Wender·Vista
Crown Point Vista House
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileOregon
on a basalt headland above the Columbia River Gorge, east of Portland

Crown Point Vista House

— — a small stone room built to hold a long view.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“An octagonal observatory on a basalt promontory 733 feet above the Columbia. Edgar Lazarus designed it; the Historic Columbia River Highway opened to it in 1916, the building itself in 1918. The view runs east through the gorge for thirty miles on a clear day. Most visitors stay ten minutes, look once east and once west, and find they have not said much. from the studio

from the studio
Crown Point Vista House
— bring it home

Crown Point Vista House, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Crown Point Vista House

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Vista House stands on Crown Point, a basalt promontory 733 feet above the Columbia River about 25 miles east of Portland. The two-story octagonal observatory was designed by Portland architect Edgar M. Lazarus and built between 1916 and 1918 as part of the Historic Columbia River Highway, the first scenic highway in the United States. The building is faced in light grey Bellingham sandstone with a green-tiled roof and rotunda. It opened to the public on May 5, 1918, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

— the stone

The shell is Bellingham sandstone from Washington, set on a reinforced-concrete frame. The dome is glazed green ceramic tile; the interior rotunda is finished in Alaskan marble and Tokeen marble wainscoting. The building cost about $99,000 to construct, more than four times its original 1915 budget, which made it controversial in its day under the working name of the Columbia Gorge Comfort Station. Restoration work between 2001 and 2005 rebuilt the dome and re-leaded the stained-glass windows that ring the upper level.

— the visit

Vista House is open most days from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the summer season and reduced hours in winter, staffed by the Friends of Vista House. Admission is free; a small gift shop and espresso counter operate in the lower level. The site is reached on the Historic Columbia River Highway via Corbett, on the west side, or via the Larch Mountain exit from I-84 and the road up the gorge. Wind on the point is steady and often strong; the deck is exposed.

— where
United States · Multnomah County, Oregon
— within
Crown Point State Scenic Corridor
— elevation
223 m · 733 ft
— position
45.5398° N · 122.2447° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
4 km E
Latourell Falls
waterfall on the Historic Highway
13 km E
Multnomah Falls
waterfall
1 km W
Portland Women's Forum Viewpoint
scenic overlook
at the lake
Columbia River
river below the point
N
Crown Point Vista House
Latourell Falls
Multnomah Falls
Portland Women's Forum Viewpoint
Columbia River
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Crown Point Vista House — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Vista House is a two-story octagonal observatory on Crown Point, 733 feet above the Columbia River. It was built between 1916 and 1918 as a memorial to Oregon pioneers and a rest stop on the Historic Columbia River Highway.

Portland architect Edgar M. Lazarus, working in a German Art Nouveau idiom, designed the building. He chose an octagonal plan to give visitors a near-360-degree view of the gorge from the upper level.

Construction ran from 1916 to 1918, with the building opening to the public on May 5, 1918. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and underwent a major restoration from 2001 to 2005.

The promontory rises 733 feet above the Columbia River. From the upper observation deck, the view runs roughly thirty miles east into the gorge on a clear day, past Beacon Rock and toward the Bridge of the Gods.

No. Admission to the building is free. The site is operated by Oregon State Parks with the Friends of Vista House. A small gift shop and espresso counter operate on the lower level during open hours.

Take the Historic Columbia River Highway from Corbett on the west or, from I-84, exit at Larch Mountain and climb the gorge road. The site is about 25 miles east of Portland.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for many customers with ties to Portland and the gorge. Vista House is one of the most recognised landmarks on the Historic Highway. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note carries well.

The greens of the dome, the basalt below, and the long river light read well in Craftsman-revival rooms, Pacific Northwest-modern palettes, and warm minimal interiors with oak or walnut accents.

Yes. The current direction leans on weathered wood, green-glazed accents, and basalt-grey stone. The Vista House dome and the gorge wall fit that palette without forcing it.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large fills the wall with one quiet image; a 4-tile Mural gives a larger statement, and a 9-tile Mural carries above a long console or a king bed.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any room with steam or splash. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so it does not fade in humid rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth with water is enough. For a kitchen tile, a drop of mild dish soap on the cloth lifts cooking film. No abrasive pads, no bleach, no ammonia cleaners.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is created in our Knoxville studio under Reid Wender's eye. The artwork is not licensed from anywhere else and the tiles are hand-finished here.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

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