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The Henry B. Dickson House

"A Perfect Type of New England Architecture"
2123 NE 21st Avenue

Ellis Lawrence had been in Portland only three years when he was commissioned to design this house by Henry B. Dickson, a teller for Security Savings and Trust Company.  Very little is known about the Dickson family, and it is the association with master architect Ellis Lawrence which is the basis of its listing on the National Register.  Lawrence had arrived in Portland in 1906 enroute to San Francisco, having graduated a few years earlier from MIT in Boston with a degree in architecture.  The earthquake and fire in San Francisco that year persuaded the young Lawrence to stay in Portland and build his practice here.  After a few years with partners McNaughton and Raymond, he went off on his own -- this house is one of the first known to have been designed by Lawrence in his independent practice.

In the ensuing years, Lawrence went on to become one of the most influential architects in Oregon.  Though his designs were well conceived and well executed, it was his tireless effort at bringing professionalism and high standards to the practice of architecture in the state that have won him lasting recognition.  In 1914, he founded the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts in Eugene.  His philosophy of teaching rejected the formalism and narrowness of the traditional Beaux Arts school and emphasized an integration of the arts in the design of buildings and human spaces -- ideas which were seen as strikingly modern for the time.  He was also involved in organizing the Portland Architectural Club, the Architectural League of the Pacific Coast, and the Oregon Association of Building Construction.  The Portland Chapter of the American Institute of Architects was founded by a group which Lawrence led, and he served for a time as its president.

In the 1980's a number of Ellis Lawrence-designed homes and buildings were reviewed for placement on the National Register of Historic Places in a "Multiple Property Submission".  Each property was scored for importance and relevance to the architectural development of Oregon and for its historic integrity.  At that time, it was not known that this house was a Lawrence design.  Later research revealed an article in the 1909 Portland Oregonian which made reference to Ellis Lawrence as the architect of this house.  The title quotation "a Perfect Type of New England Architecture" came from the caption of the picture which illustrated that article.

Subsequently the house was found to meet all the criteria for National Register listing.  Among the home's distinctive features are its substantial degree of preservation both inside and out, the creative flair Lawrence exhibited in adapting the conventions of Colonial Revival style to a well proportioned layout which rejected the typical symmetry of facade and interior, and the placement of the home among a collection of similarly distinctive homes also designed by Lawrence.  

Altogether Ellis Lawrence designed at least 20 homes in the Irvington neighborhood.  His simple, dignified designs help establish the tone of the neighborhood, especially in this stretch of 21st Avenue.  For comparison, see also the Irvington Tennis Club, the Henry B. Miller House, the John and Ellen Bowman House and the Lewis T. Gilliland House listings in this website.