From the Portland Parks & Recreation website:
Even before remodeling of the Civic Auditorium began in the
early 1960s, plans to create an open space across the street were
being proposed. The proposal submitted by Lawrence Halprin, the
well-known San Franciscan architect who had designed the Lovejoy
Fountain a few years earlier, was unanimously approved in 1968.
Designed by Angela Danadjieva, the Forecourt Fountain was completed
in 1970. 13,000 gallons of water per minute cascade through its
terraces and platforms, suggesting the Northwest's abundant
waterfalls. The concrete fountain became an instant city landmark
and an internationally acclaimed open space.
In 1978, the fountain was renamed after Ira C. Keller
(1899-1978), civic leader and first chairman of the Portland
Development Commission (1958-72). Keller pushed through the renewal
plan for the South Auditorium area of downtown which included the
construction of the Forecourt Fountain. It has been said that "it
was Keller's enormous energy that made urban renewal work in
Portland."
