Canterbury Castle

Canterbury Castle, also known as Arlington Castle, was a distinctive private residence located at 2910 Southwest Canterbury Lane in the Arlington Heights neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. Constructed between 1929 and 1931, the structure was designed by architect Jeter O. Frye to mimic the appearance of England's historic Canterbury Castle while incorporating Art Deco styling within its interior. Built from basalt stone quarried locally at Rocky Butte, the three-story home spanned approximately 6,000 square feet and offered panoramic views of downtown Portland and Washington Park. As the only castle-style structure built in Portland during the 1930s, it featured authentic medieval elements including a moat, a functional drawbridge, and a copper-topped turret, which attracted paying tourists immediately after its completion.

The property held significant historical status, earning designation as a Portland Historic Landmark and listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. Despite its architectural uniqueness, the castle faced a decline in the early twenty-first century. Although major renovation efforts were undertaken during the 2000s to restore the aging structure, these projects remained unfinished. The building ultimately failed to meet municipal safety codes, leading to its controversial demolition in 2009. Following its destruction, Canterbury Castle was officially removed from the National Register in October 2010. Its razing left the Charles Piggott House, known as Piggott's Castle, as the sole remaining castle structure in the city, marking the end of an era for this unique example of castellated residential architecture in the Pacific Northwest.