Pittock Mansion

I always recommend a trip up to Pittock Mansion when visiting Portland. This incredible, french-renaissance style mansion is on a hilltop in the Southwest Hills, overlooking the city. 

There's an entrance fee to tour this gorgeous mansion. However, I sometimes skip the tour and explore the gorgeous gardens and city views for free.

History of Pittock Mansion

Pittock Mansion was constructed by a famous Portland pioneering family, Henry and Georgiana Pittock.

I was intrigued by their backstory, and learned they both traveled separately along the Oregon Trail in the 1850s. Henry made his fortune by establishing a local newspaper and investing in a range of industries. His wife was a philanthropist, founding many different organizations including Portland's Annual Rose Festival that still runs today. 

I've always been fascinated why the Pittocks made the move up here in their old age, uprooting themselves from their home in the city. Why would they choose to live in such a remote location aged well into their 70s? They moved into Pittock Mansion in 1914, but both were dead within four years. The mansion was then occupied by relatives until 1958.

I was also shocked to learn just how close the mansion came to demolition after the Columbus Day Storm in 1961. It caused severe damage with hurricane force winds. Keep in mind, there's lots of trees up here, and many came crashing down on the home. Thankfully concerned citizens came to the rescue, and in 1964 Pittock Mansion was purchased through both city and citizen donations. It then opened as a museum in 1965 after an extensive renovation. 

5 best things to do at Pittock Mansion

1. Walk the grounds for free.

If you have limited time or don't want to pay the entrance fee to Pittock Mansion, then I recommend wandering around the beautiful gardens. 

The best starting point is at the front of Pittock Mansion, where a gracious lawn leads to a spectacular viewpoint. 

Here's the vantage point from the front balcony. I try to imagine the Pittock family hanging out on this lawn on summer days. There were a total of eleven of them living in the mansion when Henry and Georgiana moved in, including their two daughters, two son-in laws, three grandchildren and two nieces. This was true inter-generational living!

This is another vantage point of the grand balcony at Pittock Mansion, flanked by exquisite gardens.

I wandered to the end of the lawn and relaxed on a bench, while talking in these amazing views of Portland and the Cascade Mountain Range. It was worth the drive up here just for this! On a blue sky day there are views of five mountains up here; Mt Hood, Mt Jefferson, Mt Rainier, Mt Adams, and Mt St Helens.

Here's another view of downtown Portland through the lush garden in summer.

2. Visit the gift shop in the Old Garage.

The gift shop and ticket area is housed in the historic old garage, just steps from Pittock Mansion.

I picked up a map with my tickets, browsed the gift shop, then wandered towards the back of Pittock Mansion. 

Here's a closer look at the back of the mansion.

I then entered through the porte cochere and began my tour.

3. Take a self guided tour of Pittock Mansion.

It took me about 1.5 hours to explore the three levels of the 16,000 square foot Pittock Mansion. 

The first floor had the main living areas like the library, music room, dining room, breakfast room and kitchen. The second floor had five bedrooms with ensuites, and the basement had the social hall and billiard room.  

I was really fascinated by some of the modern conveniences in this 1914 home, like the elevator that Georgiana used because she was having mobility issues.  There were also clever inventions like a central vacuum system, intercoms, and thermostats in each room.

I tried to imagine the family spending their evenings in the library.

The oval shaped, french inspired music room had a harp and piano. 

I loved these views from the music room!

The marble staircase connects all three floors of Pittock Mansion.

You can see the elevator that Georgiana used, off to the right of this picture.

This floor leads to the five bedrooms. Two of the bedrooms had a sleeping porch to encourage fresh air in the lungs, and reduce the risk of tuberculosis which was a big killer in this era.

The younger Pittock daughter, Lucy, occupied this room with her husband.

This is Henry Pittock's bedroom.

More spectacular views from the upper floor.

The elder Pittock daughter, Kate, stayed in this room with her husband.

This basement at Pittock Mansion has an oval room that was used as a social hall and billiard room. Today it's full of exhibits.

4. Visit the Gate Lodge.

After touring Pittock Mansion, I followed the path down to the italianate-Style Gate Lodge. I nearly missed it, so be certain to include this on your itinerary.

This cute cottage was home to the chauffeur and his wife in 1914. It was then occupied by the estate steward, his wife and daughter, who resided here until 1953.  I kept thinking what an amazing place this would've been to live. So cute and cosy, and decorated in the craftsmen style.

The Gate Lodge became a tea house in the 1980s and 90s, but was converted to a museum in the early 2000s. 

5. Visit for special tours and events.

I've never visited Pittock Mansion during the Christmas season, but apparently the whole house is decked out with decorations and looks glorious!

Throughout the year, you can also sign up for weekend tours at Pittock Mansion. There's a Behind the Scenes tour, which takes you to sections of the house off-limits to the public, like the third floor. The Architecture Tour also provides a more indepth look at how the mansion was built and renovated.