Skidmore/Old Town Historic District The center of the district is marked by Skidmore Fountain, just as it did when it was built in1888 to refresh “horses, men, and dogs.” Many 19th-century buildings remain, including handsome Italianate structures and one of the nation’s largest concentrations of cast-iron building facades. Within two blocks of the fountain lie the Oregon Maritime Center and Museum (113S.W. Front Ave. +1 503 224 7724. Summer Wed.-Sun., winter Fri.-Sun.; adm.fee), the American Advertising Museum (50 S.W. 2nd Ave.+1 503 226 0000. Wed.-Sun.; adm. fee), and the Japanese/American Historic Plaza (Front Ave. and Ankeny St., Tom McCall Waterfront Park).
Pittock Mansion (3229 N.W. Pittock Dr. +1 503 823 3623. Adm. fee)The original owner of this sumptuous, 1914 French Renaissance mansion, Henry Pittock, crossed the plains to Oregon in 1853. Employing Northwest craftsmen and materials, Pittock saw the mansion as an advertisement of the region’s virtues. He went on to become the longtime publisher of The Oregonian, Portland’s main newspaper.
This partial listing is an excerpt from the National Geographic Guide to America’s Historic Places.
