PORTLAND, Ore. — Tens of thousands of visitors make their way up to the famed Pittock Mansion each year, but these past couple months it's been empty.
"We're so excited!" said Jennifer Gritt, the associate director of the mansion. "We've been closed since November 18. We had to close down for a second time."
Thursday morning, the famous mansion that overlooks downtown Portland opened once again. Visitors need to purchase tickets online, and only a few groups can walk the one-way halls at a time.
"We took the time during this closure to actually do a deep dive into the mansion and do a major cleaning." Gritt said.
What they found was a problem in the walls of the niece's bedroom. A steam pipe was leaking moisture and had caused mold. Crews cleaned it up and in the process, Gritt says they also learned that the wallpaper installed in the 1960s wasn't from the same time period as the house.
"This is giving us an opportunity to restore the bedroom to its original look back in the early 1900s."
If you'd rather lose yourself in a book instead of a mansion, Powell's Books on 10th and Burnside will reopen the Purple and Red rooms on the second floor.
They've both been closed since March 2020.
In a news release, owner and president Emily Powell was quoted, “Since the holidays, we have continued our focus on expanding store operations. And so, it is with great excitement that we're taking this next step towards fully reopening our flagship store location. We can't wait to see customers wandering the aisles once again in our Purple and Red Rooms.”
In McMinnville, the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum opens to the public on Friday. Reservations will need to be made online. Rates have been reduced and a limited amount of visitors will be allowed inside due to the state's COVID-19 regulations.
In Southeast Portland, get ready to lace up those skates! The roller rink at Oaks Amusement Park will reopen March 1 for the first time in months. It had only been able to reopen for 10 days in November when it had to shut down again.
"We really feel like the momentum in the county is headed in the right direction. So we're really optimistic for this to be a real significant reopening." said Emily MacKay, marketing director for Oaks Amusement Park.
The last couple weeks, groups limited to six people could rent the place. This time skating will increase to a limit of 50 people.
Tickets for the two-hour time slots need to be purchased online, and they cost $10 per skater.
"We've always been able to have chaperoning parents in the building. Now with the capacity limitations, everyone does need a ticket to enter. If you choose not to skate though, that's fine." MacKay said.