Architect Spotlight Tour: Oh My Storrs! A Four Home Tour

In the late 1950s, toward the beginning of John Storrs’ career, four couples purchased a piece of scenic property tucked into the hills of Southwest Portland. They selected John Storrs, who is well-known for his hands-on, responsive approach to design, as their collective architect.

Initially, there was a twist, especially for an architect like Storrs, whose characteristic site sensitivity would make the most of the surrounding topography. The friends purchased the property without knowing which couple would live in which quadrant. It wasn’t until they drew straws that Storrs could start designing for the specific couples.

More than 65 years later, the current owners of all four homes are all friends, treating their four-property collection of Storrs houses just as their predecessors did: as a close-knit grouping of open-concept homes with combined, landscaped spaces they can all use for socializing.

While John Storrs is most well-known for the Portland Garden Club, Salishan Coastal Lodge, the Western Forestry Center, and other acclaimed commercial projects, he was remarkably prolific when it came to residential buildings. He designed roughly 80 houses over three decades as an architect, all with characteristic site sensitivity. He devoted considerable time to understanding a site’s natural features before commencing with design, and would use site visits to flush out details as needed, often drawing ideas on building materials. 

Storrs’ designs embraced tenets of the International Style, namely a lack of ornamentation and color, open floor plans emphasizing volume, and a repetitive modular organization of wall planes and windows. However, his designs largely rejected the style’s mechanistic leanings, and embraced the use of wood as a finish material to make residences feel more meaningful and humane. Windows and walls were placed optimally for the human experience, to create a sense of human proportion while framing the environment beyond.

You won't want to miss this gathering!

This exciting four-house jaunt features a complimentary glass of wine, hors d'oeuvres, and stunning views of the Southwest Portland hills.

Join Restore Oregon’s Modernist Society Membership!

For modernism enthusiasts who want to enjoy this tour and the entire Restore Oregon Modernism collection of private and public events, Restore Oregon offers the Modernist Society membership for only $250 per year (that’s just about $20 a month). Click here to learn more or join today.