Robert and Charles Wilson Homes

Warm Springs, Oregon
Built: 1947

The Robert and Charles Wilson Homes, constructed along the banks of the Deschutes River, are significant for two reasons: their mid-century architectural pedigree, and the little-known role played by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs in Central Oregon’s lumber industry.
Designed in the 1940s by world-renowned architect, Pietro Belluschi, the Wilson homes are his only example of multiple dwellings on a single site. Built as vacation homes for prominent figures in the Warm Springs lumber industry, they are outstanding examples of high-style, mid-century modern architecture.
For the Tribes, however, they reflect a cultural struggle over ownership of the land and the timber industry jobs essential to their economic well being. These homes are significant to the Tribes because of their recent reclamation of the property. They also sit along iconic stretches of fly-fishing waters in Oregon.
Duke Properties Corporation, who owned the Wilson homes for 30 years, vacated the property in 1995 after the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs purchased the property. Both houses are in poor condition, but the larger Robert Wilson house has badly deteriorated, sitting without a tenant for 23 years. Interiors of the properties remain unchanged since the homes were first built and include original appliances and millwork.
Though understandably focused on more pressing Tribal issues, numerous preservation efforts have been made since purchasing the property. These efforts have included site tours to raise public awareness, site surveys, condition assessments, and maintenance attempts by Tribal staff and tenants. At the rate of deterioration, however, the threat of total loss of both homes is imminent without outside support and investment. The Tribes are exploring the potential for the properties to serve as a recreation destination to provide much-needed income.
Restore Oregon will work to to assist the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs in conducting emergency stabilization and carrying out an adaptive reuse plan for these extraordinary homes. Saving this endangered place will recognize the Tribes’ history and role in Oregon’s lumber industry, and promote future awareness of tribal culture while developing their tourism industry.This project was funded in part by the Oregon Cultural Trust and Kinsman foundation: