Blog Stories Sold: The dreamiest Mid-Mod in DEEP East PDX

Sold: The dreamiest Mid-Mod in DEEP East PDX

By Alyssa Starelli, August 15, 2018

SOLD!!

Excluded from the RMLS, this swanky 60’s  mid-century modern charmer was sold by word of mouth (literally, as the seller’s sister Betsy was at a nearby favorite restaurant she overheard the owners talking about buying a mid-century home and told them about this home and voila, it’s KISMET!!). Yes, we realize that YOU ALL wanted a stab at it and you definitely wanted to tour it! But this situation worked really well for the sellers. Sure, I would have loved to have marketed this marvel to the world, but you don’t mess with kismet!

It is now sold, however, the sellers have given me the okay to post a few pics and a bit about the provenance to feed your mid-century addiction!

Also, please note that if you like any of the art you see hanging in the home, it is by Betsy Jones. Contact her at bjonesmcm@gmail.com.

1245 NE 153rd, Portland OR 97230
5 beds, 3 bath, 3333 Sq ft.
Sold and appraised for $620,000

PROVENANCE:
Custom designed by the original owner, Norma King with the help of Portland Architect William Wayman, known for his MCM (or at that time, Contemporary) designs strewn throughout the metro area. The house was purportedly (from Norma verbally to the current owners, though we’re trying to find documentation) built by Burton Goodrich who also built the Frank Lloyd Wright designed home now at the Oregon Gardens. He was an understudy of and employee of FLW and an architect himself.

ADVERTISING VENUE: 
The house has been in multiple Fred Meyer ads, and a long form Burton Snowboards clothing line ad.Here is the link to the Burton Snowboards ad. From Seller: “Blink and you miss the house which is the usually the case with these.  Our dogs made it into the commercial but we didn’t.”https://vimeo.com/49083316ARCHITECTURAL TOUR VENUE: 153rd has been an anchor point for the MCM League’s East Portland Mid-Century Modern tour that was held twice.The first year the tour ended at this home for a party. Attendees paid an extra fee for entry.

NEWSPAPER ARTICLES: The sellers and the home were included in the East Portland Architectural Survey and consequently written up in several articles about said survey and the architectural wonders of East Pdx.
https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/12/east_portland_architectural_as.html
https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/12/mid-century_home_survey_in_eas.html

ARCHITECTURAL SURVEY INCLUSION: 
The home and the neighborhood are included on the survey though I’m not sure the writers did as deep due diligence as we have. The neighborhood is mostly made up of Hallberg Homes (a tract developer), but this one is custom.  Also, down at the end of 153rd, closer to Glisan are four Emmons and Jones (Eichler’s Architects) designed MCM’s, which add weight to the neighborhood’s prestige to mid-century enthusiasts.

https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/214638


Alyssa Starelli, Broker

Specializing in Mid-Century and Period-Perfect properties.
Living Room Realty
alyssa@livingroomre.com
www.aly-star.com

Alyssa Starelli

Broker | OR

She/Her

A Portland native, Alyssa started her real estate career in the chaotic market of 2005, and quickly realized she reveled in matching particular clients with their perfect home, no matter how unusual. She then began specializing in mid-century properties - both Modern and Modest. More recently, she has included what she calls "Period-Perfect" homes to her repertoire. Her goal in this is to seek out those hard-to-find, unremodeled original homes of all eras. When I started in real estate, I realized there was a market for ranch homes, from Mid-Century Modern to the more modest Daylight Ranch, but few REALTORS® willing to service it. I started highlighting these 'Picks of the Week' on my website, introducing enthusiasts to the full gamut of midcentury houses of Portland. In 2006, I founded the Mid-Century Modern League in order to educate the public about the importance of preserving these gems. Today I continue to focus on Mid-Mod, but have added vintage, mostly unremodeled houses of earlier eras, which I call 'Period-Perfect', because they have interest to clients and are under-serviced too. Frankly, I enjoy seeking out any unusual or original elements a client might be interested in, it's a challenge to rise to." As Founder of the Mid-century Modern League, Alyssa is considered an authority in the local mid-century architecture scene, and is especially proud to include the Editors of Atomic Ranch Magazine in her past-client list. Often quoted in news and radio, she has been able to bring additional interest to her business, listings, and client's homes - many of which have been featured in magazines such as Atomic Ranch, Oregon Home, The Oregonian and also included on several local home tours. With a background in marketing, and an eye for the unique, Alyssa really enjoys buying and selling properties whose interesting features may be overlooked by other realtors, even (or especially) if those features aren't mentioned in the listing. As a hobby, Alyssa has issued herself a challenge to walk every residential street of Portland proper and document the best architecture specimens of each neighborhood. There are about 3500 square miles of Portland, and it's a big feat. By the time she finishes, she will have seen every house in Portland with her own eyes! You can follow her walks on her blog Portland-by-Foot. http://portlandbyfoot.blogspot.com/ When off duty, you can find Alyssa at estate sales, honky tonks, her friend's cattle ranch, or seeking out ghost towns, roadtripping to the Oregon high-desert. A music fanatic and semi-retired booker/manager, Alyssa is heavily immersed in the western swing, old-school country, and rockabilly music scene, and you'll often find her out at shows, dancing, maybe even sharing her favorites on the radio. Alyssa Starelli alyssa@livingroomre.com 503-888-1362 www.aly-star.com
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  • F: 503-961-8224
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