2165 NE Hancock Street Once a Threatened Wreck, Now a Sophisticated Showplace

This classic foursquare was built in 1909 by the architectural firm of Roberts and Roberts, for Zenas and Maggie Dimmick. The original sales price is listed as alternately $2500 or $3000, depending on which records you look at. When the current owners, (no strangers to old home love, having painstakingly restored an Edwardian flat in San Francisco before moving to Portland), acquired the house, they continued the process of bringing it back from the brink to realize it's full potential. Their success has been celebrated in articles in The Oregonian and, in 2006, in New Old House Magazine.

This colorful and sophisticated home is bursting with creativity, humor, and drama. Beyond the sumptuous living room, with its dark varnished woodwork is the intimately scaled library, also known as the "we need to have a talk" room. The painting on the wall is the appropriately titled "Excess Baggage" by artist Carol Aust. Stained glass windows in the house were created by the owner, from antique glass belonging to a friend's grandfather. They provide privacy while also offering a playful slant on the craftsman aesthetic.

In the kitchen, terrazzo counters were made with a custom color mix of pebbles to go with the artwork in the room. Gone are the plain white walls, repainted in a harmonizing range of strong but subtle shades. In an unconventional move, the ceilings in some rooms are painted in semi gloss, to add drama when lit at night. Traditional furnishings and fine antiques mingle with Goodwill finds. Modern touches brighten every room.

From the light filled basement office, with its beautiful private garden view, to the attic retreat's innovative use of space, this home is living proof of preservation efforts well spent on many levels.