As we’ve previously talked about here at Property Watch, Portland’s apartment-house wave started around 1904, in anticipation of the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in 1905, and spread across the city in the ensuing decades. That first wave originated in Nob Hill, and those buildings were typically taller and denser, with individual units connected by central hallways. These buildings could also be quite fancy. (See: this French Renaissance number from 1913. There’s gold leaf.)

By the time developers were moving across the east side, apartment buildings had fewer stories and more space to spread out, heralding the arrival of a new form: the garden apartment. For these, the buildings form a U-shape around a central courtyard. While we’ve seen these before in a no-frills, compact ’plex, let’s take a moment to appreciate this much larger variation, called the Salerno Apartments and located on the corner of NE Flanders and NE 24th Avenue in the Kerns neighborhood.

The building was designed by notable architect Carl Linde, whom we’ve encountered before, for the Chandler Construction Company. It’s actually the architect-developer pair’s second installment on the Flanders block, as just a little ways down is the Sorrento, which is smaller and built the year before this one. Purportedly, when the Sorrento’s units sold out, the developer immediately commissioned Linde for a bigger version, this time occupying three lots and geared toward an upscale buyer. “Tying in as it does with the existing Sorrento should make a fine picture at that intersection,” Linde told the Oregonian in 1929.

As their names imply, both are designed in the Italian style, as part of the Mediterranean revival craze going on in the city in the 1920s. At the Salerno, there are 18 two-story units—also a new floor plan for the time—with each entered via the large courtyard. The latter retains its mature landscaping, greeting visitors with the sound of the cascading water feature at the center.

The exterior stays true to the Mediterranean style: white stucco walls and red tile roofs, with arched doorways and deep-set steel casement windows, and on some units, wrought iron balconies. The 961-square-foot layout of Unit #5 is much like its neighbors, with Linde’s skill for proportion obvious from the high ceilings and comfortable flow between rooms.

A dedicated entry vestibule feeds into the lower level. There, find the connected living and dining rooms still with their decorative flourishes, like tray ceilings, arched doorways, and original wood floors, while a more utilitarian kitchen, albeit with plenty of storage, is tucked around the corner.

Up the wrought-iron lined staircase is the second floor, complete with two nice-sized bedrooms and a lavender and black tiled bathroom, and there, another arch earmarking the shower enclosure. Both bedrooms have been updated with new wall-mounted AC units, and the primary has a little extra nook for a desk or sitting area, as well as views into the courtyard.  

It’s interesting to note that when plans for the Salerno were being made, it was part of a larger concentration of apartment houses popping up along the major thoroughfares of Sandy, Burnside, and Glisan between NE 18th and 28th Avenues. There were so many in fact, that this area was then considered an apartment-house district, with the Salerno right at the heart of it. These days, the central location is still a walker's and biker’s paradise, with countless restaurants, bars, and shops nearby, from the Providore market area to the 28th Avenue corridor.

Listing Fast Facts

• Address: 2325 NE Flanders St #5, Portland, OR 97232
• Size: 961 square feet, 2 bed/1 bath
• List Date: 5/11/2023
• List Price: $395,000, with $413/month HOA dues
• Listing Agent: Jennifer Ciacci, Redfin

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].