Planning & Sustainability

PSU skaters at The Courts 2020

The Courts

Project Case Study: THE COURTS

In March 2020, as COVID-19 closed indoor facilities and quieted campus, a set of abandoned tennis courts at SW Broadway and SW College Street became something new. Vacant and underused for years, the site was reclaimed by skaters and campus community members, who turned it into a self-built gathering space with ramps and murals.

The grassroots activation revealed a clear need: safe, flexible outdoor space where students and neighbors could gather during an isolating time. It also became a case study in placemaking; proof that underused campus open space has real value once people are using it. PSU's challenge was formalizing that value without losing the DIY character that made it work.

SOLUTION

PSU partnered with the community to launch a one-year pilot, giving the informal skate spot a legitimate place in campus open space. The pilot grew into an active amenity with custom ramps and murals. With PSU’s new Art Building being built on The Courts’ site, Skaters for Portland Skateparks worked to carry that momentum forward instead of letting the space disappear; leading to a permanent agreement and a new, professionally engineered facility: The Courts 2.0.

  • Community Partnership & Funding: PSU supported a $300,000 Community Livability Grant application to Prosper Portland, submitted with nonprofits Skaters for Portland Skateparks and Push Movement. Skaters for Portland Skateparks received the full award, funding the move to a professionally engineered site.
  • Design & Construction: Designed by Walker Macy and built by Grindline Skateparks.
  • Preserving Character: Design and construction kept the original site's "gritty DIY" identity intact, rather than sanitizing it.

KEY FEATURES

  • Purpose-Built Skate Terrain: A professionally engineered plaza built for the same creative use as the original courts.
  • Campus Placemaking: A PSU-supported open space where a temporary activation once stood.
  • Multi-Use Design: Open to skaters and non-skaters alike, supporting inclusive campus gathering.
  • Community-Informed Character: Murals and DIY texture carried over from the original site.

GRATITUDE

The Courts is proof of what flexible, community-activated open space can do. The Courts 2.0 carries that forward as a lasting piece of campus, shaped by community need and public-private partnership. 

PSU thanks all of our partners for funding, building, and believing in this project.

The Courts 2.0 opens in Fall 2026

PLAN IMAGE OF THE COURTS 2.0

The Courts at PSU

The Courts 2.0 is under construction - opening Fall 2026

THE COURTS @ PSU

THE COURTS @ PSU

THE COURTS @ PSU

GROUNDBREAKING AT THE COURTS 2.0

GROUNDBREAKING AT THE COURTS 2.0

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