The Gordon House – Silverton, Oregon

Visiting the Gordon House in Silverton Oregon reminded me how much I live Frank Lloyd Wright designs. I am not sure when my love of architecture surfaced or why I feel so drawn to all things between 1910 and 1940. In my opinion all the best buildings, books, art, fashion and architecture happened during this period. That isn’t to say I don’t adore literally every other time period. Some might call me wishy-washy, I call it an ardent lover of all things.

Regardless Frank Lloyd Wright falls safely in that most beloved time period. I don’t love everything he is designed, but his background, inspirations, darkness, the mysteries and the murders that seems to follow him around make for a fascinating study.  The more I look into his life, and the things that have occurred surrounding his work the harder it is to stop digging. And it is difficult to deny even if you don’t agree aesthetically with his work, that he was a genius. Creating several well known architecture movements and schools. Inspiring countless future artists and leaving behind a legacy of over 1,000 buildings, 400 of which stand today.

Unisonian architecture was the last of his movements. An attempt to create homes for middle class America that were specially designed to give you everything you need inspired by and for the surroundings of the home. Every house he designed was unique, and it didn’t stop with the building but continued in every detail of the house including furniture. But to design for the middle class rather than some of his earlier clients meant a much simpler house. Not that it came cheap, according to our tour guide this house would have cost 500,000 – 600,000 to build today.

The Gordon House is the only Frank Lloyd Wright building in the state of Oregon. It was designed for a retired couple for their specific piece of land on the Willamette River. When the house was designed it was too pricey to build for the couple, so they waited. It was built after Lloyd Wright passed away. And the couple lived in it for the rest of their lives. When the property was sold to its second owner they didn’t want the house.

They were going to tear it down. But word got out and soon wheels were in motion to save the house. Long story short, it was mapped, moved and rebuilt at its current location at the Oregon Gardens in Silverton.

You can tour the building now, and the docents who conduct the tours are just lovely. So knowledgeable and passionate about the house and all aspects of historic buildings.

The tour lasts about an hour and is plenty of time to learn about and enjoy the home. Though I didn’t really want to leave I was ready to move in. Those floor to ceiling windows on both sides of the main living space made me swoon.

Every aspect of the house was designed with a very specific purpose. I wish I could properly recall everything we learned but you should definitely go to The Gordon House. It is amazing to be in a place where so much intention was put into every detail.

To learn more and tour the house the you must visit the website and make reservations. Tours of The Gordon House are conducted several times a day but in small groups. Since the house isn’t all that large they keep the groups small so you can more easily maneuver around. The house is also open for a variety of events, and can be rented for your own special event. They also allow rentals for overnight stays occasionally. All proceeds back to the foundation that keeps the house in good repair.

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Evergreen Aviation Museam – McMinville, Oregon

The Evergreen Aviation Museum is the second aviation museum my husband and I have been to. The first being the Palm Spring Flight Museum which I have not yet managed to write up even though it was two years ago that we visited. I will get there, eventually.

The Evergreen Aviation Museum is in McMinville Oregon. It is famous for currently housing the Hughes H-4 Hercules also know as Howard Hughes’ The Spruce Goose. The wooden plane built in 1947 famously only took one flight, which was mostly a 70foot hover above the Cabrillo Beach channel in California. After a not so successful test flight the plane was housed at Aero Club of Southern California next to the Queen Mary as a tourist attraction (both of which I visited as a kid) until 1993 when the plans for Port Disney were abandoned at which time the plane was bought and moved to Oregon.

The Spruce Goose which is quite impressive, however is not the only impressive thing about the museum. The museum as a whole is two large hangars and a theater which screens a variety of flight themed movies. One hanger includes the Spruce Goose as well as other planes starting with models from the very first attempts at human flight up through modern day military and private jets. My personal favorite was this gorgeous antique prop plane. I had visions of boarding with perfectly coiffed victory rolls and a ridiculously expensive mink jacket.

I think my husbands favorite was the Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird”  which I have to admit was pretty impressive. The Blackbird is incredibly advanced and modern looking especially considering it was  a stealth spy plane that was flown in the 1960s.

The Blackbird was housed in the second hanger across the parking lot along with the the space flight displays. Which included model replicas of the moon lander, Russian space crafts and model sections of the ISS.

They also had this Russian re-entry pod on display which still has the scorch marks from when it entered back into the earth atmosphere. The space display was my favorite overall, it had displays that covered the beginnings of man’s dreams to travel off planet, information about the Russian and American space race as well as the extensive collection of artifacts, information and models.

For anyone who is interested in vintage planes, modern, military or space travel I would highly suggest the trip down to McMinnville, it is a great way to spend the day especially in Oregon in the winter. It gives you a great way to get out of the house and walk around without getting soaked to the bone.
Addition Information:

It is located in McMinnville Oregon, a short drive south of Portland.
500 Northeast Captain Michael King Smith Way McMinnville, OR 97128
Tickets are 19-27 dollars depending on the age of the visitor, which is well worth it as you can make a whole day of the visit.
They also have an extensive array of special events, so make sure to check the calendar and plan accordingly.

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