What is a Victorian Style Home in Portland?
Updated 05/2024.
Portland is full of old, historic homes, many of which were Victorians, some of the first to help establish the area as a city. There are also plenty of newer Victorians, designed and built during revival periods for those who love the romantic whimsy found in much of this style of architecture.
Most of the features found in Victorians are attributed to the Victorian era, specifically (1837-1901) when Queen Victoria was in power. Her love of beautiful excess is evident in the features of this architectural style. Maybe one of the more pervasive styles in history, its reach extended all across the UK, New Zealand, Australia, and North America.
What are the Features of a Victorian Style Home?
Portland is full of historic homes that date back to when the city was first established, including Victorian homes. If you take a leisurely drive around some of Portland’s oldest neighborhoods, you’ll see plenty of them. There is no mistaking the grand yet charming properties resembling ornate, oversized doll houses.
Portland is committed to historic preservation, and many original Victorian homes are beautifully preserved. You can find a well-maintained or updated turn-of-the-century home on the market, blending the charm and class of the old with the modern comforts of the new. You will also see newer Victorian homes designed and built by owners who love the romance and whimsy of this architecture.
See all the Victorian homes for sale in Portland.
How Did Victorian Style Get its Name?
The style was created when Queen Victoria reigned over Great Britain and Ireland, known as the Victorian era. Naming an architectural style after a monarch wasn’t new; it was the norm for England and France. Both Georgian and Regency architecture are named after monarchs.
The architecture of Victorian homes followed the features and aesthetic design choices of the time. The British Empire was growing worldwide and gaining immense power and wealth. Overabundance was valued, which opened doors to an architectural style that valued beautiful excess. Asian and Middle East design also grew in popularity, which added to its eclectic, ornamental look.
This time also benefited from new manufacturing and railways that allowed for easier access to a wider variety of building materials, prompting a shift away from local materials like limestone, sandstone, granite, and clay bricks.
Victorian architecture became one of the most pervasive styles in history, spreading across the UK, New Zealand, Australia, and North America.
What are the Features of a Victorian Style Home?
Victorian style extends from the exterior to the interior. Let’s look at both.
Exterior
One of the most prominent features of Victorian homes is steep roofs with gables. Many homes also have castle-like features, like dormers, turrets, and towers. Home designs are often asymmetrical.
Many exteriors are composed of wood, stone, or painted brick. Exterior woodwork is highly decorative and can be quite elaborate. You might also spot rounded shapes and accents in the form of windows that come in a variety of other shapes. Bay windows are popular. Some windows feature stained glass and bright, unique exterior paint colors.
Interior
The charm and appeal of the outside of the home also extend inside. The homes are typically two or three stories with high ceilings that offer a spacious feel and represent the owner’s wealth. Decorative features like tiled entrances, intricate wood trim, ornate staircases, and plaster cornices add a layer of old-world, high-brow sophistication. The homes also have appealing floor plans, including little nooks in tucked-away corners for quiet interludes and alone time.
Take a look below at the interior of the home shown in the featured image above, built in 1894.
What are the Types of Victorian Style Homes?
A wide variety of styles fall under the broader Victorian umbrella, not all of which you’ll find in Portland. Those built in the city’s early days between 1840 and 1910 are described below. Designs not found to any great degree in Portland are the Gothic (inspired by Medieval churches) and the Stick-Eastlake (simple and made primarily of wood). However, Herman Trenkmann built a small grouping of the latter on NW 17th and Hoyt in Portland, where they remain today.
Italiante (1840 – 1885)
One characteristic of Italianate homes is their low pitched roofs and moderate to wide overhangs, decorative architectural features, and arched top windows with strong vertical orientations.
An excellent example of the Italiante style is the second Morris Marks House, located in the Goose Hollow neighborhood. (The first Marks House was on SW 12th and was moved to SW Grant and Broadway for renovation in 2017.)
Second Empire (1855 – 1885)
Second Empire Victorian refers to a Victorian architectural style popularized in France during Emperor Napoleon III’s reign from 1852 to 1870. This French-inspired take on the Victorian style might remind you of Paris with its mansard roofs (four sloping sides), eaves with decorative brackets, molded cornices, and design elements that simulate carved stone.
The Jacob Kamm House, completed in 1871, was moved from its original SW 14th and Main location to a temporary location in July 1950 to make room for the new Lincoln High School campus. The move was initiated when preservationist Eric Ladd bought the home for $1,000 at an auction. The home found its final resting place at 1425 SW 20th Avenue Portland with two other homes Ladd intended to preserve. He called the group of homes “the colony.”
Queen Anne Revival (1880 – 1910)
Queen Anne Revivals were inspired by the Queen Anne era from the early 1700s, a period that inspired the whimsical aspects of the Victorian style. This is where the turrets, towers, spindle work, bright colors, and asymmetrical facades come in.
A perfect example of this type of architecture in Portland is the Johan Poulsen House at 3040 SE McLoughlin Blvd. Now painted bright blue, you can catch a view of it on the hillside as you cross the Ross Island Bridge.
Queen Annes are the most popular Victorian homes in Portland, and they love attention. Many homes feature ornamentation and bold colors, making them easy to spot. The style is used for grand residences of the wealthy to middle and working-class homes. Though many were demolished during Portland’s growth, many still stand proudly today.
Victorian Farm House (aka Folk Victorian) (1880 – 1910)
The Victorian Farm House is characterized by its simplicity, with the two main defining features being its simple, steeply pitched roofs and long, vertical windows.
A local example of this type of Victorian architecture is the Augustus Fanno House in Beaverton.
When Did Victorian Style Homes Come to Portland?
The first Victorians were built in the mid-1800s as Portland’s economy boomed. The city grew quickly thanks to its positioning along the Willamette and Columbia Rivers and functioning as an effective supply hub for those participating in the California Gold Rush.
The blend of wealth generated from the timber, trade, and transportation industries opened the door to wealth for residents who wanted to show their status and style.
Many of the first Victorians populated downtown Portland. As the city grew, many homes were demolished to make way for businesses. However, others were built elsewhere and still remain.
Where Can You Find Victorian Style Homes in Portland?
Many Victorians built after the downtown homes were demolished remain in Portland’s NW quadrant in what is now known as the Alphabet District. The style also appeared on Portland’s east side after the Morrison Bridge was constructed in 1887. Many homes still stand throughout the city.
You will also find Victorians in pockets of Portland you might not expect, like the Belmont/Hawthorne area. The steam railway made construction in areas further from downtown possible.
Sellwood is a neighborhood with many original Victorians. It was initially set on being its own community separate from Portland but was eventually annexed in 1893. Giddeon Tibbets built his family home and mill in what is now known as the Brooklyn neighborhood in 1851. He subsequently subdivided, and many of the Victorians that came after remain. You’ll find more Victorian homes in Portland’s Irvington neighborhood.
Looking to Buy or Sell Victorian Style Home in Portland?
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