The Ernie Bonner Collection contains a wide variety of documents, reports, minutes, notes and other resources related to the history of urban planning and development in Portland, Oregon.
Ernie Bonner (1932 - 2004) served as chief planner in Cleveland, Ohio before he was recruited to Portland as the city’s Director of Urban Planning in 1973. He acted as Portland’s chief urban planner until 1978; in this capacity, he was instrumental in the formation of both Tom McCall Waterfront Park and Pioneer Courthouse Square.
After leaving the City Council he worked as a Metro councilor, president of Sunlight Energy Systems, and as an energy conservation manager for Bonneville Power Administration. Later he worked or volunteered with various Portland groups including: Riverfront for People, Metro 7, Portland Planning Commission, and the Park Blocks Foundation.
The Bonner Collection also is a repository for documents and historical materials collected by Bonner that are related to the Portland Public Market, Harbor Drive, Front Street and the Park Blocks.
See Related Collections held by PSU:
Ernie Bonner Papers, 1919-2003
Ernie Bonner Oral History Collection, 1994-2004
Submissions from 1980
Letter from Frank Frost to Portland City Council, Frank Frost
Letter to Portland City Council, Frank Frost
Downtown Design Guidelines, Michael Harrison
Press release from Metropolitan Service District, Metro (Or.)
State of Oregon Certificate of Election - 1980, Norma Paulus
Design Committee Minutes July 22, 1980, Pioneer Courthouse Square Design Committee
Design Competition, Pioneer Courthouse Square Design Committee
Jury of Award: Design Competition, Pioneer Courthouse Square Design Committee
Exhibits related to Pioneer Courthouse Square, Portland (Or.). City Council
Jury of Award - 1, Portland (Or.). City Council
Status report on Pioneer Square, Portland (Or.). City Council
Notification of action of the Portland City Planning Commission, Portland (Or.). City Planning Commission
Jury of Award - 2, Portland (Or.). Development Commission
Letter from Michele Russo to Donald J. Stastny, Michele Russo
Letter to members of the City Council, Joan H. Smith
Planners and Managers: separate parts in common cause, unknown
Note about Ernie Bonner, John Wight
Submissions from 1979
J. David Hunt to Doug Wright, David J. Hunt
Block 179, City of Portland, Portland (Or.). City Council
Ordinance No. 147719, Portland (Or.). City Council
Report of project status for public review, Donald J. Stastny
Submissions from 1978
Last Will and Testament of Ernie Bonner on leaving planning job, Ernest Bonner
Letter to members of planning commission, Ernest Bonner
Press announcement from Mayor's office on Ernie Bonner's resignation, Dan Churchill
City Planner - City, Portland (Or.). Bureau of Planning
City Planner - District, Portland (Or.). Bureau of Planning
Energy savings plan certificate of accomplishment, United States. Bonneville Power Administration
Submissions from 1977
Letter to Marcie Window, Ernest Bonner
Memo to Laila Cully, Donald F. Mazziotti
The City Planner Handbook, Portland (Or.). Bureau of Planning
City Council meeting minutes on Pioner Square Park, Portland (Or.). City Council
Submissions from 1976
Portland: the problems and promise of growth, Ernest Bonner
Proposed planning process for PDX, Ernest Bonner
Memo on planning conflict, Doug Neil
Letter acknowledging application to San Francisco Planning Dept., Lynn E. Pio
Memo on Bureau of Planning, Betsy Scrivener
Memo on Office of Planning and Development, Betsy Scrivener
Cleveland's Bicentennial Celebration, unknown
Neighborhood plans, Dennis Wilde
Submissions from 1975
Future of Portland, Ernest Bonner
Notes about planning dept. staff, Ernest Bonner
