Our 10 Greatest Homes (Page 1)

Almost entirely self-taught as an architect, John Yeon completed his first house at age 27 for the lumber baron Aubrey Watzek. It became an instant classic and soon was published about widely and exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art as a regional interpretation of the then-burgeoning movement of modernism.

Image: Yeon Center, University of Oregon

Given Portland’s sheer volume of fabulous historic homes—plus the quantity of fine architects working today—asking five experts to pick the 10 greatest residences in the city’s history might have sounded the bell for an architectural cage fight. But despite vast aesthetic differences (and deep philosophical discussion about the meaning of “greatest”), the quintet of judges Portland Monthly invited to tackle the task found consensus in just a few hours on not only the top 10 but even a single all-time favorite.

Such a shame that most of these exist now only as memories and parking lots.
Posted by Scott tice about 2 years Ago
Mr. Tice, I suggest you read the article more carefully. Only one of the houses listed has been torn down and replaced by a parking lot.
Posted by Oregon fan about 2 years Ago
Will we be able to tour the Watzek house soon?
Posted by Gary A. Smith about 2 years Ago
Greatest homes? Not quite. A great home is the product of the people living in it, and it has nothing to do with architecture. What you have here is a collection of well-designed houses. A house is a structure. A home is where people live.
Posted by Carter Kennedy about 2 years Ago
Thanks for sharing these homes. Being a Portland native it is nice to see the variety of architecture we have here in the great NW...
Posted by Keith about 2 years Ago
A wonderful selection and history. Have a particular place in my heart for the Lloyd Frank house and have wondered about it's possible influence on the design of Timberline. Something about the way it bends against the mountain set behind it is very similar.
Posted by Brian Lockyear about 2 years Ago
An interesting list. Any list restricted to ten homes would have to be incomplete, but I would have liked to see these as a timeline rather than a ranked set, then maybe small images of some of your also-rans. On that note, I was surprised to see the jewel of a home Joachim Grube designed for his family in the 1960s hadn't made either the main list or the Jurors' Picks slideshow.
Posted by Peter Stubbs about 2 years Ago
Is it just me, or did NW and SW Portland seem a bit over-represented. . .
Posted by Mary about 2 years Ago
If we accept Carter's definition, then it follows that a family of 6 living under the Burnside Bridge may be the finest 'home' in the city.... Whether you recognize it or not, the built environment- be it a house or a city- impacts your quality of life in ways large and small 24/7. With that as a given, seems to me we might as well try to make the most of it.
Posted by Michael about 2 years Ago
Hope Gary Smith found out that there were Watzek tours this past weekend. They'll do it again soon, Gary, and this house will take your breath away.
Posted by MJ Levine about 2 years Ago
Just a couple of corrections with this Home #7 in keeping historical information correct. The original owner is Frank J. Cobbs ( not Cobb) He was NOT a Doctor, FJC was a lumberman who moved from Cadillac, Michigan to Portland, Oregon in 1917. His orig. home in Cadillac remains today and was built in 1898 ... the style being Dutch Colonial Revival designed by Mason & Rice of Detroit.
Posted by Mark B. Snider about 2 years Ago
This beautiful stately manor reminds me of the old photos of my gr. gr. grandfather's estate in County Cork, Ireland. Sadly though, his home has been destroyed over a century ago. I truly enjoy viewing all of the Tri-County historical homes.
Posted by Jeanne M. Taylor over 1 year Ago
The beautiful Dr. K. A. J. Mackenzie House was designed by McCaw & Martin, not Whidden & Lewis. The National Register has approved this revision to the historical record.
Posted by Ed Teague 7 months Ago

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Our 10 Greatest Homes

The highlights of more than a century of iconic Portland architecture.