Astoria Column

The Astoria Column was erected in 1926 at an elevation of 600 feet atop Coxcomb Hill, the location of the first permanent American Settlement west of the Rockies. It has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1974, and was refurbished in 1995. This impressive Oregon Coast historical monument is the only one of its kind in the world!

The column displays 14 scenes commemorating important events in the history of Astoria in cronological order. The mural scrolls around the 125-foot-high structure in an upward spiral direction, with the earliest scene at the base of the column. An interior 164-step spiral staircase leads to the top of a viewing platform with spectacular views.

New York architect Electus D. Litchfield designed the column, patterning it after the Trajan Column erected in Rome by Emperor Trajan in 114 A.D. It was decorated by Attilio Pusterla, an Italian-born artist, using a sgraffito technique (bas-relief etching in cement) developed during the Italian Renaissance. In 1926, it cost $27,133.96 to build and decorate the Column.

John Jacob Astor, for whom Astoria is named, was the head of the fur trading company that built Fort Astoria. His great-grandson, Vincent Astor, helped finance the building of the Column. The Great Northern Railroad paid for the rest of it.

Due to years of inclement coastal weather, the images on the Column had become so damaged that many of them could no longer be seen. Thanks to the efforts of the Friends of Astoria Column and countless others, restoration of the column began in April 1995. The finished project was unveiled in November 1995. The cost to repair it was approximately $750,000.