Listing Price
Beds
Baths
Sqft
Residence
Garage: Attached, two carsGas fireplace
Schools
Elementary: ReikeMiddle: Gray
High: Wilson
Utilities
Forced air 95+%Central a/c
Taxes
$11,414Delightful English Cottage with a History!
Delightful English cottage built in 1923 by Portland architect Hollis Johnston and tastefully updated by Benjamin Silver in 2013. Stunning kitchen with farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, marble countertops and backsplash, and stainless-steel appliances, next to a large family room. Open living room gives a cozy and calm vibe, with unique exposed beams, wood-burning fireplace, and surrounding windows for an abundance of natural light and peaceful views. Follow the French doors to an outdoor patio in a beautiful, mature garden setting, or continue from the living room to the dining room with garden view. Master suite on main level and two bedrooms upstairs. In 2015 this sweet cottage was enrolled in an energy study with EnergyTrust of Oregon. The home was air-sealed, ducts sealed and went through an insulation upgrade. Following the study, more updates occurred such as window replacements while preserving important original features of the home. In 2017 the landscaping was entirely reconceived with the addition of a unique steel fence. Truly, a one-of-a-kind gem that sits right in SW Portland, next to Fulton Park and close to John’s Landing and downtown. Once the home of Johnston himself, this expansive home has a history of its own.
Origins
This house was once the home of Hollis E. Johnston. Mr. Johnston was a renowned Pacific Northwest architect who designed Lincoln High School, the Town Club, the Watson Eastman house, as well as the town of Gilchrist, Oregon.
21st Century History
The home remained in the Johnston family until designer Benjamin Silver acquired it from Mr. Johnston’s grandson in 2013. Benjamin, a Londoner transplanted to Portland, restored the home with great care and thought, continuing traditional elements with restraint while updating the color palette. Benjamin has executed several other notable residential renovations in Portland, including homes by Roscoe Hemenway, Josef Jacobberger and Herman Brookman.
The buyers will become the third family to own the home in 97 years.
Recent upgrades
In 2015 the home was enrolled in an energy study with EnergyTrust of Oregon. Pursuant to the study, the home was pressure tested and air sealed. Insulation also was upgraded to R-49 in the accessible ceilings, R-21 in the knee walls and R-30 in the crawl space.
In 2016 a complete property survey was undertaken and recorded.
In 2017 all windows on the second level and on the southern facades on the first level were replaced. The new windows are Marvin Ultimate casement windows, with dual pane, argon-insulated low E3 glazing, aluminum-clad exteriors and, where practical, retracting screens. The 20-year warranties on the glass components and exterior cladding are transferable to new owners.
The current owners carefully selected Classic Sash & Door to perform the window replacement. Mark Bell at Classic was best able to understand and execute a window replacement plan that would preserve the glass exposures and proportions of the original windows.
The landscaping was entirely reconceived in 2017. Several crowded, overgrown or diseased trees were removed, and decades of understory growth were cleared. New plantings were added and the lawns were expanded to provide for highly usable outdoor spaces amid the impressively mature rhododendron, magnolia, camellia and cedar trees.
The new steel fence was designed to maximize both privacy from the street and sightlines from the home and yard, while the staggering of the panels softens the structure. The garden blooms all year, starting with white bells and camellias in late winter; tulips and daffodils in early spring; lilacs, azaleas, rhododendrons, georgia and lilies throughout the spring; hydrangea, daisies, calla lilies, roses, crepe myrtle, dahlia and lavender all summer through early fall; late hydrangea in the fall; and hellebores all winter.
