List of Annual Home Tours Held in Portland, Oregon
On this page we have listed the home tours that are held annually in Portland.
Given Portland’s sheer volume of fabulous historic homes—plus the quantity of fine architects working today—asking experts to pick the greatest residences in the city’s history might have sounded the bell for an architectural cage fight. But despite vast aesthetic differences (and deep philosophical discussion about the meaning of “greatest”), the quintet of judges Portland Monthly invited to tackle the task found consensus in just a few hours on the top ten.
May or June: Walking Tour of Historic Homes in SW and NW Portland
W Children’s Theater & School (NWCT) and NW Neighborhood Cultural Center (NNCC) present, “The Stately Home Tour of Old NW/SW Neighborhoods”, the Annual Walking Tour of Historic Homes. In 2016 six stately, private residences in Northwest Portland’s Old Nob Hill were shown. The 1908 Harmon/Neils House on Northwest Lovejoy Street was one of the stops. “All six homes are beautiful and historic, but the home at the head of Lovejoy is said to be the most intact and original [by famed architect] A.E. Doyle in the city. Doyle (1877-1928) shaped early Portland during the explosive building boom after the 1905 Lewis & Clark Centennial Exposition until the Great Depression. He designed such classical icons as the Meier & Frank Building (now The Nines hotel), Lipman’s store (now Hotel Monaco) and Reed College. Read more…
July 30-August 28: Street of Dreams in West Linn
Looking out over the 63-acre property that will house the 2016 NW Natural Street of Dreams this summer, Gordon Root points to a snow-capped Mount Hood off in the distance. “It’s a great view,” he says. “But the mountain gets in the way.” Root is joking, of course; as it happens, a pristine view of the mountain is just one of many selling points for the five luxury homes being built on property just south of West Linn city limits. The development is called Tumwater at Petes Mountain. Read more…
May through August Wednesdays & Thursdays: Walking tour of historic and architecturally neighborhoods and sites
The Architectural Heritage Center presents walking tours of historic and architecturally significant neighborhoods and sites around Portland, Oregon. From May through August we lead Wednesday and Thursday evening tours, with additional tours on weekends throughout the year. We are also able to provide private group walking tours. If your group is interested in a private tour, contact the AHC for more information. Our knowledgeable, trained, volunteer guides welcome you to learn more about our area’s history and architecture. Please check out our Events page for the most up-to-date calendar of walking tours and other AHC education programs. Read more…
September 17: Rummer Homes Tour
Tour of Rummer Homes in the Oak Hills neighborhood, 10:00am until 4:00pm, September 17th, 2016. This is a unique opportunity to visit at least six homes built by Robert Rummer. These iconic “atomic age” houses are highly sought after and those on tour include some in virtually original condition and others that have been updated. Bob Rummer himself will be on hand to talk about his experiences bringing these fabulous homes to the Pacific Northwest. Read more…
September 17 & 18: Portland’s Accessory Dwelling Unit
This will be the fourth city wide tour of ADUs. 10+ ADUs will be featured on this tour. This year’s tour will feature a garage conversion, an attached ADU, above the garage ADUs, new construction ADUs, and two basement ADUs. Read more…
September 22: Build it Green!
Tickets are now on sale for the 11th annual Build It Green! Home Tour and Info Fair. Set for Saturday, September 22, the self-guided tour is presented by the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability and will feature 14 green remodels and new homes around Portland. Buy tickets at Green Depot in SE Portland or online at www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/builditgreen. This year’s tour offers new workshops at selected tour stops. No registration is required and the workshops are included in the ticket price. Workshop topics include Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Basics, Rainwater Harvesting, Naturescaping, Gray Water Reuse, Permaculture, Living Building Challenge, Passive Houses, Small Home Communities and Energy Performance Scores. View workshop details at www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/builditgreen.