We’ve got some design schools in Portland – the Pacific Northwest College of Art, Oregon College of Art and Craft, Art Institute, and the architecture and design departments at Portland State University and University of Oregon Portland Center, for instance. But what about Lewis & Clark College? It's known for environmental law, not design, but it can teach us a lot about design nonetheless.

The 137 acre campus on the hill (Palatine Hill, not Pill Hill, home of OHSU) is not where Lewis & Clark the college began – that was in Albany, OR, when it was founded as the Albany Collegiate Institute, in 1867. But the institution moved to the Portland in 1938, and in 1942 was the recipient of department store magnate M. Lloyd Frank's Fir Acres estate, including his amazing Herman Brookman mansion. The new home brought the new name as well.

Most of us don’t have quite the acreage of the Frank estate, but we can still learn a few things from a good walk around the property. Spring is a spectacular time to visit the campus, even if you're not a high school senior planning to start school there in the fall (or a parent of such). Take a tour via the slide show on the link above.