Matt Dishman Community Center - Portland Parks & Recreation 4.68

Matt Dishman Community Center is located on the site of the former Eliot Grade School. After the school was relocated, PP&R took it over in 1950 and remodeled the building, naming it the Knott Street Community Center. In the late 1960s, the local community lobbied to name the center after Matt Dishman, the first African-American Multnomah County sheriff and police officer in the City of Portland.

Matt Dishman community center has the distinction of becoming PP&R’s first multi-use facility, housing an indoor pool and a recreation center that function together as one, full-service community center. The indoor pool serves as the only competition pool in the PP&R system, featuring six 12-feet deep competition lanes, as well as bleachers and an observation balcony.

The community center includes a small, elementary-school size gymnasium, boxing gymnasium, auditorium with a stage and adjacent kitchen, game room, fitness center, craft room, preschool room and one multi-purpose classroom. In the 1970s, an outdoor pool was added and in 1991 the outdoor pool was totally rebuilt as an indoor pool. Other building upgrades included a new entrance to the combined pool and center, a new lobby and front desk, family change rooms, locker rooms and a new fitness room. In the following year the boxing room was enlarged, the old locker room was transformed to the craft room, the old fitness room became two classrooms and an accessible ramp was added to the auditorium stage.

In 2009, the fitness center was completely renovated to include new flooring, lighting, free weights, selectorized weight equipment, and new cardio machines with ear-phone jacks, along with four televisions, to create a state-of-the-art cardio theater system.

The facility hosts programs and activities for all ages including educational preschool; sports; birthday parties, special events and other community uses of the building; swimming lessons, training competitions, and open play swim and a myriad of fitness activities including Group Exercise classes, weight lifting and cardio and personal training.