This house on Council Crest might have the most distinctive facade we've ever seen in the Property Watch column, with its geometric windows—a circle and a diamond—corrugated steel siding, and flat roof. We're with everyone else that thinks the whole composition looks like a vintage camera, thus earning it the moniker, the Camera House.

The house's architect, Willard Martin, is known for creating designs that garner nicknames: He was the chief designer and architect for Pioneer Courthouse Square, a.k.a. "Portland's Living Room." In 1980, Martin put together a "group of rabble-raising architects, writers, and an artist" to win the design competition for the square, the only Portland team in the finals. Martin died in a plane crash in 1985, the year after the Square officially opened.

This house was finished a few years before, in 1976, when Martin was at the firm Martin, Soderstrom and Matteson. The following year, it appeared on the cover of Sunset magazine, touted for its clever design on a steep lot. Martin essentially stacked three floors of the exact same dimensions, 24 feet by 24 feet, atop one another. A parking bridge connects to the street, with the entry at the top, through the door with the porthole. An office/studio occupies the room with the diamond window.

From outside, the house looks like a little camera, but once inside, it's all light and air across its 1,762 square feet, thanks to the rear wall of windows, and a three-story open volume that connects all the floors. Wood and steel railings, an open tread staircase, and wood catwalks stretching across the windows, the latter originally used for plants, all contribute to the open feeling pervading the interior.

It looks as though Martin's original design has largely persevered, and fantastic ’70s-era touches remain, from the bright red-toned kitchen cabinets, to the parquet floors, stained glass window, and two bubble windows, each measuring four feet in diameter. (One in the kitchen, and one in the primary bathroom.) The kitchen and dining room occupy the middle floor, while downstairs, there's a family room with a delightfully retro fireplace, and a built-in shelving system with nautical hardware.

The bathrooms, one at the top and one on the bottom level, were both completely refreshed during the pandemic, but stay true to the home's design provenance. Upstairs, the walk-in shower is covered in sunny yellow tile, while the principal bathroom vanity reveals two blue-toned custom vessel sinks imported from Greece, flanking the original bubble window nestled in a mirrored wall.

Two decks finish the rear facade. Look there again, and you might notice how the window pattern forms a circular shape—it once even had a circular awning to cover it—as though to form a camera eye. Per Sunset, the rear facade reminded Martin of a giant box camera, giving you a view of the surrounding forest through a most unique lens.

Listing Fast Facts 

• Address: 3200 SW Fairmount Blvd, Portland, OR 97239
• Size: 1,762 square feet, 2 bedroom/2 bath
• List Date: 9/12/2025
• List Price: $785,000
• Listing Agent: Craig Weintz and Deb Kemp, Vetiver Street Real Estate

Melissa Dalton is a freelance writer who has focused on Pacific Northwest design and lifestyle since 2008. 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].