A Vision of a Garden Takes Root
Following his arrival in Oregon in the 1880s, Scottish immigrant Peter Kerr transformed profits from his grain exporting business into something that has endured for over a century: a 10-acre garden estate that remains one of the Pacific Northwest’s most significant horticultural landmarks. What began as a modest land purchase evolved over several decades into a masterwork of garden design that continues to inspire visitors today.
Kerr’s collaboration with John Charles Olmsted of the Olmsted Brothers firm began in 1909, when Kerr solicited professional guidance for refining his burgeoning garden.
Olmsted visited the property in 1910, provided a thorough critique, and recommended that Kerr build a new main residence positioned to optimize the spectacular views of Mount Hood that are a defining feature of the site. This suggestion reflected an Olmsted firm signature approach of working with natural topography to enhance visitor experience, and the resulting manor house, (designed by Ellis Fuller Lawrence, the founding dean of the University of Oregon’s Architecture program), remains a focal point of the estate to this day.
The Art of Collaborative Design
What makes Elk Rock Garden particularly fascinating is how Kerr balanced the collecting of professional opinions with the execution of his personal vision. While Kerr – an avid gardener who had learned to garden as a child from his parents in Scotland – gladly accepted many of Olmsted’s suggestions, he also often followed his own instincts.
This pick-and-choose approach extended to his work with plantsman Emanuel T. Mische, who served at different times as both an Olmsted employee and superintendent of Portland’s public parks system. Mische developed a comprehensive planting scheme for the Elk Rock Garden property, but again Kerr maintained his planting independence, experimenting with favorites from Scotland, Northwest natives, specimen trees and shrubs, and a variety of annuals.This blend of professional guidance and personal passion created a garden that feels both sophisticated, yet deeply personal.
The property’s evolution continued when Kerr and his wife Laurie replaced their original terraced garden with modern amenities including a small swimming pool, a tennis court, and a garage with an apartment on the second level. Kerr also enlisted the help of Adolph Meyer, a Swiss-trained landscape architect, to install the property’s dramatic basalt retaining walls, winding rock garden, and groupings of stone steps that add architectural structure to the garden’s many plantings.
From Private Retreat to Public Treasure
Although initially conceived as a private family space, Elk Rock Garden’s reputation spread quickly throughout the region. The garden opened to the public in 1959 when the Kerr estate was gifted to the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon and renamed Elk Rock Garden of the Bishop’s Close, following Peter Kerr’s death. A chapel was added to the property by the DIocese in the mid-1970s.
Recognizing the need for careful stewardship, the Elk Rock Garden Foundation was formed in 1994 to ensure the garden’s long-term preservation and care. When the Episcopal Diocese listed the property for sale in 2022, the Foundation stepped in to purchase it, securing both its future and continued public access.
Now known simply as Elk Rock Garden, the property welcomes visitors Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, free of charge. The garden’s staff and board aim to continue the garden’s legacy while also addressing the challenges of maintaining a century-old residence and landscape in a time of climate change.
A Living Laboratory
Elk Rock Garden’s mission extends beyond garden preservation to education and innovation. The garden’s leadership believes in the value of garden landscapes to inspire joy, offer peaceful enjoyment, and promote biodiversity and climate-resilience. Offering hands-on learning opportunities to students from K-12 through graduate level is a priority, allowing the garden to serve as a living laboratory for sustainable gardening and conservation practices. Elk Rock Garden is also home to a mission-aligned nonprofit, the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon and their plant-focused Reading Room. And through collaboration with a variety of community partners, the garden serves as a hub for environmental conversations, and a model for climate-resilient historic preservation.
Located at 11800 S. Military Lane in Portland’s Dunthorpe neighborhood, Elk Rock Garden represents more than a century of collaborative design evolution — from the incorporation of Olmsted and Miche’s recommendations, through Kerr’s decades of passionate experimentation, to today’s climate-conscious stewardship, which is focused on ensuring that the garden will continue to evolve, thrive and delight for generations.
For more information about visiting, volunteering at or supporting Elk Rock Garden, visit www.elkrockgarden.org, or follow on Instagram at @elkrockgardenoffical.
Stephanie Brown is the Executive Director of Elk Rock Garden, which is located at 11800 S. Military Lane, Portland, Oregon 97219.
