The house sitting on the corner of NE 32nd Avenue and Glisan Street was always meant to look grand. One of the first in the then-new Laurelhurst neighborhood, it was built in 1911 and used primarily as an office for real estate agent Lester B. Markham, who was busy selling lots and house plans. While it is said that Markham lived there, the house had two dining rooms for hosting potential clients, the upstairs ceilings were around five feet tall, and the floor plan was smaller than its towers and grand curvilinear facade would suggest. Basically, the house was "kind of a sham," reported The Oregonian in 2014.

By that point, a developer had plans to tear down the century-old structure and fill its double lot with three skinny houses. Then neighbors stepped in. They tapped builder John McCulloch of McCulloch Construction to rehab the home at a reduced rate, and raised money to pay the developer for lost profit. The house then underwent an extensive rebuild—a garage went in, and the second story now has normal ceiling heights. The work quadrupled the overall footprint (it's gone from 1,500 square feet to 5,957) while remaining dedicated to the original Spanish Mission style that made the property unique.

That includes the stucco exterior and red tile roof, as well as the curvilinear gable that's long faced Glisan. At the front, a Mission-style parapet roof replaced the tower once there. At the lower level, the arched arcade across the front was kept, with those arches then mimicked in the garage doors, the windows above, and inside.

It all comes together at the center of the main floor, where a double-height room capped in skylights floods the interior with light, and arched doorways offer views into the living room, kitchen, and a second family room. Historic style points, like the ornate metal railing on the staircase and balconies above, are mixed with an airy palette, including crisp white walls and pale oak floors. More decorative arches pop up in several spots: framing the stove and sink alcoves in the kitchen, cutting into the base of the kitchen island, and appearing in an art glass window and built-in shelves in the dining room. Even one of the showers has an arched soap niche in the marble tile.

Upstairs, instead of unfinished crawl spaces, there's now a proper primary suite complete with fireplace, dressing room, and double glass doors to the balcony. It's rounded out by three more bedrooms, one an en-suite and another in the preserved tower, as well as a hall bathroom and laundry.

There's no shortage of getaway spots, inside and out. Find a steel pergola in the side yard off the dining room, and an expansive rooftop patio over the new garage. Downstairs there's a fifth bedroom, a bathroom, and two flex spaces that could be customized into a media room, gym, or creative space. A third flex space is on the main floor just off the living room, tucked behind elegant double glass doors, with a fireplace and its own exterior entry. It would make a delightful office, a perfect nod to the house's previous incarnation.

Listing Fast Facts

• Address: 450 NE 32nd Ave, Portland, OR 97232
• Size: 5,957 square feet/5 bed/5 bath
• List Date: 2/6/2026 
• List Price: $2,500,000
• Listing Agent: Elliott Moore and Margo Brown, Where Real Estate Collaborative

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].