The Wallace House, above, designed by architect William Whidden in 1888, was the first Colonial Revival-style house built in Portland. Intensively-planted urban gardens and mature street trees give the neighborhood a connection to nature. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

During September of this year I made my first visit to the Republic of Ireland. Like many Americans, I had only fuzzy impressions of what the capital city of Dublin might look like. The city is of modest size for a European capital (1.8 million) and has never been showcased in films the way that London, Paris, or Rome have. I was pleasantly surprised to find the city a treasure chest of historic architecture found in its houses, its educational institutions, its public buildings, and its many churches.... more

The year is 1962. A grand summer picnic is being held to celebrate the opening of the new Milwaukie Elks Lodge on McLoughlin Boulevard in Milwaukie, OR. The large picnic grounds behind the main lodge are filled with happy families enjoying a cookout of barbeque beef, grilled hot dogs, baked beans, potato salad, and cole slaw. Many are engaged in a game of croquet, or tossing horse shoes. The dulcet strains of Elvis Presley are heard on the PA system. Several women look like they might be Doris Day’s... more

Homebuilder Robert Rummer built nearly 750 Modern style houses in the Portland area between 1959 and 1975. These distinctive homes are often referred to today simply as Rummers. Many were built in subdivisions wholly developed by Rummer himself (Vista Brook in southwest Portland; Menlo West and Taliesen in Beaverton). Others were built in subdivisions shared with other builders (Oak Hills in Washington County, Valle Vista in Gresham). Still others were built in scattered sites in the Portland area,... more

Irvington landmark commonly known as The White House. Two photos above are two historic apartment buildings that emulate large single-family homes in the Irvington neighborhood. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

Stalking the Victorians Portland was a prosperous and expanding city in the late 19th century. Many fine quality homes were built in this period. Unfortunately, many of them were demolished to make way for the expansion of the prosperous downtown. Still others fell victim to changes in fashion or land use. But having said all this, Portland still has a remarkable legacy of standing Victorian-era homes — most of them well maintained, and most with original (or near-original) exteriors. This is... more

Queen Victoria reigned over Great Britain from 1837 until her death in 1901. In America the term “Victorian Architecture” has become a catch phrase to describe any of a number of styles that were popular in the last half of the 19th century. This article will serve as an overview of these styles as expressed in Portland house design. Future articles will examine several of the more popular Victorian-era styles in greater detail. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

Anyone with an interest in historic architecture will find Newport, RI, among the most interesting cities in America to visit. I was there for the first time this October, taking an all-day side trip from the Boston area. I will return again, as one single day was not enough time to take in all the city’s architectural treasures. I will share with you, good readers of Northwest Renovation magazine, some of the things that I saw and learned in my one day in this remarkable city. This is just a... more