Historic Columbia River Highway
Vista House, OR

Vista House at Crown Point is one of the most photographed sites along the Historic Columbia River Highway. It is a memorial to Oregon's pioneers, an observatory, and public comfort station.

Samuel Lancaster, the Highway's chief engineer, believed that this outcropping of land, located atop a 733-foot sheer cliff overlooking the Columbia River, was one of the most spectacular vistas in the world. He knew that it was the ideal site for "an observatory from which the view both up and down the Columbia could be viewed in silent communion with the infinite."

The Vista House is approximately 44 feet in diameter and 55 feet high. The floors and stairs in the rotunda and the wainscoting in the basement are Tokeen Alaskan Marble. Most of the rotunda's interior is light cream and pink Kasota limestone, including the hand-carved drinking fountain. Eight gilded plaster Native American faces adorn the tops of the rotunda columns -- it is unknown if they represent any one person or tribe.

Vista House is undergoing a $2 million restoration. It is expected to be closed during 2001 to repair the weather envelope. Some funds will come from the Transportation Efficiency Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) Enhancement program, but additional funds are needed. "Band-aids for Vista House" are sold by volunteers to raise funds for this restoration. The building is owned by Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and managed by the Friends of Vista House.

Vista House is a pioneer memorial, "comfort station" and viewpoint, completed in 1918. Save America's Treasures and many private donations have restored the building, one of the most photographed sites along the byway.