Belle Ainsworth Jenkins Estate

The Belle Ainsworth Jenkins Estate, located near Beaverton, Oregon, United States, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built starting in 1912, the main house on the property was intended as a summer home. The entire 68acre estate is owned by the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD). The estate has eight buildings, including the main home and a farmhouse built in 1880.HistoryRalph and Belle Jenkins purchased the property for $7,000 in 1912 for what was intended to be their summer home. Belle was the daughter of John C. Ainsworth, a founder of the Oregon Steam Navigation Company, while Ralph had been a teacher. The Jenkins began construction on a large estate that year as an escape from the city. The English hunting lodge-style main home took three years to complete, and was in addition to the original farmhouse on the property. Other facilities on the estate included fine equestrian facilities, as well as gardens, a greenhouse, an ornamental pool, a tea house, a carriage house, and a water tower.Ralph Jenkins died in the 1950s; Belle died in 1963. Burt Muir inherited the property, but sold it to developers for what was planned to be a retirement community. Once the project failed due to a lack of water and sewer access, the developers put the estate up for sale. The Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District purchased the Jenkins estate in 1976 for $525,000. In 1978, the estate was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Belle Ainsworth Jenkins Estate.