Under the leadership of the Pittock Mansion
Society, Portland Parks & Recreation, and hundreds of volunteers, the
venerable Pittock Mansion is undergoing the first phase of preservation
activities in anticipation of the Mansion’s Centennial celebration. Built for
Henry Pittock, an Oregon pioneer, newspaper editor, publisher, and wood and
paper magnate, “the Pittock Mansion occupies a place of special importance for
Portland. It is a City of Portland Historic Landmark, a State of Oregon
Landmark, and a national landmark listed in the National Register of Historic
Places. The City of Portland owns many historic landmark properties, but
Pittock Mansion is the only [property] operated as a historic museum [within]
the city parks system.”[i]
After
successfully raising funds, and with City Council approval of additional
funding, the Pittock Mansion is repairing the exterior terraces with new
waterproofing membranes, new sandstone replacing inappropriate concrete
castings, and structurally reinforcing the baluster railings so that all the
brides and grooms, admirers, and visitors, can once again perch and pose with
the vista of Portland and Mt. Hood as the splendor of Pittock Mansion is in
front of them. 
“Pittock
Mansion was design in 1909 by Edward T. Foulkes and took five years to
complete. Georgiana Pittock, wife of Henry, died in 1918, having lived in the
house for only four years. Despite its prominent site, imposing French
Renaissances exterior, formal rooms and parlors, and impressive central hall
with a grand stairway, Pittock Mansion was fundamentally a home for a family
with modest tastes having lived most of their lives in undistinguished
Victorian houses in downtown Portland.”[ii]
Original
stone quarries are no longer operational, so an exhaustive search for
replacement stone was conducted finalizing in a selection of stone from Idaho
closely matching color and texture of the original. Local and regional
craftsman are again involved in the careful dismantling, numbering, cleaning,
fabrication, and re-installation of the stone details. New terrace tile,
selected to better match the variegated colored clay tile roof, will be
installed with a new waterproof membrane and improved flashing details. The
original glass “sidewalk” purple lights that admit light into the basement will
remain for all to enjoy.
There
is still much work to be done. The Pittock Mansion Society has identified the
top priority projects ranging from the practical structural and electrical work
to additional programming and preservation projects. The Centennial celebration
will be a grand formal affair, fitting for such a magnificent and unique
cultural icon within the City of Portland’s stewardship.
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