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

In the early 1920s, the Eastmoreland neighborhood was going through a bit of a slump, despite having all the ingredients for success: a new streetcar line, the pastoral campus of Reed College nearby, a new golf course—only the second in Oregon—and auspicious origins, as it was designed according to the lofty ideals of the City Beautiful movement. The same engineer responsible for laying out the Laurelhurst and Ladd’s Addition neighborhoods gave Eastmoreland its so-called “grid-and-meander” street system, combining straight lines with more unexpected curves and bends.

Then in 1922 came the completion of Southeast 28th Avenue, which opened up the area for residents who were becoming increasingly enamored with their cars. An Oregonian article called the street a new “traffic artery,” and lauded it, not only as a connection to the West side, but also as “an interesting sight-seeing route through the east side of the city,” all the better to explore this neighborhood “likened to a little bit of old England.”

Once the Ross Island Bridge was finished in 1926, construction in Eastmoreland picked up, with developers and architects dipping into an array of inspiration from Europe for the housing, creating a stylistic mix that dabbled in anything from English cottage to Tudor to Colonial Revival.

This house, on the quieter end of 28th and one block from the golf course, was finished in 1927, so most likely, a part of that wave. Two shingled hip-on-gable roofs (also called jerkinheads) bookend either end of the front facade, giving us both Tudor and English cottage vibes. A modern version of the latter continues inside, thanks to lovely recent updates made by the homeowner.

There, find a sunny living room, complete with window seat in the front bay and board and batten around the fireplace. In the dining room, that crisp board and batten covers the ceiling, while the lower portion of the walls are painted a moodier hue to emphasize the paneling.

Then comes the gourmet kitchen with wood cabinets, dramatic stone backsplash, and tiled floors. Through a short hall that also functions as a small butler’s pantry, there’s a more casual family room, with more big windows overlooking the backyard.

Upstairs, each of the three bedrooms have charming sloped ceilings in the corners, plenty of closet space. Two feature stylish wallpaper picks. The remodeled bathroom has more updated finishes, with organic tile lining the walls, chic brass fixtures, and heated floors. But we’re especially drawn to the cozy den/office off one of the bedrooms. Through an arched doorway and tucked under the eaves, it would make for a dreamy writer’s room or—why not?—an artist’s garret.

For additional play, there’s a finished basement with a gym area, and the backyard presents several options, including a bricked patio, a deck with a trellis, and a nice expanse of lawn. Croquet, anyone?

Listing Fast Facts 

Address: 7719 SE 28th Ave, Portland, OR 97202

Size:  2,646 square feet, 3 bedroom/2 bath 

List Date:  9/26/2022 

List Price:  $1,033,000

Listing Agent:  Kellie Jenkins and Todd Winslow, Windermere Realty Trust

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.