THE GARDENS
The gardens are an oasis of green within the stark dry landscape of the eastern end of the Columbia River Gorge. Hill purchased the site from the Gillenwaters, and the orchards and vegetable gardens developed by them were part of his farming enterprise. Although never fully realized, early plans included formal gardens in the European style.
Today the park includes the Grand Lawn, shady picnic grounds, the east lawn, the Sculpture and Rose gardens, the Lewis and Clark Overlook and Native Plant Garden, the North Lawns and Entrance Drive. The peacocks were added in the late 1970s to the delight of its visitors each year. The grounds are also home to a wide variety of wildlife, including flickers, crows, turkey, quail, black birds, raptors, fox, raccoon, and an occasional coyote or bobcat. The site is an official site on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail and was recently listed on Sun and Sage Loop site of the Great Washington State Birding Trail by Audubon Washington.
Jeffrey Weitzel, The Grace Blue, forms the centerpiece of the outdoor sculpture collection.
Lewis & Clark Overlook / Native Plant Garden
The Lewis and Clark Overlook and Native Plant Garden sits on a point at the museum's eastern edge where its lush gardens meet sagebrush ranchlands. This dramatic setting affords visitors vast panoramic views of the Columbia River Gorge, surrounding plateaus, and majestic Mt. Hood. Situated where visitors begin their journey both to the museum and surrounding region, it includes a site-specific sculpture by architect Brad Cloepfi, The Maryhill Overlook, part of a larger concept titled the Sitings Project. Aligned on a north-south axis, the structure follows a slope right to the edge of a high bluff overlooking the Columbia River. The architect states that the “project is formed by a single ribbon of concrete that emerges from the earth and moves across the landscape, enfolding volumes that open and close to the sky. These simple volumes are marked with openings that establish specific references in the surrounding landscape. Rather than attempt to control and scale this vast space, the project marks the landscape with an experimental aperture. The overlook transforms in response to the shifting quality of light and changing point of view.” Indeed the sculpture encourages visitors to interact with the natural landscape by viewing isolated portions of it through windows and cut-outs designed into its surfaces.
Surrounding the sculpture is an accessible winding pathway taking visitors through the museum’s native plant garden highlighting plants collected by Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery on their journey in 1806 – 1806. The garden also features interpretative panels on the history Maryhill Museum of Art, its 5,300 acre ranchlands, and regional attractions.