According to an article in a 1979 issue of National Geographic, the neighbors gave this Salishan house its "hippie house" nickname, as in “that hippie house.” Located in an exclusive community on Salishan Spit north of Gleneden Beach, the home was designed by Portland architect Don Vallaster, then with a firm called Church & Shiels, for owners Bill and Marie Gregory. Before it could be built, it had to pass an architectural committee, which was purportedly in a deadlock about allowing it, until Salishan developer John Gray stepped in with an endorsement: “Looks like fun. Let’s do it.”

Indeed, “fun” is as good a descriptor as any, as it’s hard to describe the home’s exact shape, other than free-form, geometric, and with angled walls galore, the exterior predominantly covered in cedar shake and vertical boards. Owner Bill, an accountant, was quoted as saying: “Who says that walls have to be straight?” Architectural taxonomists would call it “organic,” a style pioneered by Frank Lloyd Wright, in which the house responds to its natural environment, rather than imposes on it. A Field Guide to American Houses explains how the style comes into being: “It might begin with a geometric shape used for the floor plan and then extend into the design of all parts of the house—fixtures, furnishings, even window shapes." That’s exactly what we’re seeing here.

A stained-glass window over the front door depicts the sun setting over some dune grass, a nod to the home’s prime beachfront site. Inside, there’s a free-flowing, multilevel floor plan, with windows of various shapes and sizes capturing multifaceted views of the setting. For instance, the sunken living room has low-lying windows that put loungers at level with the beach grass, while windows further up take in the expanse of the ocean’s horizon line.

Built-in furniture creates cozy nooks and crannies, accessed by interior staircases and ladders. In keeping with the organicism, finishes are natural and predominantly regional, from the wood walls and floors to the living room’s slate floor and the shower’s pebble rock. There are two bedrooms, two baths, one with a soaking tub overlooking the stained-glass window, and even an exterior sauna to enjoy. A sign for the sauna rules states: “The most important thing to take into the sauna is plenty of time.” So, too, with this house, as there’s much to discover.

Listing Fast Facts 

• Address: 321 Salishan Dr, Gleneden Beach, OR 97388
• Size: 1,440 square feet/2 bedroom/2 bath 
• List Date: 6/10/2023 
• List Price: $759,000
• Listing Agent: Karla Kuhlenbeck, Windermere Distinctive Coastal Properties

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].