The plans for Walk of the Heroines were written on a napkin a decade ago. And with the scoop of a shovel into the dirt of a garden resting in front of Hoffmann Hall Thursday afternoon, plans for the tribute to women who have contributed to society and daily life moved one step closer to fruition.
Ten years later, Walk of the Heroines breaks ground
The plans for Walk of the Heroines were written on a napkin a decade ago.
And with the scoop of a shovel into the dirt of a garden resting in front of Hoffmann Hall Thursday afternoon, plans for the tribute to women who have contributed to society and daily life moved one step closer to fruition.
Ten years ago, Janice Haaken and Barb Linn sat in a Portland coffee shop envisioning a way to honor women who have shaped our lives, culture and society. As the project’s chair and co-founder, Haaken spoke, and Linn, a Portland State facilities architect at the time, sketched the ideas down.
With this brainstorming session came plans for a decorative walkway spanning from Hoffmann Hall to the Stott Community Field. After years of fundraising and fine-tuning plans, the groundbreaking ceremony for the first phase of this honorary exhibit called Walk of the Heroines was held Thursday.
“I feel privileged to play a part in getting this project off the launch pad and into the air,” said Lindsay Desrochers, PSU Vice President for Finance and Administration. “This is a tremendous honor and is intended to be a tremendous display of women’s heritage at Portland State.”
Initial construction for phase one of Walk of the Heroines will likely break ground this February, said Charlene Lindsey, capital construction project manager of the facilities department. Lindsey said Walk of the Heroines is a four-month-long project, and before construction starts, she wants to ensure all of the materials arrive before fencing off the area and making it inaccessible.
“We know there is a lot of pressure to start this project,” Lindsey said. “And we hope to spend the hard-earned funds the best way possible.”
Fortis Construction has been contracted to work with Portland State Facilities on the creation of the honorary walkway, which will cost $1.1 million in donated funds, said Johanna Brenner, the project’s executive director.
Phase one of the project has four major components: a pavement walkway that extends from Hoffmann Hall to the east end of Stott Community Field, garden spaces alongside the pavement, a sizeable fountain with a pool that drains into a watercourse that snakes throughout the walkway and an arched naming wall resting behind the fountain on the north border.
The naming wall will list the names of approximately 1,100 women. Anyone can request a name to be included on the wall for the minimum donation of $200, which can be paid in installments, Brenner said.
Construction of phase one is expected to entice more donors to step forward and donate money because they would be able to visualize the tribute and see progress, said Desrochers, who made the decision to break the project into two phases.
Fundraising efforts for the project began in 2003, and the university and college development staff, Portland State faculty and community volunteers have raised over $2.3 million.
Several delays in the groundbreaking of the project have occurred since the city approved the project in 2002. Construction was scheduled to begin in fall of 2005, but failed due to an inadequate amount of funds. Groundbreaking was stalled again this past November after not enough funds were raised.
“The fundraising has taken a lot longer than we hoped or thought,” Brenner said.
Phase two of the project will include additional arched walls along the north and side border of the walkway, a stage for events and an educational kiosk with two computer terminals to present the stories and photos of heroines and six graphic displays featuring select women.
Brenner hopes the completed construction of phase one will give a boost to fundraising efforts for the second phase. The total cost of both phases is about $1.8 million to $2 million.
