To be sure: This is Portland, Oregon time capsule house living at its best! Alyssa Starelli, one of our favorite mid mod realtors, gave us a head start on showcasing this woodsy 1958 time capsule house, new to the market. Not only was this beautiful California post and beam house architect-designed, but it also was a gathering place for movers and shakers at nearby Reed College — with stories attached that make it all the more interesting. In particular: The son of the original owners tells us how Steve Jobs — a former student of nearby Reed College who stayed to audit classes there — ended up at this house one day, where Reed professors and staff gave him some career counseling.
Aly provide this information about the listing:
The owners, having moved from a mid-century home of modern design in the Pallisades area of LA, commissioned Frank Shell of Shell Hoyt to build a “California style post & beam” home for them in the East Moreland neighborhood of Portland. They finished out the 1958 home themselves, hand staining cupboards, laying tile, installing fireplaces. This home is truly a labor of love and with the exception of carpeting and appliances, is 100% original to the mid-century. One owner home, even the addition was designed by Shell.
This mid-century modern home, for sale for $605,000, boasts post & beam construction with floor-to-ceiling windows on both levels, a 16×24 great-room with fireplace, a family room with cantilevered deck, 4 bedrooms with either balcony or garden access, 3 full baths, an easily accessed laundry area, a 2-car attached garage, and additional storage bay. Large private .25 acre lot with mature landscaping and second ‘boat-house’ garage. Updates include: welded-seam roof w/ 6″ of insulation, double-pane windows, gas furnace. Situated between two fantastic SE neighborhoods – Westmoreland and Woodstock – with the best schools, great nearby amenities including parks, ponds, gardens, golf, boutique shopping & restaurants. Reed College is mere blocks away and offers its own amenities to the community. This is truly a dream locale.
This home has quite a history – visited by some of the world’s foremost movers and shakers like Apple’s Steve Jobs, or the fashion world’s Emilio Pucci, and more. The owners, Carlton Whitehead and Dorothy Blosser Whitehead, were quite involved with Reed College, and as Carlton was the Assistant to the President of Reed for over 30 years, had the opportunity to entertain many students and alumni whom proved to be great successes and returned throughout the years.
Above: A full wall of KV shelving.
- Read more about Knape & Vogt shelving here — it was the first such patented shelving — patented in 1934 — and you can still get it today.
This is a beautiful house in a beautiful location, no question. But I was equally — maybe more so — interested in the story of Carlton Whitehead and Dorothy Blosser Whitehead and their many visitors, because I heard the story was a good one. For this, AlyStar connected me with their son Eric Whitehead, who wrote the following little memoir for us… I don’t think he had a lot of time to do it…. so it’s fresh and real… a loving tribute to a house, a home, a family…
Now, where to start…
We lived on the Reed campus the first three years of my life. Dad and Mom built that house for around $25,000 including the land, which was purchased from the Teeple’s (sp) who owned a block between Woodstock and Martins. He [Mr. Teeple] was an inventor, a great friend of children (He made us badminton birdies that could be used on windy days, but we had to use tennis rackets because they were so heavy. And he built an electric car that the older kids would drive up and down Moreland Lane.) Their old house is still there. The huge fir trees behind us was a middle section of his old property. He put up a fence between his yard and ours that had a huge gate in it so we could visit whenever we wanted. Across the lane from them were Sam and Jean Moment. Jean was a fairly important Oregon artist and Sam… I never knew just what it was he did. Jean was a sweetheart and has gifted us some of her works.
My Grandma told Mom, when I was little, that I needed to have a place to dig. The far NW corner became a mecca for every boy in the neighborhood ’cause we were the only yard around that had a “dirt pile”. We dug huge holes, covered them with plywood left over from construction of the house, threw dirt over the top of them and would crawl inside. Our own “cave”. I think one hole held four of us. Dad caught us trying to dig a tunnel into the next yard. Pretty much put the kibosh on that.
Then we’d fill the holes with water and play with toy boats. This went on for years. Drove Dad nuts.
See? … There’s too much to that house that raised a family. Let me try this…
After the house was mostly built, Dad and Mom put a lot of sweat equity into it. We tiled all the floors ourselves. Tiled the bathrooms. Dad cut the Formica for the downstairs bath. Did most of the finishing of the basement. Painted, inside and out. Installed the fireplace (after the hole had been cut in the roof, a huge rain storm came in overnight and flooded the house upstairs and down, much to the delight of all us kids.)
The kitchen cabinets were built in the garage, then professionally stained so they’d match.
