Roscoe Hemenway was a Portland architect working between 1927 and 1959, responsible for some 300 houses during his lifetime, many of which were called “Hemenway Colonials.” This referred to the great number of Colonial Revivals he produced in the ’40s and ’50s, many of them in the Dunthorpe neighborhood, but this was far from the only style the architect flexed.

Take this house in Eastmoreland. It’s one of a pair that Hemenway designed for the Hart Building Company in 1937. It couldn’t be more different from the historic revival styles that came later and, at the time of its construction, was considered a sign that Portland was keeping up with the times. On April 4, 1937, a sizable photo of the house ran in the Oregonian. The accompanying article declared: “The house of modernistic design has made its debut in Portland.”

The article goes on to single out the home’s shiny new features, like the “rounded corners, both outside and inside,” as well as the waterproof exterior stucco, a roof on par with any “downtown office building,” steel sash windows, chrome hardware, and—now, this was forward-thinking—air-conditioning. When asked about the possibilities of the modernistic style, the contractor was optimistic, sharing plans to build 25 more houses that year, and double that amount the year after.

However, the optimism was rather short-lived, much like the style itself. (A note for nerds: the term “modernistic” includes art deco and the more streamlined art moderne.) The Field Guide to American Architecture posits the period only lasted between 1920 and 1940, thanks to the advent of World War II and a hold on construction, as well as the eventual popularity of styles with less adornment. Even so, these initial Hart and Hemenway houses proved popular with Portland buyers and sold quickly, this one to a doctor.

Today, the house retains the charm of its time in the top-nailed red oak floors, brick fireplace, arched wall cutouts, and chrome door hardware. Not to mention our favorite, the hall bathroom’s glassblock accents (not just a thing in the ’80s) and the original medicine chest flanked by chrome sconces, although newer marble and mosaic tile has been added.

That’s because the OG plan has been subject to a few significant remodels over the years. The first was in the 1950s, when a second bathroom was added at the front to create a primary suite. The second occurred around 2001, which probably enlarged the kitchen, opened it up to the dining room, and gave it finishes that were then en vogue, including maple cabinets, quartz counters, and a Viking stove.

Still, the layout feels little altered from its original construction, with a nice flow between the rooms, the delightful curved walls in the living and dining rooms intact, and large picture windows looking onto the landscape. Hemenway was known for his integration of the building with its site and attention to detail, and that’s evident in the proportions here, and in how much light comes inside even on a gray day.

The basement has been finished with the third bedroom, complete with fireplace, and a family room, though that’s not the only auxiliary space. The home sits on a 8,276-square-foot lot, fenced at the back with deck, lawn, and mature trees and shrubs high enough to create a comfortable sense of privacy.

Back there you’ll also find an attached 195-square-foot studio, which was part of the original design and can be accessed from the front via its own gate. As this studio was intended to be an office, it’s an original WFH setup, which was modern indeed.

Listing Fast Facts

• Address: 6140 SE 32nd Ave, Portland, OR 97202
• Size: 2,430 square feet/3 bedroom/2.5 bath
• List Date: 2/29/2024 
• List Price:  $885,000
• Listing Agent: Harrison Whitmarsh, ELEETE Real Estate

Melissa Dalton is a freelance writer who has focused on Pacific Northwest design and lifestyle since 2008. She is based in Portland, Oregon. Contact Dalton here. 

Editor’s Note: Portland Monthly’s “Property Watch” column takes a weekly look at an interesting home in Portland’s real estate market (with periodic ventures to the burbs and points beyond, for good measure). Got a home you think would work for this column? Get in touch at [email protected].