Pittock Mansion, Portland (must see)

Pittock Mansion stands on a wooded hilltop, where its formal grounds open to wide views across the river valley and towards the Cascade Range. The house was completed in 1914 for newspaper publisher Henry Pittock and his wife, Georgiana, a civic organiser, philanthropist and keen rose grower. Their home reflects the period when the region was changing from a frontier settlement into a modern commercial centre.

Architect Edward T. Foulkes designed the 16,000-square-foot residence in a French Renaissance style. Its sandstone exterior, red-tiled roof and rounded forms give it the appearance of a European country house, while the interior is arranged around oval and circular rooms. Visitors can see carved hardwoods, marble, bronze details, curved wooden floors and a sweeping central staircase, together with furnished spaces such as the library, music room, Turkish smoking room and family bedrooms.

Although grand in appearance, the mansion was also built with advanced domestic technology. Features included an elevator, central vacuum system, intercom telephones, thermostat-controlled heating, indirect electric lighting and a refrigerated room. Antique furniture, decorative objects and Pittock family possessions help explain how the household functioned and how wealthy families lived in the early twentieth century.

The original 46-acre estate included a Gate Lodge, garage, greenhouses, tennis court, flower gardens and wooded trails. Roses, rhododendrons, lilacs, magnolias and dogwoods recall Georgiana’s interest in gardening. After years of vacancy and storm damage, local residents helped save the property from demolition; it was purchased for public use in 1964 and opened as a museum in 1965. The surrounding park and viewpoint can be visited without entering the house.