The Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood didn’t get its current name until the 1970s. It was during that time that Portlanders were galvanized to form neighborhood associations, largely in reaction to so-called “urban renewal” projects like the state’s plan to rip out a swath of Southeast to build the Mt Hood Freeway. The neighborhood drew its name from two local schools, Hosford Middle School and Abernethy Elementary. Before that, it was a conglomeration of three separate areas, each named for men who had owned the parcel: Ladd’s Addition, Stephens’s Addition, and Tibbetts’s Addition.

Ladd’s Addition, from mover and shaker William S. Ladd, is perhaps the most well-known portion of the neighborhood, thanks to its tightly planned diagonal streets dotted with parks. Stephens’s Addition ran from the river to SE 12^th Avenue between Hawthorne and Division. James B. Stephens ran the first ferry across the Willamette River, and his house, built in 1864, still stands on SE 12^th Avenue today. You can even stay the night there.

Tibbetts’s Addition was named for Gideon Tibbetts, who had the largest parcel, part of which is now in Hosford-Abernethy, and part of which would become the Brooklyn neighborhood farther south. Tibbetts grew wheat and milled flour there and, in 1868, let the railroad run tracks right through the middle. But with the railroad came population growth, and Tibbetts was quick to start dividing up and selling home lots. In 1902, the area’s close-in location and proximity to not one but three different lines was a selling point in an advertisement.

Which brings us to this house, on SE 13^th Avenue, directly south of Division. Purportedly built in 1900, the story is that it and its neighboring house were both constructed in North Portland and floated up the river to settle side by side here. No one knows the exact year that would have happened, but by 1909, historic Sanborn maps show the two houses tucked neatly into their street. Such is why the home’s lot size, at 2,178-square-feet, is smaller than the city average: let’s call it an early prototype of a skinny house.

The style is what historian Thomas Hubka dubs one of Portland’s greatest hits: the boxy Foursquare, with hipped roof and a matching dormer atop its two stories. There’s just a little bit of flair in the exterior trim and column details, as well as the living room’s bay window, now all nicely painted in navy and peach. These decorative touches put the home more at the transitional end of the Foursquare spectrum, when designs were moving from Victorian flourish to the pared-back minimalism the style is known for.

Inside, the plan has a lovely flow and proportions, with high ceilings, wide cased doorways that connect rooms, and lots of windows. The vintage details are many, from the embossed metal of the front doorknob to the pocket doors, picture molding, and wood floors to the kitchen’s dedicated scullery, now updated with mint green paint on the cabinets and quartz counters.  

Upstairs, there are three nice-size bedrooms with generous closets and a bathroom that maintains the vintage vibes, thanks to mint green wainscot, a pedestal sink, and clawfoot tub. Plus, there’s an equal amount of modern upgrades throughout, including new Marvin Ultimate wood-clad windows, a “pandemic gazebo” in the backyard, and an Ipe deck out front, surrounded by a newer fence and handsome landscaping.

Of course, one of the main selling points is over a hundred years in the making, seeing as how the home’s choice location makes it a walker’s and biker’s paradise, close to the MAX Orange Line, and all of the food and drink options to be found along this end of Division.

Listing Fast Facts 

• Address: 2514 SE 13th Ave, Portland, OR 97202
• Size:  2,059 square feet, 3 bedroom/1.5 bath
• List Date:  9/28/2023
• List Price:  $650,000
• Listing Agent:  Alyssa Isenstein Krueger, Living Room Realty
• Staging: Appetite Interiors

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].