We are all quite familiar with Pacific Northwest houses being called “treehouses,” but this is the first official “Love Nest” we’ve come across. Such is the purported nickname for this 1965 home in Eugene, according to its write-up on the Northwest Center for Architecture website. The whole entry reads: “Designed for a single schoolteacher near the crest of a hill overlooking Eugene; a residence affectionately known as ‘The Love Nest,’” with no further explanation for the name.

Granted, the way the home steps down its hillside with two glassed sections at the top—which appear as though they’re projecting into the surrounding trees— we’re definitely getting why it would ever be likened to a nest. Originally designed by Eugene architect Otto Paul Poticha, the main entry is accessed at the top of a winding staircase, past a conveniently placed entertaining deck, with the front door tucked between the glass cubes.

Once inside, the sunken living room is to the left, complete with two-sided fireplace, its own little balcony, and massive, 10-foot-tall windows with peekaboo sunset views of Eugene through the sweep of moss-covered trees and their canopy. Where there’s solid wall, a band of glass runs across the top, underscoring the angled cedar-covered ceiling and filtering more dappled light into the primarily open plan.

Since the recent owners purchased the home in 2022, they've completed a number of updates and custom renovations, including the nearby kitchen, which now has streamlined clear fir cabinetry, quartz counters, and a Monogram appliance package. The two bathrooms, one on each level, received similar treatment, including new vanity cabinets, quartz counters, tile, mirrors, and fixtures.

Between the flat-front cabinetry and white penny tile, there’s no fussiness to these changes—all the better to appreciate the home’s singular notes, like the blue-stained glass in the front door and a side window. The primary bedroom is nested in the second glassed section, with floor-to-ceiling windows. (Yes, there are custom window treatments for privacy.)

In 2020, Poticha, who has taught for decades at the School of Architecture and the Environment at the University of Oregon, was awarded the AIA Oregon President’s Award, and his colleague John Reynolds said: “The thing about Otto's work is it’s very three dimensional. Plain old ordinary boxes is not Otto’s style at all.” This house proves it. From the unexpected angles to the unusual moniker and delicate placement among the trees, it all but revels in its uniqueness.

Listing Fast Facts 

• Address: 2635 Cresta De Ruta St, Eugene, OR 97403
• Size: 1,757 square feet/2 bedroom/2 bath 
• List Date: 9/17/2025 
• List Price: $1,095,000 
• Listing Agent: Koalani Roberts, Windermere RE Lane County

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].