Who We Are
Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association Purpose (from our Bylaws):
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Enhance the livability of the neighborhood by establishing and maintaining open lines of communication and acting as a liaison between the neighborhood, government agencies, private organizations and businesses, and other neighborhoods.
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Provide an open process by which all members of the neighborhood may involve themselves in the affairs of the neighborhood.
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Assist in furthering activities and projects that will protect and enhance the livability of the Mount Tabor neighborhood to that desired by its citizens.
Click here for our bylaws.
Click here for a map of the neighborhood boundaries.
Recent Activities and Accomplishments
MTNA Accomplishments – Spring 2024-Spring 2025
April 2024 Annual Neighborhood Cleanup: The MTNA and the North Tabor NA worked together to organize their joint annual neighborhood cleanup. Over 250 vehicles came to the event. We filled seven 40-yard drop boxes with bulky waste and recycled a lot of metal, Styrofoam, and electronics. We also had an area where people could pick up reuseable items.
May 2024—Mt. Tabor Neighborhood History Event: MTNA joined with local realtor and neighborhood historian Jan Caplener to host a gathering of community members to share some of the history of the neighborhood and to gather people’s personal stories and historical photos.
June 2024—Personal Safety Workshop: MTNA invited the City’s Safe Blocks Program staff to lead a "Take Control of Your Safety” interactive workshop for Mt. Tabor neighbors to explore how community members can use their intuition/instinct, assertiveness and de-escalation skills to increase their safety in the neighborhood.
July 2024—Tabor for All: MTNA helped found new organization—Tabor for All—with support from Mt Tabor residents Ron and Kay Hall and the South Tabor NA and the Friends of Mt. Tabor Park. The mission of Tabor for All is to organize the community to advocate for greater accessibility in Mt. Tabor Park for people with different disabilities.
August 2024—Japanese Local Government Delegation Visit: The MTNA hosted a delegation of 30 Japanese local government officials who were visiting Portland to learn about community engagement and neighborhood associations. MTNA president Paul Leistner facilitated; the panel included Pastor Amanda Golbek with Mt. Tabor Presbyterian Church, Diane Odeh with SE Uplift, and Bing Wong, MTNA Treasurer.
September 2024—Move to Hybrid Meetings: The MTNA began offering community members the opportunity to participate in monthly MTNA meetings both in-person and online via Zoom.
October 2024—District 3 City Council Candidate Forum: The Mt. Tabor and North Tabor NAs jointly hosted a candidate forum for District 3 city council candidates at Mt. Tabor Middle School. Over 20 candidates and over 100 community members participated.
October 2024—Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub Advocacy: MTNA joined over 40 other NAs and signed on to support community advocacy effort to increase safety and resiliency for the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub.
October 2024—New City Form of Government Presentation: MTNA hosted a presentation by Terry Harris and Joe Hertzberg from the Government Transition Advisory Committee (GTAC) to help community members learn about Portland’s new form of city government.
November 2024—Pedestrian Safety on E. Burnside from 60th to 68th: MTNA formally voted to support a project led by Mt. Tabor neighbor Lee Ann Moyer to work with community members, the North Tabor NA, and SE Uplift to improve pedestrian safety on E. Burnside between SE 60th and 68th.
December 2024—Historical Mills Open Air School Community Tours: The MTNA co-hosted with the Portland Housing Bureau a series of community tours of the historical Mills Open Air School at SE 60th and Stark. PHB plans to deconstruct the school building and redevelop the property for affordable housing. This is the site of at least two other historical Mt. Tabor School buildings from the second half of the 1800s. Over 100 community members participated in the tours.
January 2025—Support for Montavilla NA: MTNA board voted to support the Montavilla NA in their efforts to ensure a greater community voice in Multnomah County’s planning for a second shelter for unhoused people on SE 82nd Ave.
February 2025—Support for neighbors on land use issue: MTNA voted to formally support Mt. Tabor neighbors who oppose the City granting two adjustments for a proposed development on SE 52nd Place.
