Those Place Thursday: The Beat Apartment House, 2904 SE Washington, Portland, Oregon - An Ewald Pape Design

National Register nomination materials for some of the apartment buildings designed by my architect first-cousin-twice-removed, Ewald Theodore Pape (1894-1976), in Portland, Oregon, mention another of his works, and call it the "Beat Apartment House."  This building, really a six-plex of townhouse units, is located on a 100-foot by 50-foot lot at the intersection of SE Washington and SE 29th Avenue, near the Laurelhurst neighborhood.  Each unit has its own address.

This house is in the Oregon Historic Sites Database and the Portland Historic Resource Inventory, and is described as English Cottage style.  The Portland inventory says its special features and materials include an "exterior of brick and smooth stucco, hip roof with projecting gables, [and] round-arch porch entries" (for units 2908 and 2912).  Here is a photo of the building's Washington Street side from about May 1980, the date of the Portland inventory, that shows some of these features.




Here is how that side looked in June 2018, from a slightly different angle:




I thought the brick work of this building was especially beautiful.  Here is a view of the one unit that faces 29th Avenue, with the address 606.  You can also see the back side of the building, along with some of the back doors each unit has.

Here is the original plumbing permit for the building, showing that construction began on December 4, 1929.  The owner's name has a typo; it should read R.[obert] B. Beat (1973-1930), a respected building contractor at the time.

Interior photos of 2904 and 2908 are available from two recent real estate listings, and appear to reflect two different floor plans.  Ads indicate the 1000-square-foot units have a "living room, dining room and kitchen on the first floor, two bedrooms and bath on the second. Its public spaces are finished with mahogany woodwork, leaded and double-hung wood sash windows, vintage light fixtures and oak flooring throughout. The bathroom retains its original tile work and the kitchen has just been restored. The laundry room and a secure storage space are in the basement."


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