Astoria has always been about big dreams. It has also always been about big ambitions. And today,  there is no better symbol of the spunk and spirit of the town than the Astoria Column. Clatsop County’s largest drawing tourist attraction serves up a panoramic view encompassing Saddle Mountain, Young’s Bay, the Pacific Ocean to Neah-Kah-Nie and Tillamook Head and the Columbia River from Tongue Point to Cape Disappointment — all visible from one spot. It’s a place kids remember their whole lives. Often, little wood gliders fill the air, launched by youngsters of all ages.
The Column is within a day trip from anywhere within “CRRland” and is easy to find. The route is marked with cryptic little columns pointing the way. At the visitor center, you’ll meet Paula Bue, a cheery and informative staffer who’s sure to brighten even the odd day when the monument’s “socked in.”
Weight loss technique
The circular staircase inside the column is now being replaced, thanks to a cooperative effort between the city and the Friends of the Astoria Column, but the 164 steps to the observation platform will again be open for visitors on Memorial Day. In the early 1990s, a woman, in her endeavor to lose weight, climbed the column’s steps 10 times each day for 8 months. That’s 1640 steps up and 1640 steps down every day! We don’t expect you to be so ambitious, but it’s a great place to visit any time.
Head to Astoria via U.S. 30, turn left at 16th. St., marked by the “Custard King,” a way-50’s hamburger and ice cream joint. Follow the little columns and you’ll wander past homes built in the days when salmon was king. Note the colorful gardens and carriage houses. The city was built before cars, so some of the streets are narrow, which just adds to the flavor.
Other Astoria attractions are the famous Columbia River Maritime Museum and the trolley ride along the waterfront (only $1!). As with all things coastal, bring a warm jacket and maybe even an umbrella.
Here, where the Columbia meets the Pacific, history awaits you
The fur trade brought the fleets of Russia, Spain, Britain, and the newly minted United States of America to her shores to found the first city west of the Mississippi. The expedition of Lewis and Clark helped form the basis of America’s claim to what is now Oregon, Washington, and parts of Idaho and Montana.
A century later, salmon was king and the city’s leaders, feeling the town’s prosperity, proposed a tower on Coxcomb Hill, the highest hill around, to rival Mr. Eifel’s in Paris. After coming back to earth, the centennial committee settled for a huge lighted sign reading “1811-1911.” Thereafter, the town bought the 30 acre park and cleared part of the hill to use for events.
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After the devastating fire of 1922 destroyed most of the commercial district, Ralph Budd, president of the Great Northern Railroad, proposed a series of monuments near Great Northern rail lines as magnets for tourism (and booking of trips on his railroad) and convinced Vincent Astor, whose great grandfather sent the explorers who founded the city, to share financing of the monument for Coxcomb Hill..
New York architect Electus Litchfield designed the decorated column with murals by Italian artist Attilio Pusterla. He worked in “sgraffito,” a medium popular with the Arts and Crafts movement. After a dark colored coat was applied and allowed to cure, a lighter coat was applied and before it was cured, images were carved away, revealing the dark under layer (see photos, above).
The column’s reinforced concrete shaft was mixed on site and the 164-step spiral staircase lead the way to the observation platform with a cupola crowned by a copper finial.
Since the tower’s 1926 completion, several restorations have been mounted. Less than five years after completion, storms of the mighty Pacific and the 80” inches of annual rainfall began to erase the beauty of the spiral mural.
Pusterla returned to the site in 1936 to repair and waterproof the frieze. This time, a young Geno Ettro, 14, who later became a noted plaster and cement arts contractor, was chosen as his assistant. In 1948 and 1958, city workers treated the surface with Tung oil. In 1968 parts of the surface were painted with white latex paint. All of these treatments, along with weathering, caused problems for the images and the exterior continued to deteriorate. Soon, much of the imagery was obscured.
In 1988 a non-profit group led by Portlander Jordan Schnitzer and (then) Astoria Mayor Edith Henningsgard formed The Friends of Astoria Column, raising $1,000,000 for restoration.
In early 1995, world-renowned art conservator Frank Pruesser began restoration work with a local crew.
The monument was sheathed from base to finial with plastic and, again, the elements hampered the artist’s efforts. Restoration was completed in October of that year and the column was unveiled to reveal the crisp, bright details that Pusterla carved in the plaster so long ago.
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