Update: We have our winners! Michael D. Barton, Kitty, and Didi!
Visit the Pittock Mansion this holiday season to share in A Northwest Christmas: The Natural Beauty and Bounty of Oregon. The mansion has been transformed into a holiday wonderland. Festive decorations, ribbon, garland, poinsettias, and more than 15 Christmas trees delight visitors until January 2nd, 2011.
Anyone can visit of course. Admission is free for members, $9 for adults, $8 for seniors (65+), $6 for youth (ages 6 – 18), and free for children ages 5 and younger. The mansion is open every day from November 22 until January 2nd 2011, except for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Hours daily are 11am until 4pm.
But how would you like to visit one of Portland’s most elegant historic homes during the holiday season for free?
Win a pair of admission tickets to the Pittock Mansion – I have three pairs to give away!
On Friday, December 17 2010 at 6am three randomly chosen commenters will win a pair of tickets!
As always, it’s super easy to enter – just tell us what you like about old houses in the comments below!
(Please use a real email address so that I can contact you if you win – no one else will see your email address, and I will not use it for anything else besides this contest to contact you if you win!)
Update: We have our winners! Michael D. Barton, Kitty, and Didi!
Photo credit: Cacophony (retouched by Tiptoety). Image used under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license.
The sense of history of what life was like back in the day before media rooms and microwaves!
I like looking out the windows of old houses and imagings what the view would have been like…
I always like the feeling of stability in an old house. Turn-of-the-last-century houses always feel like “they’ve been here this long, they’ll stay here.” Mid-century houses just feel too cookie-cutter and bland. Newer houses just feel cheap, even the expensive ones.
I love the uniqueness and character that old houses bring to a city. I really just don’t like the “cookie-cutter” style that Ed refers to, especially when you get out into the suburbs. Every single house is the same. My aunt lives a early 1900 house that was always one of my favorite to visit.
My favorite part about old houses are the windows with the old glass and how it looks like it is dripping down.
I love the way old houses have personalities.
I’ve always been drawn to old houses; I’m not exactly sure why! Maybe because I like to imagine how people lived there in the past. I’m even fascinated by old farm shacks. 🙂
It’s all about the character! Old houses come with many quirks thought (I live in a house built in 1903, I know) but in the end, it all adds up to the charm.
I grew up in a 1872 carriage house in the woods of Massachusetts. I used to find horseshoes buried in the yard. This was like finding buried treasure as a kid.
The smell. Seriously. Old wood that’s been waxed for a hundred+ years.
I love the woodwork you find in old houses. Hand hewn lumber, with ornate accents, simply beautiful! It’s also fun to find older homes that still have functioning dumb-waiters in them.
I love the way old houses just feel like you are home once you walk into them. I think it might have to do with their charm and the thought that went into the little details that go into the construction.
Finding secret rooms and spaces.
I love the little nooks and display areas built in all over the houses. We have friends with what looks like something that could be a tiny little altar or similar built into their wall. Bits like this are always so fascinating to me. I also love when the walls or entry areas to rooms that have arches or interesting lines that you don’t find in new houses.
I love all the woodwork and the attention to detail that you find in old houses
I love the solid materials used to build old houses! There is usually a lot of beautiful woodwork. Thanks for the fun giveaway! The Pittock Mansion is at it’s finest during the holidays.
I love Old historic houses! I have yet to visit the Pittock Masion but I am going to! I’ve seen the Flavel House and fell in love and cannot wait to fall in love with Pittock! I guess I love big old houses because they remind me so much of my grandmas.. dark hardwood base boards, grand entrances, formal dinning rooms, parlors, siting rooms ect.. I love that classy way of life!!
I love the porches of old houses, and usually the yard space and original landscaping of an old house. 🙂
I love the character that older homes have, they are not just a square box with square rooms. they are interesting and creative unlike the homes of today. I also like the crafstmanship that old homes possess, and to think that when they were built all that craftsmanship was done by hand (rather than machines that do most of it today).
This Pittock mansion is a neat place to go visit ANYTIME, I have been there multiple times and enjoy it every time, however, I have never been at Christmas time to see all the elegant decorations and I look forward to going this year with my family (hopefully i can win a pair of tickets).
I love old homes because there are (for the most part) no two houses alike, they were all built individually unlike the the track homes of today.
What I love about old houses, and especially so in the Pittock Mansion, is the feeling sense of traveling back in time, a feeling that maybe just for a moment you are back there living in the house at its hay-day…
I always leave it with this quiet sense of peaceful tranquility.
Thank you,
RSK
I love the creaking noises the wood in old houses make.
I like finding original wallpaper perfectly preserved.
The Pittock Mansion is my Happy Place, I love it there!
Because I grew up in Europe the old houses remind me of the houses that I grew up around.
The Pittock Mansion is such a beautiful place. Everyone needs to visit and feel the beauty of this place and to know a brief piece of Portland’s history. The first time I was there was many years ago.I was in a fiction writing class and had to write an essay on somewhere I had visited recently. I distincly remember the bedroom with awful green wallpaper and my first thought was ” Would who want to make love in this room?”
I love the ballroom and envision the grand parties that have been there. The last time I was there a wedding party was taking place. Loved to have seen the pictures of that day. If I win I will give them to my grandson and his girlfriend. They need a special day before he leaves for the Army.
I love to see how people used to live without TV and internet.
I love imagining what the family and others did inside the house, from the parties to the everyday sitting around.
I like the architecture and the interesting ways that older homes were built – details like ornate trim and leaded windows. I also like seeing the inside of other peoples houses – on tv and in person – its like peeping into personal lives and is interesting. My husband and I haven’t been to the Pittock Mansion yet but it looks very interesting. The Pittock family seem like very interesting people too and I look forward to learning more about them.
The best part about the Pittock’s home is that it is so welcoming. Many old “mansions” can feel cold and over the top. This house is a classic and I am inspired every year I come. I love gleaning ideas for building homes or decorating our own.
We are fortunate to have this gem in our city 🙂