For those in the know, it’s the ceiling that tends to give a Van Evera Bailey house away. That’s because the midcentury modernist architect was recognized for several structural innovations in his decades of work, including building homes on stilts in the West Hills, and developing a laminated roof system that employs rough-sawn fir boards to cover the ceiling. The rough texture of those boards is distinct, drawing the eye upward to the vaulted plane, and out the tall windows to the views outside.

Such is how it plays out in this 1953 house in Dunthorpe designed by Bailey, and the views are something else. The house is close to Lewis & Clark College, and its expansive 2.25-acre lot feels like its own little private campus, with a long drive wending its way in among the trees and mature landscaping. Bailey made sure that all the windows capture either picture-perfect vistas—we spy both Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens from the living room—or the park-like setting that comprises the yard, which also has a sweet pool in a freeform shape.  

Bailey’s career took off after he worked as a supervisory architect on a Richard Neutra project, famously convincing the California architect to swap out stucco for cedar on the exterior, since the latter would be more appropriate for the climate here. Bailey went on to design more homes in the Northwest Regional style as first established by Yeon and Belluschi in the 1930s, using low-pitched gable roofs, natural materials, like the cedar siding and stacked stone fireplace seen here, and deep roof eaves to protect from rain.

Interestingly, he’s also known for incorporating nautical or ship-like elements into his work. While this seems to mainly apply to his earlier Moderne homes (a style that borrowed from cruise liners), we do like how a portion of this house sits up on beefy stilts to form the carport below. The added effect is to make it as though the great room is floating among the trees.

Bailey was a favorite in the architectural press and loved by clients for his livable designs. Here, the 5,389-square-foot plan is shaped like a T, with most of the living on the main floor. The expansive great room occupies one leg, with the kitchen, dining rooms (formal and informal), and laundry clustered at the center. Then the primary suite takes up a second leg, enjoying the same far-flung views as the main room. Three more bedrooms and a bathroom surround a second family room in the third leg.

Downstairs, there’s a paneled rec room and third bathroom, while upstairs is our favorite spot: a flex room that would make a dreamy office, complete with built-in shelves and big windows creating a crow’s nest feel, made all the more cozy because it’s topped by that telltale wood ceiling.

Listing Fast Facts 

• Address: 10666 S Moapa Ave, Portland, OR 97219
• Size: 5,389 square feet/5 bedroom/3 bath 
• List Date: 7/31/2024 
• List Price: $3,195,000
• Listing Agent: Steve Kaer, Kaer Property Group

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].