Editing Astoria Column (section)

==Details==
[[File:The Astoria Column at Astoria, Oregon - NARA - 520101.tif|thumb|upright=0.80|The column in 1938, as photographed by [[George A. Grant]]|left]]
The {{convert|125|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} column stands atop {{convert|600|ft|m|adj=on}} Coxcomb Hill and includes an interior spiral staircase that leads to an observation deck at the top.<ref name=Oregon>Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956.</ref> The spiral [[sgraffito]] frieze on the exterior of the structure has a width of nearly {{convert|7|ft|spell=in}} and a length of  {{convert|525|ft}}.<ref name=Oregon/> Projected by [[Electus D. Litchfield]] and painted by [[Attilio Pusterla]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Perez |first1=Andrea Larson |title=Astoria |date=2016 |publisher=[[Arcadia Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-4671-1647-3 |page=64 |language=en}}</ref> the [[mural]] shows 14 significant events in the early history of Oregon, as well as 18 scenes from the history of the region, including [[Gray Sails the Columbia River|Captain Gray's discovery of the Columbia River]] in 1792 and the [[Lewis and Clark Expedition]].<ref name=Oregon/> The frieze starts with the "pristine forest" and concludes with the arrival of the railway in Astoria.<ref>{{cite web |title=Artwork of the Column |url=https://astoriacolumn.org/artwork/ |website=astoriacolumn.org |publisher=Friends of the Astoria Column |accessdate=2020-02-01}}</ref>

<!--Designed to resemble the Roman Trajan's Column, the Astoria Column was-->Constructed of concrete, its foundation is {{convert|12|ft|spell=in}} deep.<ref name=friends>{{cite web|url=http://www.astoriacolumn.org/|title=The Astoria Column|year=2007|publisher=Friends of the Astoria Column, Inc.|accessdate=2008-08-19| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080816044805/http://www.astoriacolumn.org/| archivedate= 16 August 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> Built at a cost of {{Inflation|US|27,134|1926|fmt=eq|orig=yes}}, the tower has 164 steps to the top, where there is a replica of the [[State Seal of Oregon]].<ref name=friends/>

A plaque near the column commemorates the pioneering [[Cable television|Community Antenna Television (CATV)]] system built by local resident [[Cable television in the United States#Ed Parsons|Leroy E. "Ed" Parsons]], initially at the [[John Jacob Astor Hotel|Hotel Astoria]], in which twin-lead transmission wires redistributed the signal of KRSC-TV (now [[KING-TV]]) in [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]] to area homes. Former Astoria resident Byron Roman was also involved in early cable invention and distribution.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010826114718/http://www.geocities.com/iconostar/history-public-access-TV.html The History Of Public Access Television<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cablecenter.org/education/library/collectionDetail.cfm?id=91&type=manuscript |title=The Cable Center<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2007-03-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927224732/http://www.cablecenter.org/education/library/collectionDetail.cfm?id=91&type=manuscript |archive-date=2007-09-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The cast-iron spiral staircase inside the column was closed for safety reasons in November 2007. It was reopened to the public in time for the [[Regatta]] in August 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://kezi.com/news/local/122004 |title=Local News &#124; KEZI |access-date=2009-06-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713145338/http://kezi.com/news/local/122004 |archive-date=2011-07-13 |url-status=dead }}</ref>