Pittock Mansion

The Pittock Mansion was another stop on our Family Fun Pass.  We had been talking for years about going and seeing inside the mansion, but we felt the girls needed to be older.  This was the perfect time to go.  

The day we went they were celebrating 100 years.  They had live music and cake.  The weather was a little dreary, but we enjoyed ourselves.  

History:
In 1853, penniless yet determined, Henry Pittock crossed the Oregon Trail to seek his fortune in the Northwest.  In 1860, Henry became the owner of The Oregonian newspaper and married fellow pioneer Georgiana Burton.  Together, they began a long life devoted to work, community service and family.

Henry Pittock built an empire incorporating The Oregonian, real estate, banking, railroads, steamboats, sheep ranching, silver mining, and the pulp and paper industry.  Georgiana dedicated herself to improving the lives of the community's women and children, and both helped found Portland's annual Rose Festival.

In 1909, the Pittocks commissioned architect Edward Foulkes to design a new home to share with nine family members.  Loyal to their region, they hired Oregon craftsmen and artisans and used mostly Northwest materials to build the house.

Completed in 1914, Pittock Mansion featured progressive inventions such as a central vacuum system, intercoms, an elevator, and indirect lighting.  The house also creatively incorporated English, French, and Turkish design styles.  The estate included the 16,000 square foot mansion, a gate lodge, a three-car garage, and greenhouses--all situated 1,000 feet above downtown Portland.

Pittock family members lived in the home until 1958, when they put the estate on the market.  The empty Pittock Mansion was severely damaged by the Columbus Day Storm in 1962 and threatened with destruction by land developers.

Spurred by fund-raising efforts of concerned citizens, the City of Portland purchased the estate for $225,000 in 1964.  After 15 months of restoration, the Pittock opened as a historic house museum.

Today, Pittock Mansion Society and Portland Parks & Recreation work in collaboration to operate and maintain the museum, the gate lodge, and the 46-acre park, which represents the Pittock family's contribution to the transformation and development of Portland and its people (Taken from Pittock Mansion brochure entitled, "Experience the Story of Portland").