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. The Column was dedicated on July 22 1926.
The spiral sgrafitto frieze on the exterior of the structure is almost seven feet wide, and 525 feet long. 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. 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.
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Last updated on Tuesday July 08, 2008 at 18:23:35 PDT (GMT -0700)
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