The Nicolai-Cake-Olson House* 1903 NE Hancock Street Pioneering Craftsman That Helped Define the Style in Portland

When young Harry Nicolai, whose father owned Portland's largest millwork and wood planing company, decided to build a house in Irvington in 1905, he turned to family friend, architect Emil Schacht for an ultra-modern design.  Never one to waste a good design, Schacht produced a slight variation of a house built in late 1904 in Willamette Heights -- by developers hoping to cash in on the flood of visitors to the area for the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition.  This design was one of Schacht's most modern -- steeped in the philosophies of the founder of the Craftsman movement, Gustav Stickley.  The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 for its connection to pioneer Portland architect Schacht and for its key role in introducing Craftsman architecture to Portland.  See also the National Register pages in this website for more of the house's history.

Nicolai found the house a tough sell -- perhaps it was too modern, but by 1908, it had been bought by a neighbor, a local department store magnate, for his daughter and son-in-law, Harry and Mable Cake.  The Harry Cake was in influential lawyer, banker, and investor, whose law firm, Cake & Cake continues (under the names of its current partners) as one of Portland's largest and most respected law firms.  The year they acquired the house, Harry ran for one of Oregon's U.S. Senate seats against George Chamberlain (two blocks away, see his house on tour this year) -- and lost.  Then, in 1926, the Cakes left Portland to pursue their investments in California.

The new owners, Judge Fred and Mable Olson decided to "modernize" the house, adding the stucco sheathing and simplifying the interior woodwork as part of their year-long remodel project in 1927.  The Olsons, he a prominent judge, she a well known local musician and singer, cared for the house until Mrs. Olson's death in 1967.  Her tenacity is credited with saving the home from the wrecking ball that destroyed so many neighboring homes in the early 1960's.

The current owners bought the house in 1999.  Captivated by the history of the house and its historic significance, they have been restoring the house room by room to a typical 1905 look -- plus adding many creative touches of their own.  The historic restoration of the living and dining rooms won its contractor the 2004 Oregon Remodelers' Association award for best historic restoration of the year, and American Bungalow Magazine carried an extensive article on the house in its Summer, 2006, issue (Issue #50).  For still more on this home and its architecture, see the 2006 Home Tour Lecture: Ovation and Overview, Architects of Irvington pages.

 * This is the "Historic Name" given to this home when it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.