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The Henry B. Miller House

An English Arts & Crafts Home by Ellis Lawrence
2439 NE 21st Avenue

When Henry B. Miller returned to Portland after a long career as a politician and American diplomat, he hired noted Portland architect Ellis Lawrence to design this gracious home in the heart of Irvington, just a couple of blocks from Lawrence's own home.  Miller had distinguished himself in difficult assignments to China during the Boxer Rebellion, Japan during the Russo-Japanese Ware, and Ireland.  During his work in Japan he journeyed to Manchuria where he earned awards for his leadership in relief work for the thousands of displaced Chinese and Japanese refugees.  During his years in Asia, Miller was a tireless advocate for U.S. and Oregon trade, arranging the launch of the Oregon and Washington export of apples and pears to Japan, which continues to this day.

Though retired when he returned to his new home in Irvington, Miller was soon caught up in efforts to improve business education in Oregon.  He took the position of Director of the University of Oregon Department of Commercial and Industrial Service at its extension campus in Portland in 1914.  He remained active in promoting the University's programs and as a member of the Portland Chamber of Commerce until his death in 1921.

Prior to his international service, Miller had served in a wide variety of roles in the rapidly developing state of Oregon.  In 1897 and 1898 he was President of the Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University).  From 1885 to 1889 he served as a State Senator, and in 1891 was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives.  During his legislative years he made a crusade of making Crater Lake and its surrounding mountains a national preserve, and was instrumental in its designation during his term in Congress as a National Monument.

The home that Ellis Lawrence designed for Miller's retirement years is an elegant, and beautifully proportioned example of the English Arts & Crafts Style inspired by English originals of the Tudor period..  It was designed at a time when Lawrence was practicing architecture independently, and is one of the finest and best preserved examples of his work during this period.  The house is characterized by fine materials both inside and out and a high quality of workmanship -- all expressed in restrained and understated ornament.

The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 in recognition of the contributions to Oregon and the nation of both Henry B. Miller and Ellis Lawrence.

For more information on Ellis Lawrence and another example of a home that Lawrence designed while a solo architect, see the Henry B. Dickson House listing.