Where History Blooms and a Sustainable Future Takes Root
The famous Elk Rock Garden estate, created during the Gilded Age in Portland’s affluent Dunthorpe enclave, has a new mission: To promote healthy ecosystems and climate resiliency in all neighborhoods…
We were delighted to host the ISLE Project to Elk Rock Garden this morning! The ISLE Project is an independent nonprofit organization that provides overnight expeditions in the natural world. ISLE stands for “Integrated Science Learning Experiences” and the 5th and 6th grade students who visited the garden today were on a Headwaters to Ocean (H20) expedition, following the path of a drop of water from the Coastal Range watershed to the Pacific Ocean. Topics highlighted on their expedition will include marine biology, estuary ecology, river dynamics, earth systems, forest ecology, and hydrology. Elk Rock Garden was the first stop on the group’s trek to the Pacific Ocean and this marks the first of several planned visits to Elk Rock Garden this school year.
To learn more about the ISLE Project, visit isleproject.org .
Elk Rock Garden is thrilled to announce that we have been selected to host the University of Oregon’s Pacific Northwest Preservation Field School cohort this September!
Over the past 30 years, UO’s Preservation Field School program has taught hands-on preservation skills throughout our region. This year, participants will learn masonry, woodworking, landscape and window repair techniques from experts in the preservation field, while helping to restore our historic manor house and 10-acre landscape.
Preservation Field School is an inclusive learning opportunity, open to all. You do not need to be a student, have preservation experience, or be affiliated with the University of Oregon to apply to participate. Past participants have included students from the University of Oregon and other institutions, practicing professionals, and preservation enthusiasts. A variety of ages, skill levels, and backgrounds contributes to each session’s unique experience and programming.
Three one-week-long sessions are available beginning Aug 31, 2025. Spots are still available. To learn more, or to register, please visit the UO website at: https://archenvironment.uoregon.edu/2025-pacific-northwest-preservation-field-school
Join us at 2pm on May 31, 2025 for a fascinating lecture and slideshow by local historian Eileen Fitzsimons discussing the historic Elk Rock Garden property!
Discover Elk Rock Garden’s remarkable story and the influential figures who shaped it, including businessman Peter Kerr who developed the garden over several decades, with advice from John C. Olmsted of the renowned Olmsted Brothers landscape firm, architects Ellis Lawrence and William Holford, and expert plantsman Emanuel Mische.
Your $75 ticket includes a lecture featuring rarely-seen historic photos of the early days of Elk Rock Garden, a lively Q&A, a guided tour of the manor house, and refreshments and sweet treats served in the garden.
ONLY 50 SPOTS AVAILABLE FOR THIS RARE OPPORTUNITY! All proceeds support restoration of this beloved historic property.
About Eileen Fitzsimons: Eileen Fitzsimons is public historian who has written about local history for The Bee newspaper for over 20 years. Both a lifelong gardener and a member of the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon since 1985, Eileen has led walking tours, written National Register nominations, and is the author of several entries in the Oregon Encyclopedia, including entries about Peter Kerr and Elk Rock Garden.
Nico Swartz has joined Elk Rock Garden as our new Lead Gardener.
With a bachelor’s degree in Conservation Ecology, and a lifelong passion for plants and the environment, Nico is deeply committed to preserving and enhancing the health and natural beauty of Elk Rock Garden. His professional experience spans native plant propagation, removal of invasive plants, habitat restoration and volunteer leadership, making him particularly well-suited to this challenging role. Having previously worked with the Walker Basin Conservancy and Friends of Trees, Nico is grounded in a philosophy of sustainability and preservation, and aims to foster resilience in Elk Rock Garden’s landscape while also engaging with the community through hands-on stewardship.
The Elk Rock Garden property was listed for sale by the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon at the end of 2022.
“Once home to a family that made their millions in the grain industry around the turn of the century, the 13 acres were gifted to the Episcopal Bishop of Oregon with the stipulation that they remain open to the public. High up on the bluffs of the Willamette River, the views are simply breathtaking. Mt Hood can easily be spotted far off in the distance.”
