On May 28, 1939, the Oregonian ran a special section dedicated to the Northwest Home Show, a Portland exhibition featuring the talents of local designers and builders, as well as spotlighting glitzy new products and furniture. For it, architect Pietro Belluschi designed a modest model house, appropriately dubbed the “Oregonian.” The home featured groupings of large windows to let in light on gray days, and deep roof eaves to protect from rain, as well as a compact floor plan.

Belluschi had been asked to design for “a small family of moderate means,” and a quote from the architect in the ensuing write-up reveals how his ideas would come to shape the future of regional architecture and Pacific Northwest Modernism. “Throughout the world we see the new so-called international style being developed,” said Belluschi. “In Oregon, it must take the shape suited to the region, with the materials most available. It may be free of conventions, like all modern styles, but respectful to surroundings.” The model home could be built for $4,500.

It is possible that the Josses, a young lawyer and his wife, may have seen the exhibit or the coverage on Belluschi, for that very year they commissioned the architect to design their new home. The couple had been gifted a large property in the Northwest hills, but were working off a construction budget of $5,300. (That’s $119,554 in today’s dollars.) They wanted two bedrooms, two baths, and, for inspiration, pointed Belluschi to the Norway Ski Lodge that had been featured in the San Francisco World’s Fair that same year. Their house was completed two years later, in 1941, just three dollars over budget. After a succession of owners who’ve taken excellent care of preserving the original design and making updates where needed, it’s now on the market for $1,775,000.

The first thing that strikes you about the house, tucked a ways off of NW Skyline Boulevard on a 0.68-acre lot, is the bucolic setting, from the sound of the neighbor’s clucking chickens to the landscaped grounds, which include gorgeous mature maples and a field of daffodils. Belluschi gave the house an L-shape, and positioned it so every set of windows connects with the surroundings. The entrance is about where the two legs meet, with one wing for bedrooms and bathroom to the left, and all the living areas clustered together to the right.

The living room is the star of the plan, with its vaulted hemlock ceiling with exposed framing, cedar walls, and wide-plank oak floors. An asymmetrical concrete fireplace beckons from one end, flanked on one side by a built-in cabinet and integrated mantel. A bank of large picture windows overlooks a veranda, while above the windows integrated cooling vents nearly disappear into the wood. (The vents are part of Belluschi’s system for creating cross-ventilation.) An asymmetrical built-in bookshelf across the room from the fireplace seems to subtly echo it.

A nearby dining alcove is also lined with windows, and features excellent hanging lights over the table. The kitchen was remodeled more recently by top-notch contractor Hammer & Hand, and now includes all the expected upgrades, like custom wood cabinets and quartz counters, as well as charming touches like a window seat and Dutch door.

Belluschi originally designed the house with the two bedrooms requested by the Josses, but included in the plan an attached carport and upstairs studio that could be converted into two additional bedrooms in the future. They since have been, so the home is now 2,429 square feet. Both bathrooms have also been nicely updated so they feel refreshed but not out of place. From the wood-wrapped primary suite upstairs to the covered veranda by the front door, it’s all proof that houses like this get better with age.

Listing Fast Facts 

• Address: 7035 NW Penridge Rd, Portland, OR 97229
• Size: 2,429 square feet/4 bedroom/2 bath 
• List Date: 5/15/2024 
• List Price: $1,775,000
• Listing Agent: Marisa Swenson, Modern Homes Collective

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].