When I first moved to the pacific northwest, I lived about 10 minutes from the Pittock Mansion. The contrast from Florida made it fascinating to me and It quickly become one of my favorite places to visit in Portland. It’s close to the city, the grounds are free to visit, and the view is amazing! It’s one of those places that I go back to over and over agin no matter the time of year. Frequently, if I have an extra 30 or 40 minutes, I’ll head over to Pittock just to take in the view or get a few photos of the various flowers blooming.
A Little History
Henry Pittock, who built the mansion, took the Oregon trail to Portland in 1853 at the age of 19. He was hired at The Oregonian as a typesetter and in 1860 he was granted ownership of the paper in exchange for back pay and transformed it into a successful paper that is still in production today.
Henry and his wife, Georgiana, became fixtures in Portland society and in 1912 started construction on the mansion. They moved into the home in 1914 with 8 other family members. Unfortunately Henry and Georgiana only lived in the mansion 4 years before passing away.
The Mansion stayed in the family until the late 1950s and was severely damaged during the Columbus Day Storm of 1962. By 1964, it was in danger of demolition in favor of a neighborhood subdivision. Fortunately, the City of Portland, with help from money raised by citizens, purchased the mansion.
After 15 months of restoration, the Pittock Mansion opened to the public as a historic museum in 1965. Today the Mansion itself is run by the Pittock Mansion Society, a non-profit dedicated to “inspire understanding and stewardship of Portland history through the Pittock Mansion.” The grounds are a public park maintained by Portland Parks and Recreation with help from the Oregon State University Master Gardener program.
If you are into history, which I am, I suggest reading the story on the Pittock Mansion site. There are also several books available in the gift shop located on the grounds.
Great Views Any Time Of Year
Located in Portland’s West Hills and adjacent to Forrest Park, the grounds of the mansion have an incredible view overlooking Portland. On a clear day, you can see Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, and Mt. Reiner. As a public park, the grounds are free to visit and are open daily 7am to 9pm which allows for some dramatic photos of sunset/sunrise. On warm summer days it can get a little crowded so if you want photos without people go early. For me, I like to have some people in my photography sometimes as it adds some personality. There are usually several dogs there (it’s Portland of course) and I’m always game for dog photos.
There are also some great photos to be had of the valley depending on the weather. I grabbed this photo on a January day in the early afternoon and it really is so quintessentially Portland with the clouds settling in the valley and Mt. Hood in the background. Don’t expect to see this very often in the winter as that is our rainy season but sometimes you get lucky as with the photo below. During the summer, however, you can often see several mountain peeks in the distance as well as great views of Portland.
Pittock Mansion Grounds
If you are into hiking, the grounds are situated on the Wildwood Trail of Forrest Park. If you aren’t into hiking, the mansion and grounds are very easy to access by car with a small parking lot near the gift shop with free parking. Aside from the view, there are gardens maintained around the grounds and there always seems to be something to see. Paved pathways run throughout the park making it very accessible for all ages. There are some picnic tables near the overlook and several benches along the paths.
During late spring, rose gardens on the grounds bloom coinciding with the Rose Festival in Portland. Other times of year different flowers are blooming. Even during the winter, you can get some great photos of snow on the ground. I try to go there several times through the year and have collected photos of the grounds in many different seasons. On a warm summer day it’s a great place to go, sit on the grass and just relax.
Make sure to take your time walking around the grounds. It’s easy to stop at the view-point overlooking Portland and consider it done, but take the path going south-west and you will run into the Gate Lodge which, unlike the mansion itself, is free to take a look inside when it’s open.
On colder days, keep in mind it will feel cooler on the grounds than in the city mainly due to the wind. Also, being in the west hills, snow, ice, and land slides might prevent you from visiting. If there is ice on the road, I do not recommend trying to get up there and occasionally, land slides in the west hills can present a traffic problem.
Touring the Pittock Mansion
The mansion is 16,000 square feet and has 23 rooms. Due to the damage sustained prior to restoration, most of the original furniture is not present in the museum. However, it is decorated with early 1900s era furniture to approximate what the house would have looked like. There are some modern features in the home that were extraordinarily rare at the time of its construction such as an elevator, thermostat controlled central heating, and a central vacuum system. There are often special exhibits shown for limited times so make sure to check their events page for current events.
I suggest checking the website for hours as they change depending on the season (the house is closed during January). Prices are reasonable at $11 for adults, $8 for children (under 6 free), and $10 for seniors. To be honest, in the 3 years I have lived here, I’ve only toured the home once and it was when my parents came to visit. It’s good to do the tour once but my favorite part is the grounds.
How to get there
The first time I dove there, I felt I was going the wrong way. The Pittock Mansion is located in a neighborhood off of Burnside Rd. in the West Hills. You literally drive into this neighborhood and enter the park on a narrow, winding road. Take your time and read the signs on the drive up to the mansion as they provide a little history of the place and be on the look out for cyclists, hikers, and other cars. When the weather is nice, it can be a little crowded and parking can overflow to the side of the road. As with everything, it’s less busy in the morning.
