People looking for decor inspiration, gardening ideas, and a vision of Northeast Portland in the 1900s can tour seven private residences in the Irvington Historic District during the 41st Irvington Home Tour on Sunday, May 18.
The self-guided, self-paced tour, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., includes exemplars of English Arts and Crafts, Mediterranean Revival, and other classic architectural styles, with well-preserved and tastefully updated interiors.
A 1915 Prairie Craftsman was remodeled by Arciform, a Portland-based design and build firm owned by Anne De Wolf, with interior design by Arlene Lord of Lord Design. Another home has an outdoor living space featuring a brick fireplace, pergola, and flagstone terrace.
“Some of the houses are professionally designed, while others showcase the unique and creative style of the homeowner,” event organizer Jon Eaton told The Oregonian/OregonLive.
“The decor, design, and remodel solutions are all very translatable. There are some really lovely kitchen designs.”
During the tour, a block by the 1898 Irvington Tennis Club at 2131 N.E. Thompson St. will be closed off to cars, allowing people to purchase lunch from food carts and sit at tables. Another block will display early 20th-century luxury automobiles made by the Packard Motor Car Company and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
Docents knowledgeable about each of the houses on the tour will be present to answer questions about the history and materials chosen by the homeowner, architect, or builder.
All of the residences have fascinating stories, as researched by the tour organizers:
A 1910 Craftsman Foursquare owned by George B. and Maude Van Waters may have been designed and constructed by prolific builder Frederic Bowman. George Van Waters was president of the Van Waters-Cook Manufacturing Co., vice president of American Brassworks, and a Protestant Episcopal clergyman.
A 1911 Arts and Crafts house was designed by contractor Arthur A. Arend for Judge George Alexander Hartman, his wife, Eva, and their sons, Ernest and George. The property was purchased in 1920 by insurance salesman John R. Dickson and Mary Dickson, who was one of the best bridge players and the highest-ranking women golfers in the Northwest, and the captain of the Waverley Country Club’s women’s golf team, according to an Oregonian story.
Another notable home is a 1911 Arts and Crafts house with Colonial Revival details, designed and built by George Eastman, an architect for the Oregon Home Builders Association. George L. and Mary L. Bratton purchased the home when it was new, and their daughter, Mabel McDowell, later hosted gatherings there for the Coterie, a social and educational club.
A 1914 English Arts and Crafts house, designed by influential architect Joseph Jacobberger, was owned by Henry F. and Anna Kalvelage of the Kalvelage Lumber Company. The second homeowner in 1927 was Louisa J. Walsh, who was listed as the president of an electrical company founded by her husband in the 1890s.
A Prairie School house with a large veranda was designed, built, and owned by Herbert and Addie Stemler after 1912, and it was most likely completed in 1915. Inside, the home features decorative ceilings, a mahogany mantel, and oak wainscot and door frames. Herbert Stemler was the manager of a local typewriter company, and the couple invested in real estate, buying and selling lots, and constructing houses on speculation. Around 1908, the Stemlers bought six lots in Block 15 from the Irvington Investment Company for $9,600.
A 1921 English Arts and Crafts cottage designed by the DeYoung & Roald architectural firm was initially owned by Herbert C. Berg, who was the president of the Portland Packard Sales and Service Co., and his wife, Mia.
Lastly, a 1931 Spanish Mission Revival house was designed by Portland architect Ewald T. Pape and built by the Shand and Reager construction company for George and Lena Doumitt Lewis. George Lewis was born in Greece and owned the downtown Lewis Café, while Lena moved from Syria. The couple lived in the house with their son George, Lena’s daughter, Violet, and her niece.
People should expect to spend at least 2.5 hours touring the seven houses. The tour’s guidebook includes descriptions of the properties as well as a map of the registered Heritage Trees in the historic district.
Tickets for the Irvington Community Association’s fundraising tour are priced at $40 (irvingtonpdx.com/home-tour) and support educational and social programs for youth and seniors.
There is also an option for a premium experience at $250 per person, which includes attending a pre-party and a small-group tour of the houses the night before the May 18 tour.
“We’re eager to reach as many people as possible and raise more funds than ever for local schools and nonprofit groups,” said Eaton, a longtime Irvington resident who encourages everyone to purchase tickets in advance.
The history of Irvington dates back to the 640-acre Donation Land Claim granted in 1851 to Captain William Irving and Elizabeth Jane Dixon Irving. In the Oregon Territory, a husband and wife each owned half of the total grant in their own name.
Elizabeth Irving was a savvy businesswoman who plotted the neighborhood on her family’s land in the late 1880s, according to tour organizers.
Today, the Irvington Historic District has the largest intact collections of Queen Anne, Arts and Crafts, Colonial Revival, and Period Revival style residences in Oregon.
The district also has dozens of early 20th-century multiplexes and apartments, and over 300 historically designated homes are smaller than the city’s median-sized dwelling, noted Eaton.
Additionally, there are public housing high-rises for seniors and individuals with disabilities, as well as more than 75 self-contained accessory dwelling units (ADUs), in support of the citywide initiative to create greater density.
image source from：https://www.oregonlive.com/hg/2025/04/portlands-irvington-historic-district-home-tour-takes-you-inside-7-private-residences.html
