Elk Rock Gardens of the Bishop's Close
Encyclopedia
Elk Rock Gardens of the Bishop's Close are located on a hillside estate overlooking the Willamette River
in Dunthorpe, Oregon
, in the United States
. Peter Kerr started the gardens in 1916 on a 13 acres (5.3 ha) estate that passed to the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon
after his death in 1957. The estate includes a manor house
and other structures, and is open to the public.
Magnolia
s and other native and non-native trees, shrubs, and plants grow in the gardens. Dunthorpe is an unincorporated
community on the west side of the Willamette south of Portland
and north of Lake Oswego
along Oregon Route 43.
in 1888 and started a grain business. He and, his brother, and Kerr's business partner bought land on the hillside in the early 1890s. They built a cottage on the site and lived there until the other two men married and moved elsewhere. Kerr, the sole remaining occupant, married Laurie King in 1905. They lived in the cottage until 1916, when a new house resembling a Scottish manor was completed on the site. John Olmsted of the Olmsted Brothers
landscape architects, sited the house to provide a view of Mount Hood
. After the manor was finished, Kerr, encouraged by his wife, began work on a large garden.
When Kerr died in 1957, his daughters, Anne McDonald and Jane Platt, gave the estate and an endowment
for its maintenance to the Episcopal Bishop of Oregon on condition that the garden be open to visitors. The diocese named the gardens "Elk Rock Gardens of the Bishop's Close". The "Elk Rock" part of the name derived from the late 19th century name for nearby cliffs above the river. The "Close" part of the name derived from a mainly British use of the word meaning "an enclosed area around a church or other sacred space". The Elk Rock Garden Foundation and the Friends of Elk Rock Garden were formed in 1994 to protect and maintain the garden.
On nearby land to the south, the City of Portland manages about 3.3 acres (1.3 ha) donated by the Kerr family in 1955 for a public park. The Peter Kerr Property, as it is called, includes natural habitat and part of a 1200 feet (365.8 m) railroad tunnel through Elk Rock. The Willamette Shore Trolley
uses the tunnel for passenger excursions between Portland and Lake Oswego. Across the river from the estate and park is Elk Rock Island
, which is accessible from Spring Park in Milwaukie
on the east side of the river.
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
in Dunthorpe, Oregon
Dunthorpe, Oregon
Dunthorpe is an unincorporated suburb of Portland, Oregon, United States. It is located just south of the Portland city limits and north of the Multnomah County line on the west side of the Willamette River. Lewis & Clark College and Lake Oswego are nearby....
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Peter Kerr started the gardens in 1916 on a 13 acres (5.3 ha) estate that passed to the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon
Episcopal Diocese of Oregon
The Episcopal Diocese of Oregon is a diocese of The Episcopal Church which consists of the western portion of the State of Oregon bordered by the Pacific Ocean, the Columbia River, the Cascade Range and the Oregon-California border. Major cities in the diocese are Portland, Salem, Eugene and Medford...
after his death in 1957. The estate includes a manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
and other structures, and is open to the public.
Magnolia
Magnolia
Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol....
s and other native and non-native trees, shrubs, and plants grow in the gardens. Dunthorpe is an unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
community on the west side of the Willamette south of Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and north of Lake Oswego
Lake Oswego, Oregon
Lake Oswego is a city located primarily in Clackamas County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Small portions of the city are also located in neighboring Multnomah and Washington counties. Located south of Portland surrounding the Oswego Lake, the town was founded in 1847 and incorporated as Oswego in...
along Oregon Route 43.
History
Kerr moved to Portland from ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1888 and started a grain business. He and, his brother, and Kerr's business partner bought land on the hillside in the early 1890s. They built a cottage on the site and lived there until the other two men married and moved elsewhere. Kerr, the sole remaining occupant, married Laurie King in 1905. They lived in the cottage until 1916, when a new house resembling a Scottish manor was completed on the site. John Olmsted of the Olmsted Brothers
Olmsted Brothers
The Olmsted Brothers company was an influential landscape design firm in the United States, formed in 1898 by stepbrothers John Charles Olmsted and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. .-History:...
landscape architects, sited the house to provide a view of Mount Hood
Mount Hood
Mount Hood, called Wy'east by the Multnomah tribe, is a stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc of northern Oregon. It was formed by a subduction zone and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States...
. After the manor was finished, Kerr, encouraged by his wife, began work on a large garden.
When Kerr died in 1957, his daughters, Anne McDonald and Jane Platt, gave the estate and an endowment
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
for its maintenance to the Episcopal Bishop of Oregon on condition that the garden be open to visitors. The diocese named the gardens "Elk Rock Gardens of the Bishop's Close". The "Elk Rock" part of the name derived from the late 19th century name for nearby cliffs above the river. The "Close" part of the name derived from a mainly British use of the word meaning "an enclosed area around a church or other sacred space". The Elk Rock Garden Foundation and the Friends of Elk Rock Garden were formed in 1994 to protect and maintain the garden.
On nearby land to the south, the City of Portland manages about 3.3 acres (1.3 ha) donated by the Kerr family in 1955 for a public park. The Peter Kerr Property, as it is called, includes natural habitat and part of a 1200 feet (365.8 m) railroad tunnel through Elk Rock. The Willamette Shore Trolley
Willamette Shore Trolley
The Willamette Shore Trolley is a heritage railroad or heritage streetcar which operates along the west bank of the Willamette River between Portland and Lake Oswego in Oregon. The right-of-way is owned by group of local-area governments who purchased it in 1988 in order to preserve it intact for...
uses the tunnel for passenger excursions between Portland and Lake Oswego. Across the river from the estate and park is Elk Rock Island
Elk Rock Island
Elk Rock Island is an island within the Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon. The 12- to 13-acre island, formed 40 million years ago by a volcano, was given to Portland by Peter Kerr in 1940.-Ecology:...
, which is accessible from Spring Park in Milwaukie
Milwaukie, Oregon
Milwaukie is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. A very small portion of the city extends into Multnomah County. The population was 20,291 at the 2010 census. Founded in 1848 on the banks of the Willamette River, the city, known as the Dogwood City of the West, was incorporated in...
on the east side of the river.