Stone House (Portland, Oregon) Explained

Stone House
Location:Forest Park
Location City:Portland, Oregon
Location Country:United States
Coordinates:45.5283°N -122.7251°W
Altitude:328feet
Completion Date:1935–1936
Destruction Date:-->
Unit Count:-->

The Stone House, also known as the Macleay Park Shelter and the Witch's Castle or Witches Castle,[1] [2] is a two-story[3] structure in Portland, Oregon's Forest Park, in the United States.

Description and history

The Bureau of Parks commissioned architect Ernest F. Tucker to design the public toilet, pavilion, and storage room in 1929.[2] The Works Progress Administration structure was completed during 1935–1936.[4] The water line to the restroom was destroyed during the Columbus Day Storm of 1962. City officials opted not to fund repairs.[3]

The structure has been a target for graffiti. In 2015, Erik Henriksen of the Portland Mercury said the Stone House "looks like Tolkien-esque ruins, if Middle-earth had taggers",[5] and Thrillist's Mattie John Bamman described the abandoned structure as "filled with Satanic graffiti".[6] Graffiti was removed in 2016.[7] Alie Kilts of Willamette Week wrote in 2017, "just try not to get spooked when you stumble upon the ominous stone house".[8]

In 2017, a local news reporter described a tradition among some Lincoln High School students to celebrate the last day of school by throwing parties with alcohol and drugs at the Stone House, which students refer to as "Witches".[9] Kale Williams included the Stone House in The Oregonian 2017 list of the sixteen "coolest and creepiest abandoned places" in the Pacific Northwest. Williams described the structure as a popular resting spot for hikers and wrote, "For better or worse, the so-called Witches Castle is periodically covered in graffiti, but it's still a sight to behold."[3]

In 2018, The Oregonian Jamie Hale described the structure as an often photographed "ruined stone building now covered with graffiti".[10] Kathleen Marie of the Portland Mercury wrote, "Forest Park is in its prime each summer, and it's a disservice to yourself, your friends, and your family if all that you ever show them in the park is that broken-ass stone house that's actually just a vandalized 1930s public restroom."[11] Parade Scott Steinberg described the Stone House as a "gnome home-esque structure... covered in bright green moss" in 2017.[4] "Its lichen-coated walls make a killer fort for an afternoon", wrote Portland Monthly Brian Barker in 2020.[12]

In 2022, author and religious scholar Jahan Brian Ihsan[13] published Portland Witch House[14] [15] , including photographs and stories of the Stone House alongside a twelve-year photographic study of 'countercultural' personae who engaged in outsider religion and ritual.

Notes and References

  1. News: Nelson . John . Inside Portland's urban park . January 17, 2021 . . April 1, 2018 . October 1, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191001183222/https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/apr/01/inside-portlands-urban-park/ . live .
  2. Web site: From the Archives: History of the Stone House . 21 July 2018 . Forest Park Conservancy . January 17, 2021 . November 11, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201111174204/https://forestparkconservancy.org/from-the-archives-history-of-the-stone-house/ . live .
  3. News: Williams . Kale . The 16 coolest and creepiest abandoned places in the Pacific Northwest . January 17, 2021 . . March 6, 2017 . December 6, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201206045506/https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2017/03/the_17_coolest_and_creepiest_a.html . live .
  4. Steinberg . Scott . Travel Guide: Top Things to Do in Portland, Oregon . . June 6, 2018 . January 16, 2021 . August 13, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200813060605/https://parade.com/668239/scott_steinberg/travel-guide-top-things-to-do-in-portland-oregon/ . live .
  5. News: Henriksen . Erik . How to Hike... by Bus . January 17, 2021 . . May 13, 2015 . December 14, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151214014954/http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/how-to-hike-by-bus/Content?oid=15624141 . live .
  6. Web site: Bamman . Mattie John . Portland's 15 Best Parks, Ranked . . January 17, 2021 . July 12, 2015 . September 20, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200920054809/https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/portland/the-15-best-parks-in-portland . live .
  7. News: Graffiti removed from Stone House in Forest Park . January 16, 2021 . . June 15, 2016.
  8. News: Kilts . Alie . Here are the Winners of the Best of Portland Readers' Poll 2017 . January 16, 2021 . . July 12, 2017 . January 6, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190106055250/https://www.wweek.com/promotions/2017/02/16/best-of-portland-readers-poll-2017/ . live .
  9. News: Wilson . Jamie . Concerns over end-of-school-year parties in Forest Park . January 17, 2021 . KPTV . June 15, 2017 . July 1, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190701201414/https://www.kptv.com/news/concerns-over-end-of-school-year-parties-in-forest-park/article_b7674ea9-e748-5a56-bdbe-3b8031923b5f.html . live .
  10. News: Hale . Jamie . Portland's iconic Lower Macleay Trail will close for repairs in March . January 17, 2021 . . February 27, 2018 . November 9, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201109004105/https://www.oregonlive.com/travel/2018/02/portlands_iconic_lower_macleay.html . live .
  11. News: Marie . Kathleen . Here Are Forest Park's Must-Hike Trails . January 17, 2021 . Portland Mercury . May 23, 2018 . October 27, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201027023643/https://www.portlandmercury.com/summer-in-the-city/2018/05/23/20044998/here-are-forest-parks-must-hike-trails . live .
  12. Tepler . Benjamin . Jacobson . Rebecca . Barker . Brian . 8 Essential Forest Park Hikes . . December 14, 2020 . January 17, 2021 . January 13, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210113170121/https://www.pdxmonthly.com/travel-and-outdoors/eight-essential-forest-park-hikes . live .
  13. Web site: 2017-06-21 . Faculty and Staff . 2023-04-04 . Center for Process Studies . en-US.
  14. Book: Ihsan, Jahan Brian . Portland Witch House . 2023-02-14 . BLURB Incorporated . 979-8-211-66764-8 . en.
  15. Book: Ihsan, Jahan Brian . Portland witch house: the photography of Jahan Brian Ihsan . 2022 . Jahan Brian Ihsan . 979-8-211-66764-8 . Portland, Oregon . 1370298132.

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