The Dalles, Oregon
Designed as a civic anchor, Lewis & Clark Festival Park creates a vital connection between downtown The Dalles and the Columbia River shoreline. The project reclaims an underused site and transforms it into an active public landscape that supports community gatherings, performances, and everyday recreation.
At the heart of the park is a multi-purpose pavilion that serves simultaneously as a band shell, picnic shelter, concessions space, and public restroom facility. Rather than dispersing these functions across the site, the design unifies them within a single architectural form, preserving the maximum amount of open green space for visitors.
The pavilion’s sweeping roof is shaped in direct response to the ever-present Columbia Gorge winds. Its form lifts the wind up and over the structure, improving comfort for audiences, performers, and casual parkgoers. The design embraces durability, simplicity, and a sense of welcome — an architecture that feels rooted in the region’s climate, culture, and spirit of gathering.
Impact
Celebrated as a significant public investment in downtown revitalization, Lewis & Clark Festival Park has become a beloved civic destination in The Dalles. Its thoughtful integration of landscape, community needs, and climate-responsive design demonstrates Studio Good’s commitment to creating public spaces that elevate everyday life and strengthen the fabric of local communities.
