A Visit to the Historic John Mock House
2011, September 14th
Yesterday evening, Kirk and I (Andrew) joined two friends for a pre-restoration tour of the John Mock House. Located prominently on Willamette Boulevard, this house is hard to miss for the thousands of travelers making their way in and out of downtown every day. The tour was presented by the Architectural Heritage Center, and it is from their web site I quote the following words:
"In 1853 John Mock's father, Henry, took up a 317-acre land claim comprising most of today's neighborhoods of University Park, Mock's Crest and Mock's Bottom. John Mock built his Queen Anne-style mansion after the family's possessions and hewn log cabin, of 1874, were lost to a fire in 1889. The imposing new house, with its picturesque roofline, gingerbread-covered porches, decorative shingles, and exotic finial-topped turret, was an architectural gem from the very beginning. Completed in 1894, the spacious interior boasted many fine details of the era, including elaborate natural woodwork, hand-painted ceiling frescos, decorative sawn fretwork grilles, mantels with glazed art tiles, cast bronze hardware and – the most outstanding feature of the house – more than a dozen elaborate Povey Brothers Studio art glass windows."
During the evening, a presentation on the history of the house was given by historian and restoration consultant Bo Sullivan. Among the issues he addressed was that of a future for the missing turret. Would it be reconstructed or not? While unable to give a certain answer, he said it is "on the table," and that the owners are looking at the possiblity. They do, however, plan to recreate the missing Povey windows.
The house, built in 1891-1892,was reported to cost $10,000 to construct.
A pipe organ sits in the front sitting room and, while true to the era, is not original to the house.
One of the remaining Povey Brothers windows decorates the dooor to the juliette balcony on the second floor. In their day, the Poveys were considered the Tiffanys of the West.
The front hall newell post is beautifully carved and, mercifully, unpainted.
A fraction of the drawing room's frescoed ceiling remains visible. The owners intend to restore it.
