Oregon Home Builders: Leaving a Legacy on Portland’s Eastside, 1912-1917

The Oregon Home Builders company set out in 1912 to pursue a vision of homebuilding market domination by selling stock to investors and building memorable homes for its customers. During five years, between 1912 - 1917, the company built more than 125 homes, mostly on Portland’s eastside, several of which are listed today in the National Register of Historic Places. The company was unique among homebuilders of the era because it catered to both ends of the economic spectrum: large, charismatic custom-designed homes for the wealthy, and simple, affordable thoughtfully-designed bungalows for those just entering the housing market. Join us as local historian Doug Decker presents an in-depth look at the intriguing rise and fall of the Oregon Home Builders and the legacy of its homes today. Decker is the publisher of the Alameda Old House History blog (alamedahistory.org) and has previously presented at the AHC on the rich history of that northeast Portland neighborhood.

This lecture program is held at the Architectural Heritage Center - 701 SE Grand Avenue

Seating is Limited. Pre-Registration is Highly Recommended.

Parking is on-street (free on Saturdays) or in the parking lot on the west side of Grand Avenue between SE Yamhill and Belmont Streets - just to the north of Urbanite. Thank you to Bolliger and Sons Insurance for sharing their lot with us for our evening and Saturday education programs.

Image: Oregon Home Builders postcard (1916). Courtesy of Steve Dotterrer.