Pittock Mansion

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Pittock Mansion was constructed in 1909 by London-born publisher and business tycoon Henry Pittock as a private residence for himself and his wife, Georgiana. The house was designed by San Francisco architect Edward T. Foulkes.{{cite book|last=Olson|first=Donald|title=The Pacific Northwest Garden Tour|publisher=Timber Press, Inc.|year=2014|pages=74–77|isbn=978-1-60469-451-2}} Construction began in 1909, though the house was not completed until 1914. Upon completion, the home featured such luxuries as a central vacuum system, intercoms, indirect lighting, an elevator, and a walk-in refrigerator.{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/pittock_mansion/|title=Pittock Mansion|encyclopedia=oregonencyclopedia.org|accessdate=April 25, 2017}} The interiors of the mansion were modeled on an eclectic collection of styles, including Jacobean, (the library) craftsman, (the dining room) Turkish, (the smoking room) and French Renaissance (the music room).

Georgiana Pittock was an avid gardener who was a founding member of the Portland Rose Society, hosted the first Portland Rose Show in 1889,{{cite book|last=Miller|first=George|title=Images of America: Portland Rose Festival|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|year=2013|pages=82|isbn=978-0-7385-9614-3}} and helped launch the Portland Rose Festival. Pittock Mansion is surrounded by formal gardens that reflect her passion for gardening.{{cite book |editor-last1=Houck |editor-first1=Michael C. |editor-last2=Cody|editor-first2=M.J. |title = Wild in the City: Exploring the Intertwine | publisher= Oregon State University Press | location = Corvallis, Oregon| year= 2011 |pages = 124|isbn= 978-0-87071-612-6}} The lawn is hedged by heritage roses as a tribute to Georgiana's work.

• The lower level includes the boiler room & laundry room and is now a museum. As of October 2023, it houses a temporary special exhibition on Eliza Barchus.
• The first & second floors were the former living quarters of the Pittock family members, and are now part of the museum exhibits. They have been redecorated to resemble either the Pittocks' original living spaces, or those of similar 19th-century Oregon families.
• The third & fourth floors were the servants' former living quarters, and currently house the offices of the Pittock Mansion Society that oversees the museum’s operations. The upper floors are only accessible via a back room staircase and are closed to the public except during “Behind the Scenes” tours for an additional cost.

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The home was at the center of a political scandal in 1911 when a Portland City Council member, Will H. Daly, brought public attention to Pittock having arranged for a water line to the construction project entirely at city expense, despite it being located a half mile outside of the city limits at the time. The incident contributed to a longstanding feud between Pittock's paper and Daly which ultimately led to the end of the councilman's political career.{{cite news | last = Terry | first = John | title = Oregon's Trails: Important labor leader fails to garner credit he's due | work = The Oregonian | location = Portland, Oregon | date = July 24, 2005 | page = A21}}

Georgiana died in 1918 at the age of 72, and Henry in 1919 at 84. The Pittock family remained in residence at the mansion until 1958 when Eric Ladd, who had stayed in the mansion for four years,{{cite news|title=Preservationist, organizations get awards|last=Sullivan|first=Ann|date=May 21, 1995|work=The Oregonian|page=G2}} and Peter Gantenbein, a Pittock grandson who had been born in the house, put the estate on the market and were unsuccessful in selling it. Extensive damage caused by the Columbus Day Storm in 1962 caused the owners to consider demolishing the building.{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/01/portland_landmark_pittock_mans.html|work=The Oregonian|title=Portland landmark Pittock Mansion turns 100 with free admission and special tours|date=January 24, 2014|accessdate=November 25, 2015|last=Koffman|first=Rebecca}} The community raised $75,000 in three months in order to help the city purchase the property.{{cite news | first = Anna | last = Johns | title = Pittock seeks new funding source | newspaper = Portland Tribune | date = July 15, 2005 | url = http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=30862 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205025540/http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=30862 |archivedate= February 5, 2012| accessdate = February 17, 2016}} Seeing this popular support, and agreeing that the house had tremendous value as a unique historic resource, the City of Portland purchased the estate in 1964 for $225,000.

