Astoria Column
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The Astoria Column is a tower overlooking the mouth of the Columbia River on Coxcomb Hill in the city of Astoria in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is part of a 30-acre park.
The 125-foot-tall column was built in 1926 with financing by the Great Northern Railroad and Vincent Astor, the great-grandson of John Jacob Astor, in commemoration of the city's role in the family's business history. It stands atop 700-foot-tall Coxcomb Hill and includes an interior spiral staircase that leads to an observation deck at the top.[1] The Column was dedicated on July 22, 1926.[1]
The spiral sgrafitto frieze on the exterior of the structure is almost seven feet wide, and 525 feet long[1]. Painted by Electus D. Litchfield and Attilio Pusterla, the mural show 14 significant events in the early history of Oregon with a focus on Astoria’s role including Captain Gray’s discovery of the Columbia River in 1792 and the Lewis & Clark Expedition[1]. In 1974 the column was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The murals that make up the column were refurbished in 1995 and a granite plaza was added in 2004.
A plaque at the site commemorates the first Community Antenna Television (CATV) System in the United States built in 1949 by local resident Leroy E. "Ed" Parsons; twin-lead transmission wires redistributed the signal of KRSC-TV (now KING-TV) in Seattle, Washington to area homes. Former Astoria resident Byron Roman was also involved in early cable invention and distribution.[2][3][4]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Corning, Howard M. Dictionary of Oregon History. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956.
- ^ Introduction to CATV
- ^ The History Of Public Access Television
- ^ The Cable Center
[edit] External links
- Astoria Column is at coordinates Coordinates:
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