The Pipes Family Residence is one of the largest and most architecturally notable houses in the northwest corner of Irvington, where most of the houses are more traditional Craftsman bungalows. The house is notable for the high degree of historical integrity that it retains in its organization, features, and interior and exterior appearance. The English Arts and Crafts style of the home, its unique parapeted gables, and its elegant proportions all draw attention to the building.

Prior to this area having become a residential neighborhood, its owner, Elizabeth Irving-Ryan, leased the land to the Multnomah Fair Association. Beginning in 1892, the area was used as a very successful fairgrounds and racetrack. In 1898, the area was temporarily used as camp for troops being sent to fight in the Spanish American War. In 1905, Irving-Ryan sued her tenant for gambling and liquor sales at the racetrack, which she vehemently opposed. After the forfeiture, Irving-Ryan sold the land and it was re-platted as the Prospect Park section of Irvington.

Martin Luther Pipes, a prominent attorney and judge, commissioned the house for himself and his family in 1910, and it served as Pipes family residence until 1927. Pipes was a respected attorney, an Oregon Supreme Court justice, and a member of the Oregon House of Representatives. At the time of his death, Martin Luther Pipes was the oldest member of the Oregon Bar. Perhaps his most famous legal case was Pickering v. Winch (1906) in which he defended the wishes that Amanda W. Reed set forth in her will. Pipes’ victory in the case over Reed’s heirs resulted in the creation of Reed College.

Martin Luther Pipes’ son, Wade Hampton Pipes, was a prominent Portland architect and a champion of the Arts and Crafts style. Wade Pipes studied architecture at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London between 1907 and 1911, but he spent the rest of his life in Oregon. Wade Pipes lived in his father’s home in Irvington from 1911 until 1925. During this period, he designed at least 32 houses, nearly half of all the houses he is known to have designed in his career. From his very first commission in Portland, Wade Pipes set himself apart as an adherent of the Arts and Crafts philosophy. His architectural style emphasizes simplified, sculptural forms and restrained ornamentation. Features that became associated with Wade Pipes’ designs include: prominent gables, a combination of stucco and clapboard siding, casement windows, large chimneys, flat facades, and overall simplicity and elegance.