A wonderful vintage Moen faucet. Linen laminate to die for. A Westinghouse appliance center. But maybe still not “flamboyant” enough for Tim, a longtime reader who now works at Rejuvenation – parent company of Satellite, our contest sponsor. He’s house hunting…and has sent some pictures. Tim, I will not push you. Hold out for the house that makes you jump up and down in the foyer. And first and foremost: Location location location – it’s true.
Tim writes:
Hi Pam-
Hope I’m not being a pest by sending too much stuff. Here a few sightings from this past weekend’s home search. The items found in a 1960 house in Portland. The appliance timer is something I have never seen before. It has two regular outlets and two retractable cords with special plugs- presumably for 1960 Westinghouse appliances. The Moen faucet is unusual in that I think lever style for lav would have been fairly uncommon in 1960… and they are virtually like new. The twin cooktops with front controls are uncommon as far as I know. Matching oven is fairly flashy. The house itself is okay but not especially flamboyant… possibly a contender.
Tim / Rejuvenation
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Judging from the photos, I’d buy the place! I decided a few years ago that Portland, Oregon would be a place I would like to live, it looks like the kind of area that is still in touch with its past without being totally void of progress. I know the current national trend is to wipe out all that old stuff, but some areas seem more proud of the old even though they’re in touch with the present. This kitchen would be interesting with the two countertop drop-down Frigidaire range tops. Anybody here have those? Saw a ruined one in one of our long dead loaded to the rafters thrift stores ages ago.
Hey Tim, if you want to hop the river and come over to Vancouver I’d be happy to help you in your search! The Lincoln neighborhood is a great place to start. http://www.paul.cbrivercountry.net is my website. Feel free to surf away! That range is unusual. And interesting that they went with pink countertops and ivory appliances.
Tim, hold out for the best house. None will actually be perfect, but sooner or later, it will have enough of the right stuff to make you happy. Portland has some wonderful ranches and mid-century homes. And with any luck, your sellers will have under-valued it since it hasn’t been “remodeled”, and you’ll get it more affordably.
We found our wonderful 1956 ranch just two years ago, smack in the middle of Overlook, a great north Portland neighborhood we had lived in for years.
Your time will come!
Keep looking, Tim, Portland is chock full of gems. Everything from time-capsule brick ranches w/ basement tiki bars to sprawling modernist executive homes. I just closed on an amazingly original and well-kept flat-&-shed roofed 1952 split level in West Slope. Rock solid site-built kitchen cabinets, lots of corner windows and indirect fluorescent light boxes, amazing Roman brick fireplace wall, an angled planter box between living and dining rooms (same skinny bricks), one original maroon/tan tile bath (the large master bath got an OK redo in the 80s, that’s the biggest restoration project ahead). The build quality of the 50s homes I looked at was generally high, but I’ve heard scary tales about maintaining those delicious Rummer (nee Eichler) houses. All glamour, but a chore to keep up. By all means check out the local MCM league and Alyssa Starelli, our savvy agent. She really knows the local market and can steer you to pockets of great houses all over town. You probably know PDX is also a goldmine of vintage furnishings and accessories for when you’ve bought and start filling your place. Again the quality is all over the map but the selection is vast. Portland is a very special town for mid century nuts, a sleeper w/ selection and decent prices.
Thanks, Retro Robin. So, when are you sending us photos of your new/old gem!
Wow…again…I’m jealous…lol. It’s so CLEAN! Two months after closing I’m still scrubbing my place. Yesterday I decided to tackle the windows only to discover there is some weird sort of scale or hardwater deposit on the outside glass. I’m going to try some shower cleaner on them and see if that works.
Good luck on your search!
These houses sound great. We have a 1960 mid-century house that I am getting ready to put on the market in Portland in the Eastmoreland neighborhood. The kitchen is original, (except the dishwasher and refrigerator) , all white formica with stainless steel frigidaire appliances. We even have the stainless steel inset in the countertop for a blender that has the original pink blender that goes with it. It was definitely a party house. We have a kidney shaped pool, the original bar downstairs, and 3 fireplaces. It is 3 bedroom 3 1/2 bath, 3000 square feet on a 12,000 square foot lot.
Monica – we NEED to see photos!
We will take some pictures soon. We are doing some painting, etc. to get it ready to sell. When we are done we will take some pictures.