Wender·Vista
Timberline Lodge is WPA-craft architecture; preserve interior and exterior craft motifs
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileOregon
on the south flank of Mount Hood, at 5,960 feet

Timberline Lodge is WPA-craft architecture; preserve interior and exterior craft motifs

— — a building made by hand, in 1937.

— 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

“The lodge that taught a generation of out-of-work craftsmen how to carve a newel post. Built between 1936 and 1938 by the Works Progress Administration, every interior surface, the wrought iron at the stair, the hand-loomed rugs, the carved animal heads at the column tops, was made on site, by hand. Outside, the steep gable shingles and stone footings echo the same craft.

from the studio
Timberline Lodge is WPA-craft architecture; preserve interior and exterior craft motifs
— bring it home

Timberline Lodge is WPA-craft architecture; preserve interior and exterior craft motifs, 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 Timberline Lodge is WPA-craft architecture; preserve interior and exterior craft motifs

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

Timberline Lodge stands at 5,960 feet on the south flank of Mount Hood in northern Oregon. Built between 1936 and 1938 under the Works Progress Administration, it cost about $1 million and employed nearly 500 workers at its peak. Architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood drafted the structure; Margery Hoffman Smith of the Federal Art Project directed the craft program. Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the lodge on September 28, 1937. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977 and has undergone a multi-decade preservation campaign supported by the Friends of Timberline.

— the stone

Exterior masonry rises from a footing of volcanic stone quarried within walking distance of the site. The same native rock builds the head house chimney inside: six sides, 92 feet tall, three stacked fireplaces. Steep gable roofs are shingled in cedar and pitched to shed Cascade snowpack. Carved beam ends, hand-forged door pulls, and Pendleton-style hand-loomed wool rugs were all commissioned on site between 1936 and 1938. The Friends of Timberline have funded interior restoration since 1975, including textile and ironwork conservation across the public rooms.

— the visit

The lodge is reached by 6 miles of road from U.S. Route 26 at Government Camp, in the Mount Hood National Forest. It is open year-round as a working hotel, with a daily free guided tour of the head house and the public craft spaces. The Cascade Dining Room serves regional Oregon cooking; the Ram's Head Bar holds the second-floor lounge above the great hall. Day-use parking fills early in winter. Magic Mile loads from the door, and the Palmer chair runs into summer for glacier skiing.

— where
United States · Clackamas County, Oregon
— within
Mount Hood National Forest
— elevation
1,816 m · 5,960 ft
— position
45.3311° N · 121.7113° 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.
10 km SW
Government Camp
mountain town
3 km N
Palmer Glacier
glacier and summer ski area
1 km N
Mount Hood Wilderness
wilderness area
N
Timberline Lodge is WPA-craft architecture; preserve interior and exterior craft motifs
Government Camp
Palmer Glacier
Mount Hood Wilderness
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Timberline Lodge is WPA-craft architecture; preserve interior and exterior craft motifs — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

The Works Progress Administration built the lodge between 1936 and 1938, employing nearly 500 unemployed craftspeople. Architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood drafted the structure; Margery Hoffman Smith directed the interior craft and furnishing program.

Hand-forged iron railings, carved newel posts with animal heads, hand-loomed wool drapery and rugs, mosaic linoleum floors, and the native stone chimney. The Friends of Timberline have funded conservation of these since 1975.

Yes, designated in 1977. It is one of the most fully preserved WPA buildings in the United States, with much of its original 1937 furniture, textile, and ironwork still in daily use across the public rooms.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated Timberline Lodge on September 28, 1937, broadcasting his remarks by radio from the front steps. The dedication marked the lodge as a flagship project of the Works Progress Administration.

Take U.S. Route 26 to Government Camp on Mount Hood, then six miles up the Timberline Highway to the parking area. The road is plowed year-round; chains or traction tires are required November through April.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. Timberline is one of the great surviving WPA buildings, and the lodge's craft program is what draws people back. A Medium or Large suits; the piece reads as a record of made-by-hand work.

The piece sits naturally in arts-and-crafts, lodge-revival, and mountain-modern interiors. The warm reds and ambers carry against dark wood paneling, stone hearths, and Pendleton-style textiles.

A single Large covers most sofas. For a long mantel wall, a 4-tile Mural reads as a single image. A 9-tile Mural suits a tall, exposed-beam great room.

Yes, with Dura Satin or Matte. Both are scratch-resistant and handle steam and splash. A Coaster Set or Small fits a bar; a Medium suits a powder-room wall.

Microfibre cloth with plain water. The colour is set into the ceramic beneath a thin glossy finish, so daily wiping does not affect it. No solvents, no abrasives.

Yes. Every piece is drawn in the studio's stained-glass and alcohol-ink visual language, chosen by Reid Wender, hand-finished in Knoxville, Tennessee. No outside licensing.

— if this one stayed with you

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