Every tree was dug up somewhere else and replanted in our yard. The redwood is our family tree, it being a seedling of a seedling of a seedling from Wilits, California. It’s only 50+ years old. The wisteria is also 50+ years old, and rigidly, vigorously pruned to be what it is now.
We’ve built boats in the garage. We repaired our own cars, and drove them as long as we could. We camped in our own house after the Columbus Day Storm because we were without power for over a week. Coleman stoves,
Coleman lanterns, fires in the fireplaces and sleeping bags on the beds. Life went on.
In the “Fame by Association” department. Elizabeth and Hal Hirsch were dear family friends. John and Annie Hauberg, John Grey (Sun River, Mt. Hood Meadows), former governor Straub. It goes on and on. All this was a connection to and with Reed, and Dad’s political life.
There was one small young man once, who thought Reed was a place he should be. He didn’t enroll, but spent his days auditing classes and living in Reed’s semi-remote center, the swamp. Some professors and administrators, seeing that this was not the best course for this boy-man at the time, gathered themselves together, brought this young soul over to our house, sat him down on our couch, and with martinis all around, gently told him that what he was was searching for was not likely to be found with his current methods.
This careful prodding may have been the turning point for this brilliant mind to move on to change the world.
Yep… Steve Jobs.
In that house…
Where we built boats….
Did our own carpentry…
Fixed our own cars…
Hope this helped. Gawd, it’s so incomplete!
Thank you, Eric. We can only imagine how hard it is to let this home go. But I suspect, the new owners will appreciate it very much.
Thanks to Alyssa Starelli and the Whitehead family for giving us permission to showcase this home and keep it in our forever-archive. Thanks also to 22 Pages Photography for the beautiful photos and permissions, they are on Facebook too.
Sara says
What a great house with a lot of fun history- an in one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Portland! I hope a MCM lover picks up this gem and treats it right!
Ali says
I love the little bits of bright blue– and the way the home settles into the nature surrounding it.
What a beauty!
Anne-Marie says
What a lovely story. I hope to leave as much love in my house as that family did in theirs. Thanks for sharing.
Debbie says
One thing you can’t say about this particular mid-century house is that “there isn’t enough counter space or storage in the kitchen”. I love the Dishmaster and I love, love, LOVE the cat wallpaper!! What a fabulous home, I hope it’s purchased by a Retro Renovator!
Ranger Smith says
Picture #22 shows what looks to be dispensers for flour/sugar or coffee. Not sure, just a guess. Similar to what the old Hoosier Hutches had. Very clever.
Barb S. says
Thank you for pointing that out. I was just going to ask about them. So much counter space and storage in that kitchen. I love it!
Ranger Smith says
I guess one can never have enough storage & counter space. 🙂
Kersten says
Another amazing house! I hope the cat wallpaper survives! It’s incredible!
Fantastic story makes it that much more lovable.
midmichigan says
Great post and story! This home is beautiful but the spiral staircase is another issue with me. I had an unfortunate “incident” on one quite a number of years ago after one too many cocktails. I still hear about it at the most inopportune moments. Sheesh.
Jay says
Thank You Ms. Starelli and Mr. Whitehead.
The camera shot taken down through the spiral stairs made me dizzy. The eyeball lights on the bottom of the protruding cans were interesting. I liked the stainless sink bowl set in the formica counter with wood front. I was pleased once again to see a time capsule home that prominently featured KV standards and brackets with shelves. I just put some brass finished ones up in the basement and trying to figure out the arrangement of shelves.Today it seems that they are relegated to closets and garages.
Thanks for sharing.
Jay says
Am I happy. Through the listing for this property I found Ms. Starelli’s new website/blog.
alyssa starelli says
Wow, Thanks Guys! I am glad you’re liking the new website! So nice to hear!
pam kueber says
Yup, I have a bunch of KVs in the back of my car, purchased this past weekend, to put up on the far wall of my office. LOVE those things! https://retrorenovation.com/2012/06/04/knap-vogt-modular-shelving-the-first-patent-ever-for-a-metal-modular-system-1934/
Mary Elizabeth says
Yes, great stories from the former owner! That’s one of the things we love about our mid-century houses, yes? Two things:
1) This house loves the light. It takes in the sun and diffuses it through the house. Very, very nice.
2) The cabinets in the kitchen are warm and wonderful. I’m wondering what the wood is–can’t tell from the photos–maybe maple?
lynda davis says
Very nice house and a wonderful story!