An East Portland subdivision, circa 1930s (image courtesy City of Portland)
BY ALYSSA STARELLI
Last Friday at 8:02am, I got a call wresting me from my sleep. On the line was a reporter asking me about the significance of the East side ranch house. The City of Portland's East Side Historic Survey had just come out. Did I have any thoughts about it? Of course I did!
As explained by its authors, the objectives of this survey were three-fold. " One was to complete a reconnaissance-level historic resources survey for selected groups of properties constructed between 1935-1965 in East Portland," the introduction states. "Reconnaissance level surveys generally involve visual evaluations of properties including basic location information, descriptive features, plus an estimate of the age and architectural integrity of resources. They generally do not include assessments of historic events or individuals. The second objective was to prepare a survey report that provided the City of Portland with baseline historic resource data for future preservation planning and land use planning in the area. Objective number three was to increase the body of knowledge regarding mid-century resources in Portland."
This survey project focused on the neighborhoods of East Portland, the borders of which are generally considered to be east of 82nd Avenue. It occupies approximately 20 percent of the City of Portland, and most of this area was annexed in the 1980s and 1990s.
East Portland survey area (image courtesy City of Portland)
Sure, I personally have an untempered affection for the ranch. I love their gambrel roofs with scalloped bargeboards, diamond mullioned windows, and dove cotes (Tally-Ho!). I'm fond of their hip-roofed, Roman-bricked, two-car garaged, and pom-pom treed lots in "Perfectville" (Lorene Park). I thrill over their vaulted and beamed ceilings, clerestory windows, and futuristic kitchens (Whispering Pines). But it's really about what these homes represent.
At a time when men were coming home from war and starting families of their own, cramming the family into mom & pop's inner-city bungalow just didn't cut it. Portland was bursting at the seams, and building eastward. The so called cookie cutter tracts like Academy Heights built in the mid 1940s and early '50s were a dream to strive for: an affordable, realistic, hard-earned dream. They came with individual bedrooms for the kids, a cozy family room with a picture window, a tidy kitchen for mom and a green lawn for dad. What more could a family want?
Later, as the automobile became king, lots grew larger, the footprint of homes stretched out and became the prototypical ranch: an epitome of coveted suburban living. Portland was prospering, technology was advancing, and our houses reflected this. The ranch home was a place for the family to grow, and the parents to entertain. The kitchen morphed into a well-designed laboratory with all the latest built-in gadgets. Basements were finished and outfitted with rumpus rooms and wetbars, while patios became lanais. The whole house was a family oasis! Why take a vacation when you can have a luau at home?
Concurrently, the trendsetters of Portland took their sophisticated tastes and embodied them in a modernistic style. Though still in tracts, these architect-designed homes were more privacy-oriented, with the majority of living centered towards the back of the house. The area that previously would have held a picture window was now a blank wall hiding a private courtyard. Windows moved up the wall to the clerestory, affording more light and more privacy. Ceilings jutted to the sky and mom's kitchen cabinetry practically hung from the air. Countryside living was eschewed for a more museum-like modernity, but still the suburban dream remained.
Many of these homes survive and are enjoyed and even coveted today. The East Side Historic Survey, just released by the Bureau of Sustainability and Planning, compiled this data from a select sampling of the many mid-century tracts of the East Side. Complete with photos, vintage ads, and a detailed explanation of the protypical mid-century style of architecture, the survey delves into the many builders included in each tract, the exact whereabouts, as well as the original price and specific history of neighborhood if available.
It is a document of great import as the Bureau is currently working on their Central City 2035 plan, with the intent to to "identify historic preservation policy issues, from the views of important stakeholders including the Landmarks Commission, property owners and developers, preservation advocates" and are taking into account the popularity and historic value of these neighborhoods in their plan.
Furthermore, its publication provides a resource for home owners and buyers who clamor for more information in regards to their beloved homes, but maybe most importantly, it shines a light on the historical significance of the neighborhoods and one would hope will foster a change in the perception of both East Portland and the rash of remuddling currently taking place.
Meanwhile, if you'd like to get involved in preserving these properties and other historic resources, the Bureau of Planning & Sustainability is holding two work sessions to help incorporate historic resources into the 2035 Plan. The first session took place on May 20, but there is another coming up, on Friday, June 17 from 9-11:30AM at the bureau's offices at 1900 SW Fourth Avenue.
Alyssa Starelli is a Portland realtor specializing in mid-20th century properties and a co-founder of the Midcentury Modern League
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