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 →

When it comes to favored architectural styles for old Portland homes, the Cape Cod doesn’t have the cachet of its Craftsman cousin. However, homebuyers Carolyn and Bret Winkler weren’t put off by the unassuming exterior or unappealing kitchen of the 1947 northeast Cape Cod. “We liked the space, the neighborhood, and above all, the price… we were prepared to look past the lack of obvious curb appeal,” Bret says. “We also saw past the ugly-duckling kitchen — literally, it had duck... more

On February 11, Architectural Historian Jack Bookwalter met with Mrs. Halliburton’s 2nd/3rd grade class at Access Academy for an after-lunch discussion of common Portland house styles. This was followed by a walk through the Northeast Sabin neighborhood, looking at many of the architectural features mentioned in the talk. This unusual endeavor was facilitated by Judy Berck, mother of one of the students in the class. The class had been studying Japanese culture and design as well as... 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 →