Street of Eames Highlights

Last weekend Brandy and I went on the Portland modern home tour, Street of Eames. Four of the Seven properties I found to be memorable and each for different reasons. The first stand out was the Yeon house located on Fairview Boulevard. Built in the 50’s by noted architect John Yeon who was instrumental in defining Northwest Regional Modernism. The “barn style” 3500 square foot home stretched out on the 3.5 acre forested lot. The orientation of the home to its surrounding lot is perfect. The windows frame the landscape beyond like fine Art. I have never been in a house that integrated the views from outside with the living areas inside so seamlessly. It was no surprise to learn Yeon was the son of a prominent Portland lumberman, he uses wood masterfully throughout the home to warm and soften the design. This is quintessential mid-century modern design at its best.

The second standout that day was the Church house on SW Barnes Road. Brandy and I both are intrigued with the idea of communal living and feel this is a direction a lot of people will be moving towards in the future. Last year we helped a client purchase a large scale apartment complex to turn into an intentional community with on site child care and community gardens. The Church house is a wonderful example of this principal in action. Built in 1979 it is one of 15 built in a co-housing development by Architect William Church. Church and a group of friends wanted community living while retaining autonomy. There is a shared community center, a wood shop, fitness room and guest quarters, walking paths, gardens and play areas that the community shares and maintains. The homes are built in the side of the hill for maximum solar passivity. All though I didn’t like the design of the home, it felt a little too cabin-ish for me and the multiple stories was a drawback I loved the community aspects of the design.

The third memorable property of the day was the Crawford Condominiums at 1310 SE 14th. The 1310 condos are a total redesign of a 1969 apartment building by Architect Brett Crawford and wife Dana Ing Crawford. We all loved the playful exteriors clad in Italian laminate panels and Mahogany wooden screens. In the interiors we saw very clever designs using affordable materials and combination of high and low end. My favorite feature was the hidden 1/2 bath off the kitchen, you touched the wall and it pooped open revealing the small water closet. This smart property won the 2008 AIA/Portland Honor Award and Sustainability Award.

Our last stop and certainly not he least was the super cool PATH house. Designed by Corey Martin of PATH Architecture this house had serious WOW factor. The home is straight out of the glossy pages of Dwell magazine. In keeping with a warm Northwest Modernism feel the home used wood and local basalt to anchor the home to its natural surroundings. Built on a 44 foot wide lot in Colonial Heights the houses 3rd floor master suite with office loft offered incredible views of downtown and the West hills. The home has a green rooftop deck to further enjoy the panoramic views. The ground floor contained the entry, kitchen and dining room and the 2nd floor above was the great room, media room and office. The dining rooms glass wall opened into the courtyard that joined the home gym and sauna building in the rear of the lot. The house had a great flow like the Yeon house of indoor and out. The design was smart, flexible and flawless. It was my favorite house of the day and there wasn’t a single detail I would have changed.