Vista House at Crown Point

Vista House was built from 1916 to 1918 on Crown Point, 733 feet above the Columbia River, as a rest stop for travelers on the brand-new Columbia River Highway and a memorial to Oregon's pioneers. Architect Edgar Lazarus gave it a gray sandstone outside, a green tile roof, marble inside, a bronze-lined dome and opalescent glass windows.

It cost so much that some Oregonians called it the "$100,000 outhouse." It's on the National Register of Historic Places and part of the highway's National Historic Landmark district. The building keeps its own hours, so check before you go if you want to see inside.