Blog Stories SOLD in Cathedral Park

SOLD in Cathedral Park

By Living Room Realty, August 12, 2021

This 1909 listing was owned by my sweet sellers for 10 years, a decade well spent taking a diamond in the rough and infusing it with their love and energy. Their spirit could be felt throughout the home and was an energy that survived the genericizing touches of painting and staging. Perhaps the most wonderful part of the property is the magical gardens they created-every inch planted with tender beauty. What was a patchy dry lawn evolved into an oasis, thoughtfully designed and yet carefree enough to rival any wild Portland garden. The space reflected their love for the property and for each other — they were very, very happy here.

St Johns bridge is my favorite span and it hovers near the property, watching over the house and the neighborhood. It’s the only steel suspension bridge in Portland and pours smack dab into Cathedral Park, an area rich with history. Native Americans would camp and fish on the river banks here. Much later, it was one of the 14 landing sites of the Lewis and Clark expedition. James Johns, after whom St Johns is named, used to run the ferry across the river to Linnton, long prior to the bridge construction in 1931.  The area was only officially named “Cathedral Park” in 1980 after years of fundraising to clean up the area and establish a park, so named for the Cathedral like arches of the bridge.

I think about the mark my dear sellers have left on the property. They were incredibly honorable stewards during their tenure, leaving the place better than before. I have every faith that the new owners will carry on the tradition (they took up to tending the gardens long before we closed!) and leave their own profound imprint. I’m hopeful, too, that they will still be in the house when the Cathedral Park time capsule, placed at the wall of history in the Memorial Garden in 1980, will be opened in 2030.

Living Room Realty

Read More
  • T: 503-719-5588
  • welcome@livingroomre.com

You might also enjoy

Dogwood days of Milwaukie

Jessica LeDoux

Milwaukie, OR was founded in 1847 and in 1962 was dubbed “The Dogwood City of the West,”...

The parks and green spaces of Milwaukie

Jessica LeDoux

Milwaukie, Oregon is rich with a variety of parks and green spaces that cater to the...

Embracing the Tranquil Charms of Milwaukie, Oregon

Jessica LeDoux

In 2021, my life took an exciting turn as my husband accepted a position at Clackamas...

Notable new developments in Milwaukie

Jessica LeDoux

MILWAUKIE, a city just outside of Portland in Clackamas County (with the exception of a small...