Portland Houses: Pittock Mansion (12-06-08)

What can I say about this quasi-castle, the most famous house in Portland?

The Pittock Mansion is situated on top of a forested hill that must have been difficult to reach in the 1920s. Whenever I visit it, my thoughts go to the staff whose function was to be at the beck and call of the owners. So, more than the grand Music Room, or the Library, the spaces that interest me are those one which the rest of the house depended to be functional. For a long time, the kitchen was closed, but now restored, it is part of the tours. Although it is a large room with a great view of downtown, equipped with a superb top-of-the (1920s) line of stove, adjacent to a walk-in cooling room, there is hardly a counter to work on or a surface to lay things on.

Portland Houses: The Lion and the Rose (12-06-08)

The Lion and the Rose is a famous Bed and Breakfast in Portland. We were given a tour of this superb house by one of the owners. It has been gorgeously decorated (flowery wallpapers, antiques, period-style light fixtures, etc.). Imagine, 7 bedrooms and about 9 bathrooms! I loved the amazing attic with cavernous ceilings and a tiny turret room.

This house is listed on the Historic Register, and so a sign was posted announcing that the house would be open for tours the next day. I wanted J. and C. them to see this beautiful house, so we went back and had a great time admiring it.

Portland Houses: The Georgian House (12-06-08)

The owner of The Georgian House Bed and Breakfast gave us a tour of her house which she operates as a Bed and Breakfast. Although I am not partial to Country style, the consistency of the decorating was very pleasant overall. This house is obviously well-cared for and is a lovely, welcoming and comfortable place.

Portland Houses: White House (12-06-08)

The White House, a famous Bed and Breakfast in Portland is very impressive Greek Revival mansion is a breath-taker, a heart-stopper, a beautiful, immaculate house in a perfect setting.

Portland Houses: Clinker Brick House (12-06-08)

Hmm... Although this house had a certain charm, the dormers' metal frame windows were obviously not period and the big rust-colored metal panes in front of the gutter channels looked unsightly.

We used to own a (great) house in Medford with two fireplaces made of clinker bricks. I was told that these bricks which look almost black and whose shapes are often distorted were brought up to Oregon after the Great Fire of San Francisco in 1906 and used on new construction of the time.

Portland Houses: Tudor House (12-06-08)

I didn't care for this house. It seemed very average compared to some other houses in Irvington.

Portland Houses: Cottage House (12-06-08)

I did some sketches of houses for my last class at Portland State University.

The Cottage House is my favorite. It's essentially a Tudor style house whose woodwork has been refinished in natural stain (as opposed to the usual dark brown). I particularly liked the bent shingles roof, don in an effort to keep the general shape, -if not the look, of a straw roof.

PSU Class: Michael J. (11-08-08)

A quick sketch of Michael J. of Cascade Geographic Society who organized the PSU class visit to the McLoughlin House in Oregon City.

PSU Class: Oregon History Interpretive Center (11-08-08)

A trip to the Mc Loughlin House in Oregon City, to visit "The Birthplace of Oregon" as part of a PSU class.

There hardly was anything in Oregon before the 1860s, in contrast with Europe.
By then my great-great-grand-father had already bought the stone house in Polleur (Belgium) and had set up a blacksmith shop. Years later, when my grand-parents were still alive, various old-fashioned tools still hung on the walls in the shop area.

It never ceases to amaze me to get inside old wooden pioneer houses in Oregon, so tiny and reminiscent of "The Little House on the Prairie." To think that this area is still so new... The sad thing, is how quickly things get demolished in this country, just because it is "old" (that is, over 40 years old). (Or worse yet, to see a charming "restored" farmhouse for sale, and to walk in what obligatorily ought to be a period-style kitchen, and to see stainless steel and mottled granite counter tops...)