Pittock Mansion

History

The Pittock Mansion was built as a private home for Portland pioneers Henry and Georgiana Pittock. English-born Henry Lewis Pittock arrived in Oregon in 1853 on a wagon train from Pennsylvania where he began working for the Weekly Oregonian newspaper owned by Thomas Jefferson Dryer.

Hard work and determination saw Henry Pittock taking ownership of the Weekly Oregonian eight years later, changing its format to a daily paper and going on to build an extensive business empire.

Pittock Mansion was constructed in the early 1900s by London-born publisher and owner of The Oregonian newspaper, Henry Pittock as a private residence for himself and his wife, Georgiana.

Renowned architect Edward Foulkes was commissioned to design Henry and Georgian’s home, and in keeping with their loyalty to their home state, the Pittocks hired local artisans and craftsmen from Oregon and used only materials from the Northwest to build the house.

More History

Construction on the house began in 1909 and took five years to complete with distinct Victorian and French Renaissance architectural styles and characteristics both inside and out. The interiors of the mansion also featured Turkish influences and boasted modern luxuries, such as intercoms, indirect lighting, and a central vacuum system. The final estate included the 44-room mansion, the gate lodge servants' residence, a three-car garage, and a greenhouse, all spread over 46 acres of land overlooking downtown Portland. Today, only 23 of the 44 rooms in the mansion are open to the public, but the other buildings on the estate can be explored and enjoyed.

Pittock Mansion opened to the public in 1965 and is a community landmark that is visited by more than 80,000 people a year. The Mansion has claimed its fame in a few film productions over the years, making appearances in Unhinged (1982), The Haunting of Sarah Hardy (1989), Body of Evidence (1993), and was the end point for the 13th season of the Emmy-winning reality game show, The Amazing Race.

Plan Your Visit

Pittock Mansion is located at 3229 NW Pittock Drive on an expanse in the West Hills in Portland and is open to the public from February through December 11:00 am until 4:00 pm. Admission to the estate and the mansion is free, and there is parking on site. The Mansion has a unique museum store which is located in the Mansion’s garage and sells an array of history-related items such as books, décor, games, accessories, and toys.

Visitors can enjoy picnics on the grounds of the estate against a backdrop of sweeping views of downtown Portland. The Mansion is also within close proximity to many of Portland’s other attractions such as the Japanese Gardens and the Oregon Zoo, so can be visited in conjunction something else to make a full day trip.

3229 NW Pittock Drive, Portland, Oregon 97210, Phone: 503-823-3623