The Breathtaking Historic Home In Oregon You Must Visit This Year
By Christy Articola|Published December 01, 2022
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Christy Articola
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Christy Articola has lived in Colorado since 2013 and considers herself a Centennial State enthusiast and expert through and through. She's based in Denver metro, but over the past decade, she has traveled to every corner, river, village, park, town, and city in the state and continues to explore it deeper and further whenever she can. Christy simply can't get enough of Colorado, and loves sharing all her adventures with you through Only In Your State! She graduated with a degree in journalism from Fordham University and is thrilled to be working as a full time travel writer for this and other sites - she finally found her perfect niche - and is so grateful for that.
If you love beautiful, old, historic homes, and you haven’t been to the Pittock Mansion in Portland yet, then that’s something you need to do right away! This breathtaking home was built in 1914 as a private home and served that purpose for many years until it was abandoned in 1958. In 1964, the City of Portland purchased it, restored it, and opened it to the public a year later. Ever since, it’s been a Portland landmark and thousands of people visit it each year. Read on to learn more about this historic home in Oregon.
The Pittock Mansion is beautiful. It is a private home built in French Renaissance style more than 100 years ago. It has 46 rooms and is set on 46 acres overlooking the Rose City.
This home was built by the London-born publisher of The Oregonian. Henry Pittock and his wife, Georgiana Burton Pittock, had it designed by San Francisco architect Edward T. Foulkes.
They built the home near the end of their lives. Construction began in 1909 and the home was completed in 1914. Georgiana died in 1918 at the age of 72 and Henry followed in 1919 at 84. Their children and grandchildren lived in the home after their deaths.
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This home was far ahead of its time. Some of the luxuries included a central vacuuming system, intercoms, an elevator, and a walk-in refrigerator.
On tours through the mansion, you'll have the opportunity to visit many of the mansion's rooms. The furniture is not all original to the home, but is all from the proper time period.
The formal gardens are impressive as well. Georgiana Burton Pittock was an avid gardener and was a founding member of the Portland Rose Society - the group that began the Portland Rose Festival.
The view of Portland from the mansion's grounds alone are worth a visit. On a clear day, visitors can view five Cascade Mountains from this 1,000 foot vantage point.
The Pittocks also loved the view, and they knew their guests would, too. The mirror in this sideboard in the dining room reflects Mount Hood, so even their dinner guests who were facing the wall would be able to see it.
No matter when you decide to go, though, you'll be impressed by this very special historic home. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and is a hidden gem of this city.
The Pittock Mansion is a lovely place to visit and to learn about and reflect upon the history of Portland, and on how far this western city has come over the past century. Plan a visit today!
