Bridlemile has many notable homes, homes of historical and architectural interest. This walking tour includes notable homes located in the southwest section of Bridlemile.
History and descriptions by Ginger Danzer. Photographs, walking instructions and map by Victor von Salza.
Please respect people’s property and privacy as you take your walk. We do NOT have permission from the home owners to view their properties, so please do NOT trespass on their or neighboring properties to get a better view, etc.
SW 52nd (between SW Hamilton and SW Santa Monica Ct) is a good place to park and begin the walk. From there head south to SW Hamilton St and turn right / head West . The Terrill Bungalow is the 2nd home on the right.
Terrill Bungalow 5233 SW Hamilton Street
The Terrill Bungalow
The Terrill house, a bungalow, was built in 1905. The original owner was Glen Foulkes, other owners were Samuel Holm and W.A. and Leona L. Malston. Bernice Terrill lived in the house from 1944 until 1996. The current owners are her grandson, David Terrill and his wife Maria-Eugenia. The house has a medium pitch composition hip roof with exposed rafters, gabled dormer with exposed rafters, and shingle siding. Mrs. Terrill was a speech and drama teacher at Columbia Prep High school.
The shoulder is wider on the south side of Hamilton, so cross the street and continue West. The 2nd street on the right is SW 55th Place, turn right/head North. The Robertson/Tabata home is the third house on the right at the corner /end of the block.
Robertson/Tabata Home 4404 SW 55th Place
The Robertson/Tabata Home.
This Queen Anne style home was built in 1905. The architectural plans were by Robertson who was also the original owner. It has hip and bell cast gable roofs and an encircling porch with a corner gable. The oval front windows were donated by I. Lang from his former home on the south Park Blocks. This is the site of the original family home of A. Robertson which burned down. The home was owned by Ariel and Eleanor Rubstein. Ariel, a noted musician, made adaptations for a music room. He brought well known artists to Portland. Issac Stern stayed here and played the piano in the music room. Ariel’s daughter, Ariel Deborah Rubstein was a nationally known vocalist. Karen Tabata recalls the time an ambulance brought an elderly and frail Ariel Rubstein to see his beloved home and beautiful trees once more. Mr. Rubstein died the following day. That same day one of the huge old trees split and fell to the ground.
Retrace your steps to Hamilton and turn right/ head West. Walk along the South side of Hamilton about 600 yards to the 3rd street on the right which is SW Semler Way. Turn right, the Semler/Elsasser home is the 2nd on the right. This home still retains its original SW Hamilton address.
Semler/Elsasser Home 6215 Hamilton (on Semler Way between 4426 and 4332)
The Semler/Elsasser Home.
Herbert and Shirley Semler built this home in 1969. The style is called New Formalism. Architectural plans were by Walter Gordon, John Hinchliff and Dan McDoowin. A flat roof and an exterior of finished white cement plaster with large fixed plate glass windows made it stand out. It originally had a porte cochere. In 1984 it had double entrance doors of hand carved walnut by Leroy Setzoil. The current owner, Robert Elsasser said those doors were gone when he bought the home. Major alterations were made in 1978 by Fletcher, Finch and Farr.
Retrace your steps to Hamilton cross the street and turn right/head West; the Cooper/Georges Home is the second on the right.
Cooper/Georges Home 6248 SW Hamilton
The Cooper/Georges Home.
This Twentieth Century Colonial home was built in 1924. The original owner was Cooper, a truck farmer, who owned 25 acres. He built the road in front of his house from Scholls Ferry to Shattuck naming it Cooper Road. Pear trees are original. A long time owner of the property was Thomas Georges. It is currently being remodeled as part of an assisted living property. Special features include a long overhanging gable roof with narrow bargeboard. The windows are six-over-one, double hung. A diamond window is in the gable end. Wooded lattice flank a protruding rounded gable over a three paneled door. It has a massive brick chimney. The east portion of the house was altered and a covered patio was added. The Georges owned a large tract of land which was farmed.
