Sentimental Sunday: Ewald T. Pape's House Designs

When I attended the Texas State Genealogical Society conference a couple weeks ago, I won a door prize - a one year's subscription to GenealogyBank, which includes a number of historic newspapers.  This weekend I did a little searching, and found (among other things), the above ad, from page 31 of the March 14, 1926, Portland Oregonian, for my architect relative Ewald Theodore Pape (1894-1976).  In all, I found 50 articles with references to him just in this newspaper, concerning numerous houses, apartment buildings, and other facilities he designed.  Here are a couple that I have been able to verify still exist today:

Page 24 of the February 22, 1931, Portland Oregonian has a sketch (above) by "E.T. Pape" (his signature and the year 1931 are clearly visible in the lower right-hand corner) of a home "at the northeast corner of East Twenty-eighth street and Knapp avenue" "in the Eastmoreland district."

I thought it was interesting that the house was commissioned "by the Portland Women's Realty Board to show what may be done for $12,000 in this city when it comes to attractive, practical homes."  So far I haven't been able to find any information about the Portland Women's Realty Board.

Building went quickly.  The June 7, 1931, Portland Oregonian, on page 26, says, "The house designed by Mr. Pape for the Portland Women's Realty board is now nearing completion at East Twenty-eighth street and Knapp avenue, Eastmoreland, and will be open to the public June 14 for inspection."

It was pretty easy to determine from the description and from looking at Google Maps that the address of this house, which still stands (as of August 2011), is 2805 SE Knapp Street.  It doesn't appear to have been altered on the outside, and a real estate listing from three years ago indicates that the Tudor-style house has four bedrooms, three baths, 2972 finished square feet and 837 unfinished square feet (probably in the attached two-car garage), hardwood floors, "original woodwork, moldings, archways, leaded windows, built-ins, stately entry with grand stairway and foyer, elegant formal rooms, gorgeous designer kitchen with breakfast bar and nook, fabulous master suite with fireplace (1 of 3) and window seat."

A drawing of the house pictured above appears on page 18 of the August 27, 1933, Portland Oregonian.  According to Google Maps, this house also still exists (as of July 2011) at almost the same address, 3517 East Burnside Street, in the Laurelhurst neighborhood.  Burnside is apparently a north/south divider street, and the house is on the north side of the street. "The English Tudor theme was used by the designer, E. T. Pape, with a harmonious blending of stucco, stone, brick, and timber."  Public records indicate the 4,394-square-foot house has four bedrooms and one-to-three bathrooms on a 7,334-square-foot lot.

© Amanda Pape - 2012 - click here to e-mail me.