Celebrated architect Walter Gordon was asked by Jack Meier, chairman of Meier & Frank department stores, a half century ago to design an expansive modern residence in Portland’s West Hills.
Today, the 3.4-acre estate at 5335 S.W. Patton Road is for sale at $5.7 million. The one-of-a-kind house, built in 1971 and since renovated, and its private, picturesque setting is “a midcentury masterpiece like a Warhol or Pollock,” said listing broker Suzann Baricevic Murphy of (W)here, Inc.
The restored and enhanced brick dwelling with 8,162 square feet of living space has floor-to-ceiling windows and glass doors that frame the lush landscape, infinity-edge pool and vast valley views. Inside, the Northwest modern style’s judicious use of open space, wood and light creates a sense of warmth and also connects rooms seamlessly to the outdoors.
The entrance door and side panels were handmade by wood sculptor Leroy Setziol, whose work has been exhibited at the Portland Art Museum. Original custom interior wood doors, built-in cabinets and floors have been restored.
Jack Meier’s heirs sold the property in 2015 to Kathleen Lewis, who updated the residence, finished the expansive lower level and upgraded the landscaping. “She redesigned the entire yard including moving the pool so that the outdoor living flowed better,” Murphy told The Oregonian/OregonLive. “Kathleen also restored the forest to the west of the home by clearing out all the non-native species.”
Lewis hired Green Gables Design & Restoration of Portland to execute the remodel. “It was a labor of love by Kathleen, who sold it in 2020 to the current owner who has beautifully maintained it,” Murphy said. “The Walter Gordon home on Patton lives on in all its glory.”
The architect and homeowner
Jack Meier was the third generation of his family to lead the Meier & Frank Co. His grandfather, Aaron Meier, founded the mercantile outlet in 1857 that grew into Oregon’s largest department store chain. Jack’s father, Julius, was the company’s president and Oregon’s governor from 1931 to 1935 during the Great Depression.
Six years after Meier & Frank was sold to May Company in 1966, Jack Meier retired as board chairman. In 1971, a year before he retired, he moved into his new home on Patton Road with his wife, Elizabeth “Betty” Leadbetter Meier.
He died in 1988 and she lived in the house for 43 years, before passing away in 2014 at the age of 110. In the last years of her life, Betty would say, “I think God forgot me,” according to her family.
Betty was the granddaughter of the former publisher of The Oregonian Henry Pittock and Georgiana Pittock, who built the 1914 French Renaissance Revival style chateau, now the Pittock Mansion museum, on a West Hills bluff. Betty’s mother was the Pittocks’ daughter Caroline and Betty’s father was Frederick Leadbetter, who was Henry Pittock’s son-in-law and business partner.
Jack Meier hired Portland architect Walter Gordon to build the new house. Gordon had received many awards during his long career, but one stands out: In 1958, he was recognized by Artists Equity for infusing art into modern structures.
Although best known now for designing handsome houses, the Ivy League-trained Gordon arrived in Portland during World War II to be the assistant director of the Portland Art Museum after being a curator of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
He later accepted a position, for less money, to work for revered architect Pietro Belluschi at his prominent firm. Belluschi became Gordon’s mentor, then his friend for more than 50 years.
Gordon earned degrees from Princeton University and studied at the University of Paris in France and Yale University. He was dean of the architecture department at the University of Oregon and a faculty member at Reed College.
He worked as an architect from 1946 until he died in 1997 at age 89. Gordon’s design stature as a champion of Northwest modern architecture is still strong.
Gordon and Belluschi’s long friendship was honored in 2015 during a benefit for the Architecture Foundation of Oregon and the preservation organization Restore Oregon.
The event was held at the Meier house.
On that night, Belluschi’s son, Portland architect Anthony Belluschi, read aloud some of the thoughtful and funny correspondence between Pietro Belluschi and Gordon. Topics ranged from architecture to politics and life.
After Pietro Belluschi retired as dean of Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s School of Architecture and Planning, he returned to Portland, where his reputation for innovation and elegant buildings began. Pietro Belluschi died here at age 94 in 1994.
Reflecting on Gordon and Pietro today, Anthony Belluschi said, “In their houses, you can see similarities in their sensitive use of wood and and other indigenous materials, and their enthusiasm for the unique characteristics of Pacific Northwest midcentury modern design.”
Oregon real estate
— Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072
Read More:Meier & Frank heir’s midcentury SW Portland house for sale at $5.7 million
2024-01-11 19:04:00
