Beaverton residents can walk through a seven-bedroom hunting lodge on Cooper Mountain for free Wednesday, Sept. 30.
The Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD) is hosting an open-house historical tour of the Jenkins Estate, 8005 S.W. Grabhorn Road, from 10 a.m. to noon. Visitors can drop in anytime during that window to explore the Main House and historic Stables at their own pace, according to THPRD.
THPRD volunteer historical ambassadors will be stationed throughout the property to share stories about the families who lived there, along with architectural details about the buildings.
The estate sits on 68 acres on the northwest slope of Cooper Mountain, overlooking the Tualatin Valley. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
According to THPRD's estate page, the Main House is a seven-bedroom structure modeled after a hunting lodge built for the English royal family. Ralph and Belle Jenkins purchased the land in 1912 for $7,000 as a summer home. Belle was the daughter of John C. Ainsworth, a founder of the Oregon Steam Navigation Company. The main house took three years to build.
The property grew to include eight buildings: a farmhouse dating to 1880, equestrian facilities, gardens, a greenhouse, an ornamental pool, a tea house, a carriage house and a water tower.
THPRD bought the estate in 1976 for $525,000. Two years later, it was added to the National Register as the Belle Ainsworth Jenkins Estate.
The grounds are open dawn to dusk year-round and include nearly two miles of trails with valley views. The Sept. 30 tour opens the Main House and Stables to visitors, with guides on hand.
No registration is required. For more information, call THPRD at 503-645-6433.
Coming up in Beaverton
- Wednesday, Sept. 30: Jenkins Estate Historical Tour, 10 a.m.–noon, 8005 S.W. Grabhorn Road. Free.
