Craftsman-style homes have an enduring popularity, but there’s nothing like one built just as Victorian architecture was on its way out. The aesthetic grew from the Arts and Crafts movement, which emphasized higher-quality materials in the face of Industrial Revolution–era mass production, and presented a beautiful but more modest alternative to the sprawling, ornate Queen Anne manses that came before them. But that modesty bar was stunningly low, especially by today’s standards.

This three-bedroom foursquare (a common period floor plan that is also allegedly modest) in Portland Heights was built in 1908, not long after the term “Craftsman house” came into use. It gives us plenty of Craftsman hallmarks—gorgeous polished millwork, extensive built-ins, stained glass—alongside more expansive features like a sunroom and a butler’s pantry.

Past a stately front porch, the home’s classic foyer is completely coated in hardwood, including trim and tall wainscoting that wraps into a half-wall, slightly obscuring a staircase. French doors on the right open to a living room with a corner fireplace and geometric window treatments.

A cased opening flows right into a formal dining room, complete with a butler’s pantry in a large nook. The term is kind of underselling it: It’s a built-in hutch and buffet with leaded-glass cabinets, a coordinating low picture rail, and a stained glass window peeking out above it. The rail, along with some low wainscoting, carries into the rest of the dining room for cohesion. The dining room is also open to the sunroom, which has three walls of handsomely trimmed windows and a coved ceiling above.

The kitchen hasn’t been updated in a minute—which is actually pretty refreshing to see, since they made it pretty cute the last time it was. It’s still in a separate room, has a decent amount of space to turn around in, and has absolutely adorable checkerboard tile. A family room on the other side with an adjoining full bath may have been an addition, but it’s a welcome one.

A landing halfway up the stairs to the second floor has a very sweet moment: polished wood-trimmed stained glass windows and a built-in window bench below. There’s a bounty of window benches here; deep window sills in two of the upstairs bedrooms create four more. The bathroom up here has a beautiful vintage claw-foot tub, too.

There’s also a large unfinished basement, which is currently home to laundry and storage but has plenty of room for either expanding the living space, setting up a makeshift theater, or stashing your workout stuff. The yard, aside from the hedges in the front, is also kind of a blank canvas: A side lawn and a mossy brick patio are ready to be brought back to life.

Listing Fast Facts 

• Address: 2038 SW Myrtle St, Portland, OR 97201
• Size: 3,302 square feet, 3 bedroom/2 bath
• List Date: 10/24/2024 
• List Price: $999,000
• Listing Agent: Krystin Bassist, Windermere Realty Trust

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].