shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileOregon

above the Columbia River, east of Portland

Vista House at Crown Point

Name: Vista House at Crown Point — on ceramic tile, by WenderVista
Brand: WenderVista

— — a stone observatory built to watch the river.

— 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

— 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 sandstone rotunda on a basalt headland 733 feet above the Columbia, finished in 1918 as a rest stop on the new Historic Columbia River Highway. Art nouveau lines, a copper roof gone green, and marble inside. Most days the river runs gunmetal under the windows. On a clear afternoon, the gorge opens for thirty miles.

from the studio

— bring it home

Vista House at Crown Point, 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 Vista House at Crown Point

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 sits on Crown Point, a basalt promontory 733 feet above the Columbia River, about 25 miles east of Portland. The building was designed by Portland architect Edgar M. Lazarus in a German Art Nouveau idiom and completed in 1918 as a rest stop and observatory on the new Historic Columbia River Highway. It became a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 2012 and is operated as part of the Crown Point State Scenic Corridor.

— informed by Wikipedia — Vista House, Wikipedia — Historic Columbia River Highway

— the stone

The exterior is Carthage sandstone over reinforced concrete, with a copper roof that has weathered to a green patina. Inside, the rotunda is finished in pink Tokeen Alaskan marble and Kasota Minnesota limestone, with brass and opalescent glass detail. The octagonal plan is roughly 44 feet across, and the interpretive floor and gift shop sit beneath the observation level. Restoration work in the early 2000s repaired water damage and re-leaded the original windows.

— informed by Wikipedia — Vista House

— the visit

Vista House is reached via the Historic Columbia River Highway from either the Corbett exit off Interstate 84 or the eastern end of the old highway at Ainsworth. Hours vary by season, and the building is generally open mid-March through late October, with free admission. The site is a Friends of Vista House nonprofit operation in partnership with Oregon State Parks. Parking is limited; weekday mornings are the easiest window.

— informed by Wikipedia — Historic Columbia River Highway

— where

United States · Multnomah County, Oregon

— within

Crown Point State Scenic Corridor

— elevation

223 m · 733 ft

— position

45.5394° N · 122.2436° E

— 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

Columbia Gorge waterfall

13 km E

Multnomah Falls

Columbia Gorge waterfall

12 km E

Wahkeena Falls

Columbia Gorge waterfall

40 km W

Portland

city

Vista House at Crown Point

Latourell Falls

Multnomah Falls

Wahkeena Falls

Portland

— common questions

What people ask.

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

— about the place

Construction began in 1916 and the building opened in 1918. It was designed by Portland architect Edgar M. Lazarus as a rest stop and observatory on the Historic Columbia River Highway, then a brand-new scenic road.

About 733 feet. Crown Point is a basalt promontory on the south side of the Columbia River Gorge, and on a clear day the view east opens roughly 30 miles up the river.

German Art Nouveau, with an octagonal plan, a green copper roof, Carthage sandstone exterior, and a marble-lined rotunda interior. It was named a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 2012.

Yes. The interpretive centre and observation deck are open seasonally, generally mid-March through late October, with free admission. Hours are set jointly by Oregon State Parks and the Friends of Vista House nonprofit.

About 25 miles east of Portland on the Historic Columbia River Highway. From Interstate 84 take the Corbett exit and climb the old highway, or approach from the east at Ainsworth.

As a public rest stop and viewpoint on the Historic Columbia River Highway, the first paved scenic highway in the United States. Multnomah County funded it as part of the original 1913 to 1922 highway program.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. Vista House is one of the defining images of the Columbia River Gorge, and Portland-area visitors know it on sight. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries it.

The sandstone, copper-green roof, and gunmetal river read well with Craftsman, Pacific Northwest modern, and warm transitional rooms. It also holds against deeper green and brass library palettes.

Yes. Heritage-modern leans on early-20th-century stone and metalwork against clean lines, and Vista House supplies both. The copper-green note is the easy accent to repeat in a room.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large carries the scale. A four-tile Mural opens it across a longer console. A nine-tile Mural is a feature-wall piece for an entry or a study.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and handle steam and splash. The Glossy finish is for framed wall pieces in dry rooms.

Microfibre cloth and plain water. No abrasives, no ammonia, no citrus cleaners. The colour lives inside the ceramic surface, so the tile cleans like a fine porcelain plate.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to the studio, with no licensing in or out. Reid curates the atlas and signs off the work before it ships.

— if this one stayed with you