Mystery Monday: A Mis-Attribution - Ewald Pape's design at 3257 NE U. S. Grant Place, Portland, Oregon

Two articles in the June 7, 1931, Portland Oregonian mention a house that my architect first-cousin-twice-removed, Ewald Theodore Pape (1894-1976), designed.  One article, called "Church Gets Permit," says:

"The [city] bureau [of buildings] also issued a permit for a $12,000 residence, to be erected by J. H. Cleland at 985 U. S. Grant place. E. T. Pape prepared the plans."

The second article, called "Six Houses Under Way," said:

"For John H. Cleland, he [E. T. Pape] has designed a two-story colonial of nine rooms, also for U. S. Grant place, that will cost approximately $12,000.  It will contain three baths."

Using PastPortland.com, I determined that the address after the 1932 renumbering was 3257 NE U. S. Grant Place, and this is the house:




So in doing my research, I checked the Oregon Historic Sites Database.  The house is described in the attached City of Portland Historic Resource Inventory form as being a Twentieth Century Colonial, with "gable roof, boxed cornice with return, brick end-wall chimney, pedimented entry with modillioned cornice supported by two sets of double-columns, double doors with elliptical fan light above, round arched window with keystones, and louvered shutters."

A real estate listing from 2013 notes a "gracious formal entry with open staircase is flanked by spacious living and dining rooms with hardwood floors, [period light fixtures, original] leaded [glass] windows and built-ins [like a china hutch in the dining room]. Four large bedrooms up includes grand master suite" with three closets.   "Period baths" have "original tile."

However, I was surprised to find some discrepancies in the City of Portland's Historic Resource Inventory form.  Here's a snippet from the first page for this property:

Architectural plans by Edward J. Green?

This had to be a mistake.  Note that Cleland is also spelled wrong.  Also, on the next page of the form, the wrong address is given as the old address of the property:

I decided to double-check the City of Portland's 1933 index for house and street renumbering. Here's the relevant section from page 90:

As can be seen, the old 991 U. S. Grant Place is today's 3265 NE U. S. Grant Place, which happens to be the house next door, also owned by John Cleland.  Perhaps that is the one designed by Edward J. Green.  If you look at the plumbing permit available on PortlandMaps.com, you can see why the error might have happened:

The card shows 991 crossed out and 985 written just above it, as well as the renumbered/renamed address, 3257 NE.  Other details correspond:  Cleland as the owner, 2 story, 3 baths (water closets or toilets).  The date of the permit is July 11, 1931, just a month after the newspaper articles.  The house next door, today's 3265, was also owned by Cleland, but its plumbing permit is dated September 26, 1931.

Here's a photo of the house at 3257 NE U. S. Grant Place from sometime around May 1981, the date the ownership at that time was noted.  Since then, door and window shutters on the first floor have been removed, as have storm doors on the front:

I'll be contacting the City of Portland and sharing my research, in hopes that the incorrect information can be corrected in the Oregon Historic Sites database immediately as well as when the City of Portland Historic Resource Inventory is updated, as there are plans to do that.

© Amanda Pape - 2018 - click here to e-mail me.