Cleveland policy planning report, Cleveland (Ohio). City Planning Commission
Cleveland Policy Planning Report, Volume 1, unknown
Department of Transportation timeline, unknown
Submissions from 1974
Harbor Drive - Before and After Traffic Study, Berkendorf and Associates
CRAG and land use, Ernest Bonner
Interview questions for Program Policy Analysis, 5-7-74, Ernest Bonner
Memo about PDX planning, Ernest Bonner
Memo on District Plan Documents, Ernest Bonner
Memo to Planning Commission, Ernest Bonner
Notes about talk with Mayor, Ernest Bonner
Notes from Planning Commission Hearing, Ernest Bonner
Portland planning, Ernest Bonner
Proposed interim community development strategy, Ernest Bonner
Summary of Planning Report, Ernest Bonner
Talks on Comprehensive Plans and Land Use, Ernest Bonner
Whither CAC?, Ernest Bonner
Work program for planning, Ernest Bonner
North Going Street widening project, Neil E. Goldschmidt
Joking letters about affirmative action in Cleveland and PDX planning offices, Earl Landau
An alternative to the Mt. Hood Freeway, Portland (Or.). Bureau of Planning
Memo to Planning Commission Members, Portland (Or.). Bureau of Planning
Memos about planning staff, Gary Stout
Submissions from 1973
Alignment for I-505, Lloyd Anderson
E. R. Bonner leaving city's plan staff-2, Ernest Bonner
Interview notes, Ernest Bonner
Picture of Planning Commission Building in Portland, Ernest Bonner
Presentation at University of Iowa Conference, Ernest Bonner
Advocacy Planning in Cleveland, lecture., Norman Krumholz
First Draft of Volume I of Cleveland Policy Plan Report, unknown
Submissions from 1972
Bonner at the Ninth Conference on Urban Affairs, Ernest Bonner
Under Two Flags; talk at Trinity College, Hartford, Ernest Bonner
Proposal to acquire Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company's facilities, Cleveland (Ohio). City Planning Commission
The Cleveland City Planning Commission 1972-1973 annual report, Cleveland (Ohio). City Planning Commission
Letter from Norman Krumholz to John Lynch, Norman Krumholz
Planning in Cleveland: Working the Advocacy-Equity Side of the Street, Norman Krumholz
Letter from John Lynch to Norm Krumholtz, John Lynch
Northwest comprehensive policies plan map, Northwest Comprehensive Policies
Rough draft for McGoram, unknown
Submissions from 1971
General Plan of the City of Cleveland, Ernest Bonner
Gyroscope for the general plan, Ernest Bonner
Toward a Work Program for an Advocate Planning Agency, Ernest Bonner
Areawide Housing Policy: a View from the Trenches, Norman Krumholz
Famous Fiscal Crisis Memo, Norman Krumholz
Harbor Drive Closure - Public Hearing, Oregon. State Highway Commission
City of Portland Council Meeting Minutes, Portland (Or.). City Council
Police response to calls for assistance: a major community problem, Unknown
Under two flags . . ., unknown
Submissions from 1970
Cleveland Housing Papers, Ernest Bonner
Correspondence Schrunk, et al., Glenn Jackson, Lloyd T. Keefe, and Floyd Query
Harbor Drive closure, Lloyd T. Keefe and Oregon. State Highway Department
Reactions to Harbor Drive, unknown
Submissions from 1969
Journal Building Site Use Committee, City Club of Portland (Portland, Or.)
City Club Committee meetings, unknown
Submissions from 1968
Correspondence City/County minutes, Terry D. Schrunk and Fred T. Fowler
Submissions from 1967
Letters about The Economic Impact of a University on its Local Community, Ralph Albert Gakenheimer
Correspondence of Lloyd Keefe, et al., Lloyd T. Keefe and Forrest Cooper
Technique for Area Planning: An Economic Impact Analysis Technique, Regional Economic Development Institute, Inc.
Submissions from 1965
March on Montgomery, Ernest Bonner
Submissions from 1962
Comprehensive Downtown Study: Harbor Drive Access Study, Portland (Or.). Planning Commission