March 2025—MTNA Board Retreat: MTNA Board members held their first board retreat in many years. All board members participated in person. Courtyard at Mt. Tabor, the retirement facility at SE 60th and Division, provided free meeting space for the retreat.
March 2025—Neighborhood Place Making Project: MTNA Board members voted to partner with City Repair volunteers Sen Hirano and Wendy Yang to cohost a place making workshop and place making activities in our neighborhood.
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Ongoing
Mt. Tabor Neighborhood History Project: During 2024 and 2025, the MTNA has worked closely with our local faith communities and schools, historical experts and organizations, and community members to research and document the history of the Mt. Tabor community. We’ve uncovered some amazing photos and resources. We plan to develop a slide show for community presentations and materials to post on the MTNA website, and possibly develop a book documenting the history of the neighborhood.
Tabling at Community Events:•
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August 2024—Hawthorne Street Fair. MTNA shared tabling space with the Richmond NA again this year.•
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September 2024—Mt. Tabor Seventh-day Adventist Church “Community Fun Day.”•
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September 2024—MTNA helped two neighbors on SE 74th Ave. organize their first block party and tabled at the event. Over 60 people from SE 74th and SE 75th Aves participated.
"There seems to be every reason why a portion, at least, of Mount Tabor should be taken as a public park. It is the only important landscape feature for miles around, and the population in its vicinity is destined to be fairly dense. It is already a good deal resorted to by people for their Sunday and holiday outings, and it will be better known to and more visited by the citizens as time goes on. . . .There can be little doubt that public sentiment will cordially support the city government in acquiring considerable land on this prominent and beautiful hill."
- Olmsted Brothers "Report of the Park Board," 1903
History of the Mt. Tabor Park Area
Mt. Tabor Park is a special park in many ways. It has views identified as
some of the most scenic in the City, due to its elevation of 643 feet, as
well as the beautiful open reservoirs. It was the largest park in Portland
for nearly half a century, until Forest Park was finally created in 1947.
Mt. Tabor Park is a hard-working park that earns its keep. It even
generates it's own electricity to light the lovely historic lampposts that
follow the original roads and paths in the park. Besides being a prime
recreation center, Mt. Tabor Park has also served as the center of maintenance for Portland Parks and Recreation for more than a hundred years. The site includes a large, historic plant nursery that has grown many plants, including street trees, for the City and the region.
The butte was chosen for a park site because of its location and elevation when the Bull Run watershed was identified and tapped, by a gravity flow system, as Portland's municipal water source in the late 1800's. Five reservoirs, two large open reservoirs and one small tank, were built on Mt. Tabor in a striking romanesque style that dates to the era of the City Beautiful movement. All but one of these reservoirs have continued to serve Portland for more than a hundred years. Reservoir 2, along SE Division St. was taken offline and sold for development, in the 1990's. The remaining three open reservoirs are currently under threat of demolition. These reservoirs, along with their two bookend companion reservoirs (also under grave threat) across the Willamette River in Washington Park, were all identified by the State Historic Preservation Office as some of the most historically significant resources in the City of Portland. The Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association, the Friends of the Reservoirs, along with Arlington Heights Neighborhood Association and other interested individuals, prepared the nomination, called Mt. Tabor Reservoirs Historic District, for the National Register of Historic Places in a volunteer effort in 2003-04.
Soon after the listing of the reservoirs, the entire 196-plus acres of Mt. Tabor Park, including the south end maintenance yard and the Lincoln St. long-block nursery, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. This was another volunteer effort spurred on by the Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association and other interested individuals. The Mt. Tabor Reservoirs Historic District includes approximately 50 acres. This historic district is entirely within the park boundaries.
A listing in the National Register is the highest level of significance given in Portland. This distinction, however, does not protect a resource from demolition or other changes. It does provide a review process that involves the City's Historic Landmark Commission. Learn more from the City's website about historic resources.
