By Bonnie Roseman, December 29, 2019
Brendan and Mary landed a piece of the past!
At the corner of SE Harrison and 7th Avenue a number of Victorian era homes have been carefully preserved. Originally built in 1893 as rental homes, shortly after East Portland was annexed by the booming City of Portland. One of the renters, Lee G. Holden, designed the adjacent fire station (circa 1913) and these houses were often home to firefighters who worked at Engine No. 23 and their families. The firehouse itself later made history as Oregon’s first medical cannabis dispensary and now their bud tenders offer medical and recreational weed. They have maintained the original facade and some of the other architectural features of the old station. Commonly called Firehouse Row, the official name of this little enclave of Queen Anne lovely ladies, added to the National Historic Registry in 1989, is The George P. Lent Investment Properties. George, who was born in Portland in 1852 to the eponymous Lents family, of the Lents neighborhood, built the now famed homes.
Then and Now
When Brendan and Mary described their wish list for a first home of their own, this beauty with its turret, colored glass and other historic architectural details came right to mind. It was love at first sight. Navigating a VA loan, with all the extra requirements regarding property conditions, on an 1893 historic home, was a bit of a battle. Also, the home was being used as a short term rental, further complicating inspections and repairs, because we had to schedule all of our appointments around guest bookings. In the end we got it all successfully squared away.
Gracing the walls of the Airbnb, the sellers had some very old mounted photos of the house and neighborhood on display. As a wonderful gesture they left them for Brendan and Mary to enjoy. A very sweet gift! The block is still intact, providing a rare site of old, old Portland housing. 
On their project list is repainting the exterior. Mary and Brendan contacted Bob Buckner, famed color expert of The Painted Ladies Revisited and other works on Victorian homes and he coded photos of the house to guide them through how to get the paint job just right. I cannot wait to see it!
References: Multnomah Pioneer Obituaries, Wikipedia, Placeandsee.com, https://www.cannablissandco.com/firestation-23-portland-or
Bonnie Roseman
Principal Broker | Earth Advantage | ADU Specialist | OR
She/Her
Hello, we’re so glad you’re here! My team and I are ready to answer all of your real estate questions and help you make a move when the time is right...
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- T: 503-515-5973
- bonnie@livingroomre.com
