| Doll Asylum | |
|---|---|
 Crib filled with dolls, 2015 | |
| Status | Active |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Location(s) | Piedmont, Portland, Oregon |
| Coordinates | 45°34′08″N122°40′38″W / 45.56876°N 122.67719°W |
| Country | United States |
| Years active |
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| Founder |
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| Website | dollasylum |
The Doll Asylum is an annual Halloween experience and makeshift doll-themed museum, originally hosted at a couple's private residence in Portland, Oregon's Piedmont neighborhood, in the United States. In 2017, the Doll Asylum moved to Astoria, Oregon.
Mark Williams and Heidi Loutzenhiser originally decided to host an open house as a way to meet their new neighbors, having moved to the neighborhood in 2010. [1] [2] They considered a bird theme until Williams saw a doll leaning against a tree across the street from his house. [1] He has said of the event's evolution and impact: "It started with just some family friends coming over, now we're on the internet. I just love seeing how they react to the little things we do out and about... it just makes me happy." [3]
Since its inception, visitors have added "demented" and "macabre" dolls to the collection. [4] [5] By 2012, the couple had more than 700 dolls, [4] and their collection passed the 1,000 doll threshold by 2015. The first 75, however, were left to Loutzenhiser when her mother died. [1] Williams has said of the collection, "Dolls are perfect. Because they're cheap. And they creep people out. All of these are donated or bought from Goodwill or other thrift shops." [1] The Doll Asylum is open at no cost for a limited time each Halloween season. [1] [2]
In 2017, the Doll Asylum moved to Astoria, Oregon, where open houses continue around Halloween.[ citation needed ]
The event's attendance has grown over time, as has the size of the doll collection. [3] One KOIN reporter said of his experience, "I didn't really know what to expect upon arriving to the home that has a hundred or so dolls dwelling inside. What I found was a family who absolutely loves Halloween… and they love celebrating it with everyone." [5] Michael Lloyd of The Oregonian called the asylum "creepy, but fun". [4] In 2015, the paper included the event in its list of five ways to celebrate Halloween. The paper said, "North Portland's Doll Asylum is a truly creepy Halloween experience. Breaking the mold from the haunted house thrills, the makeshift doll-themed museum displays old dolls in vast numbers around a house – creepy enough in their own right." [6]
Portland is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated in the northwestern area of the state at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, it is the county seat of Multnomah County, Oregon's most populous county. As of 2020, Portland's population was 652,503, making it the 26th-most populous city in the United States, the sixth-most populous on the West Coast, and the second-most populous in the Pacific Northwest, after Seattle. Approximately 2.5 million people live in the Portland metropolitan area, making it the 25th-most populous in the United States. About half of Oregon's population resides within the Portland metro area.
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is a science and technology museum in Portland, Oregon, United States. It contains three auditoriums, including a large-screen theatre, planetarium, and exhibition halls with a variety of hands-on permanent exhibits focused on natural sciences, industry, and technology, while transient exhibits span a wider range of disciplines.
KOIN is a television station in Portland, Oregon, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Salem–licensed CW owned-and-operated station KRCW-TV. The two stations share studios in the basement of the KOIN Center skyscraper on Southwest Columbia Street in downtown Portland; KOIN's transmitter is located in the Sylvan-Highlands neighborhood of the city.
The Columbia River Maritime Museum is a museum of maritime history in the northwest United States, located about ten miles (16 km) southeast of the mouth of the Columbia River in Astoria, Oregon.
Piedmont is a neighborhood in the north and northeast sections of Portland, Oregon, United States. The Piedmont subdivision was platted in 1889 by Edward Quackenbush, and promoted in an early flyer as "The Emerald, Portland's Evergreen Suburb, Devoted Exclusively to Dwellings, A Place of Homes." The original subdivision, now known as "Historic Piedmont," includes parts of the Humboldt and King neighborhoods, as well as the modern Piedmont neighborhood south of Rosa Parks Way.
The Heathman Hotel, in Portland, Oregon, United States, was originally built as the New Heathman Hotel and opened in 1927. It is among the last remaining historical Portland hotels such as the Benson Hotel, Imperial Hotel, and Governor Hotel. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, as the New Heathman Hotel.
Doll Museum may refer to one of the following:
Le Bistro Montage, or simply Montage, was a restaurant in Portland, Oregon, United States.
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Byways Cafe was a diner in the Pearl District of Portland, Oregon, United States. Owners, Collin McFadden and Megan Brinkley, opened the restaurant in 1999, serving American breakfast and brunch comfort foods such as corned beef hash, omelets, and pancakes. Guy Fieri visited the diner for a 2007 episode of the Food Network show, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Byways received generally positive receptions and was voted the city's "best brunch spot" by readers of The Oregonian in 2016. It closed in late 2019, after the owners were unable to reach a lease agreement with the landlord.
The Pied Cow Coffeehouse, or simply the Pied Cow, was a coffeehouse and hookah lounge in Portland, Oregon's Sunnyside neighborhood, in the United States. The restaurant had an "eclectic" interior decor and, in addition to coffee drinks and hookah, served fondue, desserts, mezze platters, and wine. It was known for being reportedly haunted by a woman named Lydia and had received generally positive reviews.
The "Nightmare Elk" was a metal sculpture of an elk, temporarily installed in Portland, Oregon.
Davis Graveyard is an annual Halloween yard display at a private residence in Milwaukie, Oregon.
Raven's Manor is a cocktail lounge in Portland, Oregon. Inspired by haunted houses, the bar was founded by Jared Bradley and Rebecca Vega in 2021 and has been compared to Disneyland's Haunted Mansion.
NOLA Doughnuts was a doughnut shop with three locations in the Portland metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of Oregon. The original shop opened in Lake Oswego in 2015, and a second opened in northwest Portland's Pearl District in 2018. A third location opened in Beaverton in 2022. All locations closed in January 2023.
Mike Bennett is an American visual artist based in Portland, Oregon. He studied art education and has worked as a preschool teacher.
The Uncanny is a bar in Portland, Oregon. Established in 2023, it was named one of the best new bars in the U.S. by Esquire in 2024.
The Portland Stand Up Paddleboard Witches on the Willamette, more commonly known as "Witches on the Willamette", or simply the witch paddle, is an annual witch-themed standup paddleboarding event in Portland, Oregon. Ginny Kauffman organized the first event in 2017.
Wonderwood is an immersive art installation space with an adjoining coffee shop called Wonderwood Springs, in Portland, Oregon, United States. Artist Mike Bennett opened both spaces in north Portland's St. Johns neighborhood in 2022. The art installation space was converted into the nine-hole miniature golf course Wonderwood Springs Mini-Golf in 2024.
| External media | |
|---|---|
| Images | |
 North Portland home turned into Doll Asylum for Halloween (photo essay) by Michael Lloyd (October 30, 2012), The Oregonian | |
| Video | |
 Portland's 'Doll Asylum' Opening its Doors (October 21, 2015), KOIN | |
| 'Doll Asylum' in North Portland aims to scare (October 26, 2015), KATU | |
| Creepy Doll Asylum in N. Portland ready to open its doors (October 28, 2015), KPTV |
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