Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson settle in to Salem life

The newest residents of Salem's Mahonia Hall are still settling in, filling Oregon's official governor's residence with thrift finds and carefully selected art pieces nine months after first moving in.

Gov. Tina Kotek and her wife, First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson, are aware that neighbors and other Salem residents are not entirely convinced that the house is occupied full-time again.

The couple has been traveling the state on listening tours for several months and didn't sell their longtime Portland home until late last month. The three-bedroom house in North Portland sold for $585,000.

They are committed to changing the perception —and committed to Salem being their home, they said.

Previous Oregon governors, including Kate Brown and John Kitzhaber, retained homes in Portland while in office. But Kotek said it was important to her and Wilson that they show their commitment to Salem, and they were excited to hear a new family would settle in to the Portland home they'd loved for 19 years.

"You have to be all in. We're all in. Salem is where we live. This is where we serve from," Kotek said.

The move also was intended to reflect the governor's commitment to addressing housing. It was important that no house be left empty in Portland, Wilson said.

Kotek on her first day in office set a housing production goal of 36,000 new homes per year to address the ongoing supply crisis in the state. An Oregon Housing Needs Analysis estimated there is a shortage of nearly 140,000 homes across Oregon.

Mahonia Hall was built in 1924

Living in a house the size of Mahonia Hall is taking some adjustment.

The state acquired the house located a mile south of downtown Salem in 1988 and it has been the official residence for five previous Oregon governors. It sits in the quiet Fairmont Hill neighborhood and includes a large front yard that will soon feature Halloween decorations and a carefully tended garden where Kotek has had new garden boxes installed to grow vegetables.

The house is 11,400 square feet and features six bedrooms, four bathrooms, a wine cellar, and a ballroom on the third floor.

Built in 1924 for former Salem Mayor Thomas Livesley, more than 400 individuals and businesses donated $1.5 million to the committee that bought, renovated and then deeded the residence to the state in the 1980s.

The house was named by local students after the state flower, the mahonia, a shrub with yellow flowers and purplish Oregon grape berries.

Signs of its early history remain unchanged throughout the residence.

There’s a Livesley family crest, original French doors and built-in cabinets. Small buttons spread throughout the residence are remnants of a system used to call servants. Kotek’s niece spent an afternoon testing them and mapping out which button corresponded to which bell that rang in the kitchen. There’s now a handwritten guide beside the old call board.

Kotek and Wilson have installed their own touches as well.

There’s a piece of pottery made by Wilson’s mom on the fireplace mantle. Beside it sits an Ambassador of Peace medal awarded to Jerry Kotek, the governor's father, for his service during the Korean War.

Wilson proudly points to lamps she recently thrifted, a favorite pastime. The new table in the smaller breakfast nook is another of her finds.

Teddy, their 12-year-old chihuahua, also has made his mark. He has a corner of the formal dining room to himself, complete with a unicorn bed and fluffy blankets.

They chose the paintings and photos displayed in the residence from the Oregon Historical Society collection. Mahonia Hall residents are welcome to view the museum's online collection and select what they wish to display in their new home.

Some paintings remain unchanged from prior residents but a new painting of Multnomah Falls replaced what Wilson described as a "creepy" portrait in the main entrance. There's an Arthur Runquist painting in the adjacent room and another Portland nod with a Maude Wanker painting of the Skidmore Fountain.

In a hallway are prints of photographs by Irene Finley and a photo of her climbing with her camera by her collaborator and husband, William Finley. The two were avid birders, and Finley's efforts are tied to the preservation and protection of wildlife and birds in the state, according to the Oregon Encyclopedia.

A painting of a Washington state ferry hangs in the kitchen. It's a reminder of the couple's trip to Anacortes two years ago.

"Tina said to me, 'Will you be my First Lady and will you be in it to win it?'" Wilson remembered. "Every time I look at that, I think about where the journey started."

More time to be part of the Salem community

Kotek and Wilson held a formal reception at the mansion earlier this month during legislative days. At least 50 of the 90 state legislators attended.

Kotek said the reception went well and is part of her commitment to building relationships with the Legislature following a tumultuous 2023 session.

"Session was a little weird," Kotek quipped.

It was why the reception wasn't held earlier, she said, referencing the walkout by Senate Republicans and an independent that paused work at the Capitol for six weeks.

Now, they're ready to "figure out" how to host more events at the residence, Kotek said.

As Kotek wraps up the last portion of her tour to every county in the state, she said she and Wilson are looking forward to more time to explore the city. They want to bring the experience of "breaking bread" and meeting people through the One Oregon Listening Tour to their Salem home, Wilson said.

"We're looking, frankly, more for next year for the tour to be over so we can spend more time in the neighborhood," Wilson said. She said she recognized that it is a big deal to folks in the Fairmont neighborhood that the governor's residence is in the neighborhood.

The two also have been asking for more restaurant recommendations for when they have time to enjoy a night out. Epilogue Kitchen is at the top of their list.

Restaurants they've been able to enjoy so far include La Hacienda Real and Cozy Taberna.

Governor sightings at Costco or Roth's may have been more frequent, Kotek joked.

Halloween, too, will be a big deal soon.

Wilson and Kotek said neighbors they have met were quick to ask if they would be participating in the annual festivities. There's usually a parade through the neighborhood to Mahonia Hall.

Wilson is particularly excited to decorate and a family costume has been planned, although neither was willing to divulge any hints.

Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her at dlugo@statesmanjournal.com or on Twitter @DianneLugo

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Peek inside Mahonia Hall with Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, first lady