The neighborhood we now call Multnomah Village emerged from the surrounding swaths of forest and dairy farms beginning in 1909, thanks to the Oregon Electric Railway, which placed a station at SW 35^th Avenue (across from what’s now Marco's Cafe). The area survived the railroad’s removal in the 1950s, but then appeared to slide into decline: 11 storefronts in the two-block cluster on Capitol Highway sat empty in the late 1960s, largely due to new chain stores like Fred Meyer on nearby Barbur Boulevard. The Multnomah School shuttered in 1979. But it turns out that was just a low point before the area’s latest incarnation, as antique stores moved in, attracted by the low rents. The school became the Multnomah Arts Center, and the corridor has since thrived, now billing itself as the “village in the heart of Portland.”

This listing, dubbed the “Almost A-Frame” by the realtor for its dramatic peaked roof at the front, is just a three-minute drive from the Village, and has also experienced a little reinvention, due to a recent renovation that keeps its authenticity intact. Originally built in 1985, the home is tucked into a large steep lot off SW 46^th Avenue—and we mean tucked, as parking is at the road and the house is accessed via a long staircase downward. This, and the fact that the property borders a 46-acre nature preserve, makes it really feel like its own little retreat in the city.

Now, an updated inky façade and punchy yellow door directly segues into the main living room, a delightful space with a wall of windows, plus skylight and vaulted ceilings all entirely encased in wood. A pitch-perfect '70s-era fireplace anchors one end of the room, and a wood slat-sided staircase that leads to the upper and lower levels blends right in.

Happily, the wood-paneled walls, ceilings, and floors continue throughout most of the three-bedroom plan. The wood is seamlessly mixed with other finishes so as not to veer into kitsch, as are the new slate floors in the kitchen and dining area, the streamlined square tile in the two full bathrooms, and designer lighting picks.

There is one bedroom on each floor, providing maximum privacy for 1,477 square feet. The primary en suite occupies the upper floor, and includes more peaked ceilings and windows overlooking trees, while the bottom floor has been outfitted with a bedroom and half-bath combo that could also work as a family room or guest suite.

And in keeping with the home’s retreat-loving roots, four big decks surround the house (front door, around the side, and two at the back) with a little paver patio nestled among moss-covered tree trunks.

Listing Fast Facts 

• Address: 8737 SW 46th Ave, Portland, OR 97219
• Size: 1,477 square feet, 3 bed/2.5 bath
• List Date: 7/6/2023
• List Price: $559,000
• Listing Agent: Grant Williams at Explore Home Realty with Urban Nest Realty

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].