Classic Houses of Portland, Oregon, 1850 1950

This book is just wonderful if you are interested in exploring homes in Portland, Oregon without actually having to travel there. It is a great history of homes.

At first blush, the following may sound like what the late SPY magazine referred to as "logrolling." What I mean is that when I began researching a project about Portland architecture, the gentleman I most wanted to consult on the topic was William J. Hawkins, III. He is well known for his erudition, depth of knowledge, and courtliness, and I counted myself lucky that he had time to lend me a hand. I mention all that in the interest of full disclosure. As to this book, like any researcher, I am pleased when I can find a comprehensive and reliable reference. And when it's as well written and beautifully laid out as this book, well, that's when research stops being a job and it turns into a pleasure. Superbly done. Other useful titles for interested folk: Architects of Oregon: A Biographical Dictionary of Architects Deceased - 19th and 20th Centuries Wade Hampton Pipes: Arts and Crafts Architect in Portland, Oregon Pietro Belluschi: Modern American Architect A CENTURY OF PORTLAND ARCHITECTURE Frozen Music: A History of Portland Architecture An Architectural Guidebook to Portland The Portland Bridge Book The grand era of cast-iron architecture in Portland

Illustrated throughout with black-and-white photographs, Classic Houses Of Portland, Oregon 1850-1950 is a grand tour of over 300 venerable residences representing twenty-three architectural styles including Greek Revival, Queen Anne, Bungalow, the regional Northwest style, and many more. A brief history of each house is given; sometimes floor plans are offered, to help the reader fully appreciate the distinct ambience of the dwellings. Classic Houses Of Portland, Oregon 1850-1950 offers a marvelous, sweeping, informative tour which as enjoyable for non-specialist general readers as it is for architectural student, professionals, and historians.

This book not only provides a thorough history of Portland's development through the years, but also a comprehensive explanation of the characteristics and backgrounds of varying styles of architecture. Great coffee table read, and if you live in Portland, an excellent guide to discovering the city's many architectural treasures.

This beautiful volume examines the first century of Portland's domestic architecture with a critical but sympathetic eye. Many of its finest examples have disappeared in all but photos, and others exist only in misshapen form, but the author is able to recall the grace, dignity, pretension and whimsy which went into their original design. This is a book for both new and old residents who may have decided that our "Stumptown" had little adornment in its early years,and proves that Portland was already a place of discernment and competitive display long before the 19th Century turned, when Seattle was a fishing camp and jumping off point to Alaskan gold. Besides the implicit social and artistic history lesson, the book's black and white photos are a memorable eyeful for anyone who loves American homes, furnishings, or decoration. A very rich read, indeed.