Queen Marie of Romania releases pigeons at the 1926 dedication of the Maryhill Museum of Art.
Courtesy: Maryhill Museum of Art
Less than two hours from Tri-Cities is the small unincorporated community of Maryhill.
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, fewer than 40 people live in the tiny Washington town just north of the Washington-Oregon state line.
Despite its size, Maryhill’s cultural significance is mighty.
The Klickitat County town is home to award-winning wines, a Stonehenge replica that’s also the nation’s first World War I memorial and a distinguished art museum.
The Maryhill Museum of Art, at 35 Maryhill Museum Drive near Goldendale, is celebrating a major anniversary in 2026.
It’s been 100 years since the museum, called “one of the most improbable museums in the world” in a recent news release, was dedicated by a queen.
“As Maryhill marks the centennial of its 1926 dedication, the anniversary offers a chance to highlight the unusual elements that have defined the museum from the beginning,” museum representatives said in a March 12 news release. “From its architecture and international connections to its collections and dramatic setting, Maryhill reflects a vision that has always been anything but ordinary.”
Aerial view of the Maryhill Museum of Art overlooking the Columbia River Gorge. Courtesy: Maryhill Museum of Art
What is the history behind the Maryhill Museum of Art?
Maryhill founder Samuel Hill originally had hopes of transforming the community into a Northwest utopia. He built much of the town in the first two decades of the 1900s, focused on art and culture as well as function.
In 1914, Hill began building the European-style hilltop mansion that would eventually house the Maryhill Museum of Art, according to the Columbia River History Project.
Hill temporarily halted work on the grand estate after realizing his ideal utopia would be harder to create than he anticipated.
One of his friends, dance pioneer Loïe Fuller, convinced Hill “to turn his would-be mansion into a museum of art,” the Maryhill Museum of Art said on its website.
Using his connections in European social circles and the art world, Hill acquired dozens of pieces by notable artists, including Auguste Rodin.
To this day, the Maryhill Museum of Art boasts one of the most significant Rodin collections in the country.
Samuel Hill (right) and Queen Marie of Romania (left) together in 1926. Courtesy: Maryhill Museum of Art
When was the Maryhill Museum of Art dedicated?
Before the museum was finished, the building had a noteworthy visit from Queen Marie of Romania.
According to the museum, Queen Marie traveled across two continents, taking a royal train across the United States in order to reach the work-in-progress.
On March 15, 1926, the queen dedicated the museum in front of a crowd of more than 2,000 people.
She also brought more than 100 works of art and personal objects, including paintings, manuscripts and the gown she wore to the 1896 coronation of her cousins, Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra of Russia, according to the museum release.
The art museum opened after Hill’s death in 1931, officially opening its doors to the public in nine years later on Hill’s birthday, May 13, 1940.
The start of the 2026 season marks the 86th year of operation.
A 1920s photo of Queen Marie of Romania, a friend of entrepreneur and founder of Maryhill, Samuel Hill. Courtesy: Wikipedia Commons
What is new at the Maryhill Museum of Art in 2026?
Since its opening in 1940, the Maryhill Museum of Art has showcased numerous permanent exhibits, including a collection of Queen Marie of Romania’s items, as well as a rotation of temporary displays.
There will be something new for all to see at the Maryhill Museum of Art in 2026.
The museum’s 86th season celebrates “a century of bold ideas, international relationships and an enduring belief that great art can thrive in unexpected places,” the release said.
“At 100 years old, Maryhill is still full of surprises,” Amy Behrens, the museum’s executive director, said in the release. “People come expecting a museum, but they discover something much bigger. It is a destination where art, landscape and history intersect.”
Romanian artist (Bukovina), Woman’s Blouse, c. 1970, glass beads and thread on cotton; Collection of Maryhill Museum of Art, 2025.2.55 Courtesy: Maryhill Museum of Art
There are several new installations prepared for the upcoming season, according to a spokesperson for the museum:
- American Classical Realism: Featuring around 40 paintings that trace four generations of artists connected to “one of the last American painters trained in the French academic atelier traditions,” R.H. Ives Gammell. Art by Richard F. Lack, Robert Douglas Hunter, Samuel Rose and Stephen Gjertson.
- Contemporary Indigenous Art: Featuring works from the Pacific Northwest and American Southwest “highlighting living traditions and contemporary voices.” Art by leading Indigenous artists including Rick Bartow, Joe Feddersen, Marwin Begaye and Craig George.
- Romanian Embroidery: Featuring “traditional embroidered Romanian blouses, chemises and related garments, celebrating the rich textile traditions of Romania while reflecting the museum’s long-standing interest in textiles and decorative arts,” in honor of the centennial of Queen Marie of Romania’s 1926 dedication.
“Maryhill was never meant to be ordinary,” said Behrens. “A hundred years later, it still isn’t.”
Queen Marie of Romania releases pigeons at the 1926 dedication of the Maryhill Museum of Art. Courtesy: Maryhill Museum of Art
When is Maryhill Museum of Art open? How much is admission?
The museum reopens to the public on Sunday, March 15.
It will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Nov. 15.
Admission includes access to the museum as well as the garden and grounds, including the sculpture park.
Tickets are available for purchase online.
Admission costs $23, or $21 for ages 65 and older, $16 for college students with ID and $10 for youth ages 7 to 18. It’s free for kids 6 and under.
Family passes for two adults and two youth are available for $55.
Museum members can get in for free.
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