The Cooper/Georges home is being converted into an assisted living complex.
Continue West on Hamilton until your reach SW 63rd, cross the street and head north on 63rd. At the second street on the left, SW Bancroft, turn left/head West. The Rosenfeld/Carter Home is second from the corner on the right .
Rosenfeld/Carter Home 6432 SW Bancroft
The Rosenfeld/Carter Home.
The noted architect Wade Pipes built this Northwest Regional house for Gladys Rosenfeld in 1950 on a large parcel of land. It had a long driveway and could not be seen from Scholls Ferry or Hamilton. It has a medium-pitch gable roof and dormers with close eaves. Board-and-batten is combined with vertical tongue-and-groove siding. There are side lighted casement windows and a recessed front door. The house is on the Ray estate. I. Lang, Gladys Rosenfeld’s father, owned Pleasant View dairy on Dosch Road which later became Elco Dairy. He started Lang Brothers Grocery on the south side of 1st and Ankeny in 1886. After Mrs. Rosenfeld’s death the land was developed into Clarion. Lovely gardens surround this elegant home. Regan Carter is the current owner of the home.
Retrace your steps to Hamilton street and turn right/head West. At SW Scholls Ferry turn left and go one block to SW Hamilton Way. Note there is an informal dirt path to the left of the ditch along SW Scholls Ferry. At SW Hamilton Way turn left/head East, the Gittelson/Evans home is the last house on the right.
Gittelson/Evans Home 6260 SW Hamilton Way
The Gittelson/Evans Home.
Well-known John Storrs was the architect for this Northwest Regional house. It was built in 1955 by William and Shirley Gittelson. Shirley Gittelson, a well known Portland artist, was the daughter of Thomas Georges. Her father gave each of his children a lot for their home. This house is on the original site of the barn. It is built of concrete block and vertical tongue-and-groove siding. It has a log-pitch gable, a tar-and-gravel roof, fixed windows and a center chimney. On an exterior wall in the garden area outside the downstairs is a lion head. The lion’s head came from one of the first OMSI Auctions. The second and current owners are Scott and Claire Evans.
Turn around and face north to see the Marcus home which is directly across the street from the Gittelson/Evans home.
Marcus Home 6255 SW Hamilton Way
The Marcus Home.
This is the second Northwest Regional house on the walk. Stanley and Susan Marcus built the house in 1968 and are the current owners. The architect was Alec Pierce. Special features include a low-pitch gable roof and vertical tongue-and-groove siding. A high wooden fence surrounds the patio.
Marcus Home looking back from further East on Hamilton Way.
Continue East along the path that follows the right of way on SW Hamilton Way. The grass can get pretty tall in the late Spring and the path is quite uneven in places. The Feldman/Brown home is the next home on the left at the corner of SW Hamilton Way and SW Seymour St.
Feldman/Brown Home 6141 SW Seymour Street
The Feldman/Brown Home.
Philip and Marianne Feldman built this Northwest Regional home in 1956. The architect was Saul Zaik. It has a cantilevered, low-pitched gable rook and vertical tongue-and-groove resawn cedar siding. The windows are fixed with an occasional operable sash. The original cedar shingle roof was replaced by composition shingles and a wing was added in 1980. In June 1957 the house earned an “Award of Merit” by the Oregon Chapter of the AIA for professional excellence by the architect. Alterations were made in 1960 by Jack Shimshak Co. The home is listed in the 1957 issue of “Pacific Architect and Builder”. Darin Brown is the current owner.
Turn left onto SW Seymour St, then left again on SW 60th. Between the third and fourth homes from the corner on the right you will be standing under a large Elm, one of two heritage trees in Bridlemile.
The Heritage Elm Tree on SW 60th Place.
Continue North on SW 60th Place, at Hamilton turn right/head East and walk about 600 yards back to the starting point on SW 52nd (the 4th street on the left).
Thank you to everyone who has generously shared information about their homes. If you have stories, photos, or know some more of the history for any of these homes please contact Bridlemile NA.