Old Mill District, Phases I & II

Bend, Oregon

Old Mill District _Mayer/Reed
Old Mill District _Mayer/Reed
The Old Mill District is a vibrant, mixed-use waterfront development along both sides of the Deschutes River in Bend, Oregon. The 270-acre development on the site of former lumber mills helped transition the city from a shrinking timber-based economy to a recreation, tourism and lifestyle economy. As the landscape architect, Mayer/Reed established a waterfront trail on both sides of the river. The generous greenway balances public access with vegetated buffers for fish and wildlife habitat enhancements. In the walkable retail core, our design enables pedestrian use in all seasons with generous sidewalks, flexible event plazas, and riverfront courtyards. A former mill pond (called the Hot Pond) is repurposed into one of the few permanent fly-casting courses in North America. Smoke stack cable foundations as place-making elements replicate the scale, materials and forms of historic industrial structures. The 5-acre Les Schwab Amphitheater, with a capacity of 8,000 people, hosts national entertainment acts and community activities.

Owner: William Smith Properties

Photographs 1-2: Nate Wyeth

Photographs 3-6: Bruce Forster

Old Mill District _Mayer/Reed
Old Mill District _Mayer/Reed

The Old Mill District is a vibrant, mixed-use waterfront development along both sides of the Deschutes River in Bend, Oregon. The 270-acre development on the site of former lumber mills helped transition the city from a shrinking timber-based economy to a recreation, tourism and lifestyle economy. As the landscape architect, Mayer/Reed established a waterfront trail on both sides of the river. The generous greenway balances public access with vegetated buffers for fish and wildlife habitat enhancements. In the walkable retail core, our design enables pedestrian use in all seasons with generous sidewalks, flexible event plazas, and riverfront courtyards. A former mill pond (called the Hot Pond) is repurposed into one of the few permanent fly-casting courses in North America. Smoke stack cable foundations as place-making elements replicate the scale, materials and forms of historic industrial structures. The 5-acre Les Schwab Amphitheater, with a capacity of 8,000 people, hosts national entertainment acts and community activities.

Owner

Old Mill District, Phases I & II Bend, Oregon

Services

Landscape Architecture
Master Planning
Urban Design
Visual Communications

Sustainable Features

Brownfield recovery site
Historic preservation

Awards

The Waterfront Center, Excellence on the Waterfront, Honor Award, 2017