I Love Portland Homes

The Greatest Gathering of
Old House Experts in the Northwest!

at the
Architectural Heritage Center
701 Southeast Grand Avenue, Portland

Saturday, June 28, 2008
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Admission is FREE!

Bring your questions and photographs to the experts who love vintage homes and understand period-authentic renovation. See useful demonstrations and get new ideas you can apply to your own old house projects.

• Enjoy informative presentations by local experts.
• Answer the question “What style is my house?”
• Learn how to research your house history.
• Explore exhibits of architectural artifacts and antique hardware.
• Find renovation resources.
• Meet area businesses & craftspeople engaged in all areas of old home improvement.

Visit the Architectural Heritage Center’s website for more information.

If you’ve driven up Division lately, you’ve probably noticed that the Clinton Condominiums building is nearing completion. Most of the exterior finishes are up and the businesses have started to move in on the ground floor. I love how the pale green glass in between the units contrasts with the dark wood used around the storefront windows, plus it really shines on a sunny day.  I’m excited to see a fully completed unit when the time comes. The finishes sound so lovely and I imagine they’ll look fantastic with all of the natural light from the big windows.

Tickets just went on sale for this year’s Street of Eames!
Sorry for the tease! I heard tickets sold out in an hour. Wow!

You can still have a peek at the homes on tour here.

Solar Oregon just announced a handful of upcoming workshops, including the Basics of Going Solar in Portland (which happens to be free!). They’re also having a Net Zero Home Tour on May 3rd where participants can spend the day learning how to make a net zero home a possibility and visiting four inspiring homes. Please see their website for more information!

If you live in Portland and are a mid-century architecture enthusiast, you might be interested in attending or joining Portland’s own Atomic Age Alliance.  The Alliance is a group of people committed to raising awareness of and preserving Portland’s mid-century architecture and signage, while enjoying umbrella’d drinks with like-minded people. Sounds like fun to me! Their latest endeavor is working on finding a new home for the historic Crown Motel sign on Interstate Ave. The motel is slated for demolition in March.

The next Atomic Age Alliance meeting is Sunday, Feb 24th at 6PM at the Alibi Lounge (4024 N Interstate Ave.)
For more info, please visit their website.

The Portland Spaces website is up and my absolute favorite feature is the historical timeline of single family homes in Portland starting in the 1840’s.  There is also an upcoming lecture called “Houses that Make History”.  See more details here.

I could look at old photographs for hours. In college I volunteered at the Lane County Historical Museum helping catalog old photographs for a new database. A good number of the photos were by a local photographer in the 50’s who went around photographing homes that were set for demolition.  How thoughtful of him to preserve those homes as best he could for future generations to see.

Last week I went on a hard hat tour of Portland developer Randy Rapaport’s latest project, Clinton Condominiums.  Even though the building is under construction, having seen the renderings I was able to get a good sense of how it will look completed…and it’s going to be amazing!  They’ve chosen such beautiful materials and used them in a way that really complements modern urban living.  The units feel spacious and open with floor to ceiling windows and continuity of finishes at intersecting horizontal and vertical planes. The west facing units have beautiful sweeping views of downtown and the westside.  And if that isn’t enough, the condos are right in the heart of the Clinton/Division neighborhood…one of my favorite spots in Portland!  Check out the website, if you haven’t already. There are so many details that are too good for words.