversial proposal led the city and local businesses to pursue a comprehensive downtown plan that envisioned turning the site into a public space instead.^[13][14] After negotiating with Meier & Frank, the city purchased the property and in 1980, announced a national design competition for a plaza that would be called "Pioneer Courthouse Square".^[7]

Portland's first light rail line, which planners referred to as the Banfield Light Rail Project, received federal approval for construction in September 1980. Just over a year later, TriMet published a conceptual design report of the project that outlined a 27-station, 15.1-mile (24.3 km) line and included a pair of light rail stations at Pioneer Courthouse Square. The plans called for a pair of platforms along the north and south ends of the square on Morrison and Yamhill streets.^{[15]: 37–38}

Construction of the line commenced in April 1983 in Gresham and largely progressed from east to west,^[16][17] with the downtown segment among the final sections to be completed.^[18] Street and sidewalk reconstruction work finally reached downtown in March the following year.^[19] While work continued on the line, the city finished building the square and dedicated it on April 6, 1984.^[20][21] By March 1986, major light rail construction work had ceased.^[18] Line testing in downtown began with the arrival of the first light rail car two months later.^[22][23]

On September 5, 1986, the light rail line, which TriMet officially named the Metropolitan Area Express (MAX), opened to the public.^[24] A three-day celebration took place across the route, including at Pioneer Courthouse Square, which hosted an opening ceremony and several concerts.^[25] Over 3,000 people gathered at the square to welcome the 11:45 am arrival of the first train from Gresham.^[26]

Until 1998, MAX only ran from 11th Avenue in downtown Portland to Cleveland Avenue in central Gresham, with a stop at the Pioneer Square stations.^[24] In September 1998, TriMet extended MAX service farther west to Hatfield Government Center in downtown Hillsboro in Washington County with the opening of the Westside MAX extension. Three years later, the Red Line became the second line to serve the Pioneer Square stations following the opening of the Airport MAX extension, which introduced an airport rail link between downtown Portland and Portland International Airport. The original service between Hillsboro and Gresham was subsequently renamed the Blue Line.^[27] In September 2003, TriMet extended the Red Line westward to Beaverton Transit Center.^[28] From 2004 to 2009, the Yellow Line, which runs to the Expo Center in North Portland, also stopped at these stations until TriMet rerouted it to the light rail tracks on Portland Transit Mall in August 2009.^[29]

Each station comprises one side platform as MAX operates in a one-way pair along the Yamhill–Morrison segment.^{[15]: 37–38} Pioneer Courthouse Square is situated between the two platforms.^{[30]: 6–6} Amenities include ticket vending machines, garbage cans, shelters, and schedule information displays.^[31][32] TriMet's ticket office is located inside the visitor information center on the west side of the square between the Waterfall Fountain. Fares may be purchased at the ticket office or from ticket vending machines on the platforms.^{[30]: 6–6}