As could be inferred from the title, Classic Houses of Portland, Oregon: 1850–1950, written by architectural historian William Hawkins III, has long been considered the definitive guide to the city's historic housing styles. It covers over 300 standout homes and 23 distinct periods, defining a "classic house" as "possessing a recognized and lasting sense of integrity of design, seen as readily today as when it was first constructed."

Hawkins's picks include this home tucked up onto a steep corner lot in the Willamette Heights neighborhood, where NW 32nd Avenue now curves into Quimby Street, and a sliver of Forest Park sits just across the street. It was built in 1903 for Roswell H. Lamson, who traversed the Oregon Trail with his family as a child and was later a naval captain for the Union in the Civil War, and designed by architect Joseph Jacobberger, who was active in Portland for 30 years. Hawkins credits Jacobberger, among others, as bestowing "innovative touches in the Craftsman style," which is at play in this house, where the architect "combined the Shingle style with the new-to-Portland Arts and Crafts style."

Shingle style is defined by, naturally, the continuous cladding of exterior surfaces with wood shingles, which we still see here on the walls, foundation, and porch support posts, now painted in a dramatic charcoal. The street-facing facade has some interesting original angles, from the bay window on the main floor to the attic dormer up top, and culminating in two steep gables without decorative trim. The gables, says Hawkins, are a common element in both Shingle and Arts and Crafts style, but reads more modern and sculptural here. Perhaps that's due to their custom hexagonal windows—just one of the sly ways the house combines old and new, thanks to its most recent owner, architect Jeff Kovel, founder of Skylab Architecture.

Skylab has been a city-defining firm since it was founded in 1999, from the folksy log-cabin look of the Doug Fir Lounge (RIP), to the sharp angles of the Yard, a.k.a. the Death Star or the Darth Vader building. If you're a Twilight movie lover, you know their work as the Cullen House, which is just down the street from this one, and even has its own LEGO set. Talk about iconic.

Kovel bought the R. B. Lamson House in 2019, and commenced a top-to-bottom renovation. This included everything from the major systems, like plumbing and electrical, to an interior reorganization, finished basement and upper-level bonus suite, and exterior landscaping, the latter with Ipe decks, an integrated cedar hot tub, and acid-etched concrete steps. Kovel's weren't the first changes made to the home, as it was previously owned by architect Marvin Witt, who added a bathroom and sunroom/den in 1981, and with whose work Kovel is well familiar.

Now, the house has more flow on the main level. Rooms open to each other via wide cased doors, or to the backyard and covered front porch. Vestiges of the old, like the entry's built-in bench against the staircase and wood floors, easily coexist with the new, like a pocket entertaining bar behind a five-panel door, complete with Frigidaire wine refrigerator, custom cabinetry, concrete counters, and Ann Sacks tile backsplash. In the revitalized den, cedar-covered walls are joined with a stained-glass window by Oregon artist Frederick Heidel.

Nowhere is this juxtaposition more apparent than the kitchen, which was relocated to the former dining room. There, custom white oak cabinetry by Made was fashioned to look like freestanding furniture set against the historic wood paneling, while a long prep island clad in Cement Elegance counters sits before the preserved fireplace. Behind the stove wall, an inset shelf for plants is a clever way to soften the edge of the room, as is the glass door that opens to the deck.

Five bedrooms and four bathrooms round out the floor plan, each with their personal bespoke touches, like the primary suite's dual walk-in closets, steam shower, and soaking tub set before a picture window. This culminates in the third-floor bonus suite, where we see the home's original angles at play, now that walls and ceiling are covered in wood paneling. That room is nicely finished with a fireplace, balcony access, skylights, and projector screen—all the more reason to call this house a new classic now.

Listing Fast Facts

• Address: 1611 NW 32nd Ave, Portland, OR 97210
• Size: 5,341 square feet/5 bed/4 bath
• List Date: 6/12/2026
• List Price: $2,950,000
• Listing Agent: Suzann Baricevic Murphy and Schafer Nelson, Where, Inc.

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].