In 1957, four couples gathered at a cocktail party to see which of four daylight ranch houses would be theirs. Together, they had purchased about an acre of land in Southwest Portland’s Hillsdale neighborhood and hired modernist architect John Storrs to design a floor plan with vaulted ceilings and glass walls. Two of the divided lots were a quarter acre. One lot was larger, one smaller.
When construction was nearly completed, each couple drew a number that represented a lot.
“Fortunately, everyone was delighted with the house they got and believed they got their preferred location,” said Brad Wilson, who grew up in one of homes on or near Southwest 18th Drive. “They were able to do a little bit of customization and all lived in their home for 30 or more years.”
The cost to create what is known as Storrs Quadrant? Under $50,000 per couple. The contractor and subcontractors charged less per home since they were working on four at a time, and Storrs, now celebrated as an architectural change maker, was still building his reputation.
Wilson heard from his parents that Storrs thought it was a fun project and his fee was “low on the compensation scale” even though the young architect had designed the 1954 Portland Garden Club’s headquarters, a modern building now listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The couples, three in creative fields, plus Oregon’s U.S. attorney Sidney Lezak and neuropsychologist Muriel Lezak, liked the spare, clean lines of modern. Storrs positioned the houses and decks to maximize natural light and views of the Southwest hills and valley, while providing privacy for the households.
“I don’t picture my parents being as analytical as (home shoppers are) today,” said Wilson, who lived in the house from 5 years old until leaving at 18 to attend the University of Oregon in Eugene. He said his parents didn’t consider commute time, property taxes or future resale. “They just liked the area,” said Wilson, who lives in Lake Oswego.
For the first time, all four of the privately owned Storrs Quadrant homes will be open, from noon to 4:30 p.m. July 13, as a fundraiser for the nonprofit Restore Oregon, a statewide preservation and educational organization.
Admission to Oh My Storrs! A Four Home Tour is $125. Guests will explore each residence at their own pace, said Restore Oregon executive director Nicole Possert. Then, they will follow in the footsteps of the original owners, meandering the terraced and gardened pathways in between the homes to a central patio area. Here, they can enjoy the scenery, mingle with other Restore Oregon Modernism supporters and chat with the current homeowners. Adding to the cocktail atmosphere: Wine and appetizers will be served.
“There’s no better way to gain insight into the creativity of modern designs by John Storrs than by standing on that central patio and having a 360 degree view of the four homes intentionally designed for this setting,” Possert told The Oregonian/OregonLive.
She also thanked the current homeowners for their “gracious understanding” of the important role home tours and education play “in saving and stewarding Oregon’s modernist design heritage.”
This daylight ranch is one of the fabled Storrs Quadrant, where four couples hired architect John Storrs to design lookalike daylight ranch homes, completed around 1957, on land partitioned into four lots on and around Southwest 18th Drive in Portland’s Hillsdale neighborhood.Restore Oregon
The Connecticut-born Storrs received a master’s of architecture degree at Yale University in 1949 and crossed the country five years later, inspired by Portland architect Pietro Belluschi, who lectured at Yale about the Pacific Northwest’s take on modern design.
Storrs, whose projects include Salishan Lodge in Gleneden Beach, the World Forestry Center in Portland’s Washington Park and more than 80 private residences, enjoyed a long architecture career. He died in 2003 at age 83.
His widow, Fran Storrs, said they were often invited by their good friends, Sid and Muriel Lezak, to social events on the Lezaks’ large front deck John Storrs oriented to face away from the other Quadrant houses. Fran said her husband, who was “an absolutely memorable person with a charismatic, outrageous personality,” designed to accommodate people’s personal and social interactions.
The Lezaks’ Friday afternoon gatherings were large, legendary and loud, but the neighbors never complained, said oldest daughter Anne Lezak. “Every one of the houses has a lovely deck and they are all used,” she told The Oregonian/OregonLive.
Although the adults were friendly, they had different interests and outside social circles, Lezak said, while the kids ran around together all the time, “using the entire area as a playground.”
Lezak called John Storrs a genius in creating a relaxed environment surrounded by nature. “We all lived in a beautiful and special place,” said Lezak, who moved into her family’s new house when she was 3. “My parents could not have been happier and we were very lucky.”
Storrs accomplished an open, indoor-outdoor feel with all four homes by having windows that span across the rooms, and some interior walls and closets that stop below the ceiling. Sliding glass doors open to a deck, stone patio and terraced grounds, depending on the slope of the land.
He saw unpainted and textured wood as an “understandable, romantic material.” The Storrs Quadrant houses have clear grain Douglas fir panels walls, wood beams or a wood-clad ceilings, and built-in cabinets.
“Storrs’ homes are known to incorporate beautiful natural materials mirroring the outdoor setting while keeping the flow relaxed and accessible,” said Susan Gibson Stier, who bought Brad Wilson’s childhood home eight years ago.
Over time, the living space expanded as new owners upgraded the daylight basements. “In the 1950s, downstairs space was usually just concrete,” said Stier, a broker with Windermere Real Estate. “Large home offices, guest rooms and bonus media space now play a more important role, so unfinished basements are too precious not to be remodeled.”
The space where Brad’s dad, Willard (“Bill”) Wilson, had a workshop — “he was a putterer,” said Brad of his father, an advertising executive — and Brad’s dad and mom, Ellen Wilson, held informal bridge parties now has two bedrooms, a media room and office.
Other features popular then and now remain: A fireplace with a roman brick surround rising to the tall living room ceiling, three or four bedrooms, some with privacy-providing clerestory windows, and two or three bathrooms.
Storrs, an affable perfectionist, had a “hands-on, responsive approach to his projects” and spent time on the site tweaking his construction drawings, according to Restore Oregon.
On Aug. 18, Restore Oregon Modernism 2024 program will celebrate the 125th anniversary of the birth of Storrs’ mentor, architect Pietro Belluschi.
Storrs was hired as a consultant on one or two Quadrant home remodels, said Stier. The current owners of another home restored their updated home, reverting it back to the midcentury modern style.
“The homes are unique, and our neighbors all share the special bond to restore and preserve them together,” said Stier.
Decades ago, the original couples would occasionally get together in the common area between the houses.
“Everyone remained friends, but they had other friends too,” Wilson said. “It wasn’t an exclusive arrangement, wasn’t like ‘Lucy’ and ‘Ethel’ (in the 1950s sit com “I Love Lucy”). No one’s feelings got hurt if there was a party and someone wasn’t invited. It was just a simpler time.”
— Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072
[email protected] | @janeteastman