Pictured Above: Moonrise at the Belluschi residence, photo by Marti Belluschi.
Open Space Series - A Treasure Trove of Modernist Homes
By Marti and Anthony Belluschi, FAIA
First-person reflection from Restore Oregon Modernism Committee members and owners of the Burkes-Belluschi House, a National Register-listed work of a Modern master.
Tony and I were very pleased that, at the suggestion of Realtor and friend Marisa Swenson, Open Space series wanted to photograph our home, designed by Tony's father, Pietro Belluschi, with renovations and additions by Tony. The crew, Elias Tebache and Mick Aure, were very professional, talented, thoughtful, helpful and fun. They were at our home for a full day, filming from every angle, and even stayed to enjoy and photograph the full Harvest Moon in early October. Like many visitors here, they also became very fond of our dog, Honey B, who is featured as Ms. November in Restore Oregon’s 2026 calendar.
Pictured Above: Marti and Tony Belluschi at the Equitable Building in Portland Or, photo by Nicole Possert.
Pictured Above: Honey B. in her home, photo by Marti Belluschi.
Pictured Above: The Belluschi residence looking east, photo by Sally Painter.
The Open Space series is an important project nationally. As stated on their website, with their photos they have "ardently championed the cause of safeguarding architectural treasures for posterity." With a focus primarily on Mid-Century Modern homes, the crew has been filming architecture around the country, including Wright's Falling Water, the Schweikher House in Illinois and the Webber House by A. Quincy Jones in Glendale, California. These homes are featured on their website along with many others. This was their first time visiting Oregon and its unique and significant regional style.
We should all look forward to the future Open Space feature of homes in Portland, many of which have been featured in Restore Oregon’s tours over the years. It will be a wonderful spotlight for promoting our beautiful Pacific Northwest Regional architecture and preservation. Thank you, Marisa, for your work to organize this significant national connection!
We encourage those who are interested to sign up for emails from the website openspaceseries.com or other social media. We sent that suggestion to someone during the recent OREGON MADE home tour, who responded: "What a treasure trove you have sent us in the Open Space link!" For those who may have missed it - particularly with the busyness of the holidays - we suggest that you be sure to also read the informative article by Marisa here, in the RO Newsroom, for additional information.