1831 NE Brazee Street Rustic Craftsman Bungalow Designed by Alfred Faber

Historic image courtesy of Multnomah County Library, Wilson Rare Book Room

While bungalows of this style ultimately proliferated throughout many western and mid-western cities, back in 1907 when the brilliant and controversial architect Alfred Faber designed this home, it was an utterly radical concept.  Faber was a transplant from Philadelphia, and outspokenly advocated "modern" residential designs.  He experimented liberally (and sometimes disasterously) with new materials and techniques and was continually searching for ways to use local stone in his designs.  So proud was Faber of his design that in 1908 when he published his illustrated brochure The House That Differs, he featured a photo of this home on its cover.

He was rightly proud of his design for it is a terrific example of all the qualities that made the bungalow the most popular style of home in Portland from 1906 through 1920.  The overhanging roof above the front porch shelters a sleeping porch, itself a novel feature for a house of the day.  This is one of the first in Irvington to use river rock so extensively - in the columns, chimney and garden wall.  Its appealing rustic feel is enhanced by a deeply shaded wraparound porch, and a veritable inglenook of a porch swing.  Harmony is achieved by balancing this rusticity with fine details like the scrollwork carved into the front door and the use of the charming 28 over 1 windows.

As one of only two Faber-designed homes in Irvington, we were especially pleased to have this home on the Tour in 2009 for the first time in the history of the Tour.