Comments on: Portland Heights Real Estate Ad, 1906

By: wl

wl — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 23:47:05 +0000

woops – meant ‘back of that thing ISN’T Japanese-influenced, nothing is.’

By: wl

wl — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 23:45:49 +0000

I am also curious about the teahouse – the Keasey office is still there (1741 SW Hawthorne Terrace); even though PortlandMaps declares a 1908 date for this structure, the building in the advertisement is clearly in the same location… right down to the telephone pole. Not only that, the ‘historic permits’ on Portlandmaps features the original permit, which reads: “This building was a real estate office and is remodelled for dwelling.”
What is NOT clear is if this was the Japanese Teahouse; 2 points in favor of this argument are the easement for a long staircase that goes down to Elizabeth (still extant), and this photo:

http://oregondigital.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/archpnw&CISOPTR=9044&CISOBOX=1&REC=4

If the back of that thing is Japanese-influenced, nothing is. Still no PROOF, however. Still looking!

By: Jane Harold

Jane Harold — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 06:00:29 +0000

Last night OPB ran it’s ‘Streetcar’ special on Oregon Experience. People didn’t want to move up into the hills for many reasons, but mostly because you couldn’t access them! That is until the cable car came along, thanks to the electric company, developers and real estate agents. Still, it was a long time before the benefits of living in ‘the heights’ became known as exclusive. Our hills have many-a-story to tell! Great pic and ad!

By: Dan Haneckow

Dan Haneckow — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 03:01:39 +0000

Like Marianne said, I too have wondered about that Labbe Street in Greenhills. I have seen plat maps with large Labbe holdings in the nearby Mt Zion / Sylvan area. I have also seen photos of an impressive Victorian house on the top of the hill, at or very near the eventual vicinity of Labbe street. Maybe it belonged to another of the Labbe brothers, -just speculation though…

By: Marianne Brophy Ritchie

Marianne Brophy Ritchie — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 02:11:15 +0000

Labbe street is in Greenhills, I wonder what the connection is? Maybe a developer or landowner?

By: Robert Mercer

Robert Mercer — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 01:52:24 +0000

Most lost–especially the Victorians. But the Pfunder house, A.D. Charlton, C. Henri Labbe, probably the WB Streeter, the Nichols, and the Walter V Smith (significantly enlarged about 1908) remain

By: Edmund

Edmund — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 21:02:33 +0000

Unfortunately most of these houses and buildings did not survive past the mid-point of the last century.

The home of General Beebe is long gone, replaced by one house, then another in succession on the same lot. The subsequent builders wisely left the beautiful retaining walls that surrounded the General’s original property almost entirely intact. The Blaise Labbe mansion, and that of his brother Antoine next door were razed before 1920, but again, the original retaining walls were left intact by the builders of the houses that replaced them.
The Page homes, once located near SW Vista Avenue and Jackson street are both gone, as is the M.B. Rankin place at 17th and Clifton.

By: c.w. doucette

c.w. doucette — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 16:41:19 +0000

20th being vista, obviously

By: c.w. doucette

c.w. doucette — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 16:39:28 +0000

the l.g. pfunder house is still at 20th and myrtle, i have admired it often as i have friends who live near there

By: Dan Haneckow

Dan Haneckow — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 14:33:01 +0000

Interesting picture on the bottom of the ad of the D.E. Keasey & Co office ‘opposite the observatory” (the Lewis & Clark Exposition observatory that would be disassembled and reconstructed on Council Crest). I have read the small structure described as a “the Japanese Tea House” but up to now I have not seen a picture of it. There is a modest bungalow on the site today, which very well could be the building, somewhat expanded.