Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

A Portland Midcentury by Frank Shell Offers Laid-Back Living

A Portland Midcentury by Frank Shell Offers Laid-Back Living

Architect Frank Shell only designed a handful of homes—and they’re all keepers. Here’s a rare opportunity to snap one up.

Nestled on a large, tree-lined lot in the Cedar Mill neighborhood of Portland, this classic Frank Shell–designed home captures the architect’s approach to Pacific Northwest modernism. Shell trained in Washington state before moving to Portland in 1949 to launch an architecture firm alongside Jonathon Farnham and Charles Hoyt.

The architect primarily focused on schools and churches, and he completed just a few residences before his death in 2006. Those that remain are considered iconic examples of Pacific Northwest modernism, and they’ve popped up on architecture tours and in magazine photo shoots.


The home sits on a generous .7-acre lot in the northwest Portland neighborhood of Cedar Mill, just north of the Nike campus. The site boasts many mature trees, and it once hosted a fruit orchard.

Punchy orange paint dresses the front door.


This house was originally built in 1960 for a doctor, and it was later expanded in 1975. The 2,902-square-foot home unfolds over two stories, with three bedrooms on the lower level and the main living areas and principal suite on the upper level.


The front door opens to the landing of a floating staircase.


Upstairs, there are two different living rooms, both with original brick fireplaces and cantilevered hearths. Floor-to-ceiling glass panels wrap the rooms, providing tree views and connecting the interior to a generous rooftop patio for dining and lounging.


The home has been featured in both Sunset magazine and Better Homes and Gardens.

Clerestory windows bring in additional natural light.

In the second living room, Hemlock paneling provides a warm backdrop for furnishings.

The cantilevered hearth has a distinct geometric shape. Access to the rooftop patio lies between the kitchen and this living room.


At the rooftop patio, a vaulted pergola provides cover, and an outdoor fireplace provides a pleasant spot for chillier evenings. The nearby galley kitchen has been updated with simple white cabinetry, a handmade tile backsplash, and quartz counters. The main level also holds a 231-square-foot principle suite, complete with a bonus room connected via large sliding doors.


The lightly updated kitchen benefits from windows wrapping the room.

A handmade tile backsplash speaks to the home’s midcentury origins.

The generous rooftop patio has an original fireplace and a vaulted pergola.

The patio provides a great spot overlooking the neighborhood.


Walk down the original floating staircase to the lower level, and you’ll find three bedrooms, one with original fireplace. Every bedroom benefits from floor-to-ceiling glass and lots of natural light.

From top to bottom, the home preserves the architect’s sharp midcentury moves—from the vaulted post-and-beam framework and exaggerated eaves upstairs, to the relaxed floor plan, and original solid fir doors and abundant windows.

In the principal suite, sliding doors connect the bedroom to a bonus room/potential office.


Clerestory windows foster privacy.

The bathroom is lit up by clerestory windows and skylights, and it has the added bonus of an in-house sauna.

A view of the rear facade shows the windows lining both floors.

The lower level has three bedrooms and polished concrete floors.

Each bedroom features floor-to-ceiling glass, and this one (set up as an office) has an original fireplace.




AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
×