Impressive entrance greets visitors on approach. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →
When mid-century modern houses were built in the 1950s and 1960s, the most striking feature of their interior was usually their open and flowing floor plan. Living room spaces flowed into the dining room, which flowed into the kitchen. A vaulted ceiling over it all really did make the core of the house one big “great room.” This was, after all, the era of “togetherness.” If the ceiling was vaulted,... more
The years between World War II and the Vietnam War saw the rise of a sleek, forward-looking style of architecture known simply as “Modern.” All types of buildings were constructed in this style: high-rise offices, medical clinics, motels, apartments, and of course, houses. Modern’s hallmarks are large expanses of glass, stark geometric forms, unadorned panel surfaces, and visible structural components. Glass, steel,... more
The Four-Square style house (sometimes referred to as the American Four-Square House) was popular from just after 1900 to well into the 1930s. Thousands of these Four-Square houses were built in Portland and its older suburbs. Virtually every older neighborhood in Portland has many, many examples. This local popularity mirrored the national trend. They were built in large numbers in every part of the country, in big cities... more
The bungalow is perhaps the most common house style in Portland’s pre-World War II neighborhoods. The first American- style bungalows were built in and around Pasadena, CA about 1900. Portland saw its first bungalows constructed five years later. It quickly became a national style (indeed the national style) peaking in the decade 1905 to 1915. This period was a boom era for Portland, following close on the... more
In the 1920s and 1930s American architects and builders created a delightful and charming style of house based on medieval farmhouse design of the English and French countryside. Today we call these lovely homes “Storybook Houses” although at the time, they were mostly referred to as “Artistic” English (and sometimes French/Norman) houses. They are distinguished from their more sober English (and French)... more
The Portland Metro area is fortunate to have so many fine of examples of pre-WW II housing in such good condition. Today, more than ever, there is a renewed interest in restoring our architectural heritage, both outside and inside the home. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →
