Mill Ends Park is located in the median strip of SE Naito Parkway in downtown Portland. It’s about 425 square inches large or 0.00007205784 acres. It has been the smallest park in the world since it was awarded the designation in 1971. It officially became a park on St. Patrick’s Day in 1976.
Portland Parks & Recreation will hold a rededication ceremony and the world’s smallest ribbon cutting for Mill Ends Park sometime in the near future. Why? The world’s smallest park is back on Southwest Naito, but in a new location: six inches to the west of its original location. The idea of the residence in Mill Ends Park honors the person who created the park in 1946, Dick Fagen. Fagen worked as a journalist with the Oregon Journal and his office overlooked the street that is now Naito Parkway.
“In Portland, we’ve long embraced the quirky, creative spirit that drives our city,” says Portland Parks Commissioner Carmen Rubio. “Mill Ends Park embodies that spirit. Bike and pedestrian safety improvements in the Better Naito Forever project will now allow more Portlanders to safely visit this iconic park and the leprechauns living there.”
“Our park maintenance staff have identified the best vegetation to thrive in Mill Ends Park,” said PP&R Director Adena Long. “And thankfully, the new plantings are expected to offer an even better habitat for the leprechaun family rumored to live in the park.” The park was dedicated on St. Patrick’s Day in 1948 since Fagan was a good Irishman.
It is the smallest park in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records, which first granted it this recognition in 1971. The bureau is hopeful park visitors can find the park in its new location without a map.