File:Interior of the Pittock Mansion (1).jpg

Fifteen months were spent restoring the building. It opened to the public in 1965 and has been a community landmark ever since.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} Roughly 80,000 people visit the Pittock Mansion each year.{{cite web | title = State of the Parks: 2020 Vision | publisher = City of Portland Parks Department | url = http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=89433 | accessdate = November 22, 2006}} Due to the location of the site {{convert|1000|ft}} above sea level, the mansion is one of the best places for birdwatching in Portland.{{cite book | title = Wild in the City | first1 = Michael C. | last1 = Houck |last2=Cody|first2= M.J. | publisher = Oregon Historical Society | year = 2000 | pages = 116 | isbn = 0-87595-273-9 }} The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.{{cite web | title = Oregon - Multnomah County | publisher =National Register of Historic Places | url = http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/OR/Multnomah/state9.html | accessdate = April 25, 2017}}

In 2006, the City of Portland estimated that $6–8 million worth of restorations were needed for the mansion.{{cite news | title = Pittock Mansion slowly changes hands | first = Anna | last = Johns | newspaper = Portland Tribune | date = October 9, 2006 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718074304/http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=116042909276510000 |archivedate=July 18, 2011 |url = http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=116042909276510000 | accessdate =February 17, 2016}}

File:Portland from Pittock Mansion October 2019 001.jpg

Visitors can drive up to the mansion, located at 3229 NW Pittock Drive. The Wildwood Trail through Forest Park also crosses the mansion's parking area, allowing hikers to arrive at Pittock Mansion on foot.

The mansion made its first known appearance in the 1977 romance film First Love, starring Susan Dey and William Katt. The house was the main character's family home and had an important scene in this film.

The second appearance was in the 1982 slasher film Unhinged.{{cite news| url= http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-19550-buried_alive.html | title= Buried Alive | newspaper= Willamette Week | date= August 15, 2012 |first= Matthew |last=Singer|accessdate=August 17, 2012}} The film has become infamous since its release due to being banned in various countries as a video nasty. The house is used as the main location in the film and is used prominently throughout. The people of the city of Portland are thanked gratefully during the end credits for their participation during the films's production.

This location was used in the 1989 movie, The Haunting of Sarah Hardy starring Sela Ward and Morgan Fairchild. This mansion was also used prominently in the 1993 film Body of Evidence starring Madonna and Willem Dafoe.{{cite news|url=http://www.wweek.com/2015/10/13/sex-and-candles/|work=Willamette Week|title=Sex and Candles|date=October 13, 2015|accessdate=November 22, 2015|last=Singer|first=Matthew| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151116131422/http://www.wweek.com/2015/10/13/sex-and-candles/|archivedate=November 16, 2015|url-status=dead}} This location was used as the finishing point for the finale of the 13th season of the 6-time Emmy-winning reality game show, The Amazing Race.{{cite web|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/idahosportugal/2008/12/amazing_race_in_portland_voodo.html|title='Amazing Race' in Portland: Voodoo Donuts to Pittock Mansion|work=The Oregonian|last=Meager|first=Sean|date=December 8, 2008|accessdate=December 31, 2019}} The mansion was visited during the premiere of the seventeenth season of the Dutch reality show Wie is de Mol? as the site of the season's first test and elimination.{{cite web|url=https://debestereistijd.nl/alle-locaties-wie-is-de-mol-2017-in-amerika/|title=Alle locaties Wie is de Mol 2017 in Amerika|language=Dutch|trans-title=All locations Who is the Mole 2017 in America|website=De Beste Reistijd|date=December 31, 2016|accessdate=December 31, 2019}}

The mansion plays a role in Colin Meloy’s Wildwood Chronicles. In the series, Forest Park is imagined as a magical realm, with Pittock Mansion serving as its seat of government.{{Cite book|last=Meloy|first=Colin|title=Wildwood|publisher=Balzer + Bray|year=2011|isbn=978-0-06-202468-8}}

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• {{Official website|http://pittockmansion.org/}}
• [http://www.bartking.net/bartking/pdxarchome.html An Architectural Guidebook to Portland]
• {{Oregon Encyclopedia|pittock_mansion|author=Hardt, Ulrich H}}

{{Hillside, Portland, Oregon}}

{{National Register of Historic Places}}

Category:Museums in Portland, Oregon

Category:Historic house museums in Oregon

Category:Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Oregon

Category:1909 establishments in Oregon

Category:Buildings and structures in Hillside, Portland, Oregon