Archive for April, 2010

TODAY’S MORTGAGE RATES
from Northwest Mortgage Group 

As of April 28, 2010 (1% loan fee applies)

Rates shown above are based on transactions with a 20% down payment, 1% loan origination fee, 740 credit scores, impounds for property taxes and insurance and 30-day rate lock.  Contact Jeanine Roe or Brian Page of NW Mortgage Group for more information at 503.439.9191.

If you were hoping to cash in on either of the home buyer tax credits you must have a home under contract by this Friday at Midnight and close on that purchase transaction no later than June 30, 2010.   The $8000 credit is available only to first time home buyers (folks who have not owned a home in more than three years) and the $6500 tax credit is available to buyers who have owned a prior home for at least five years.  If you have any questions, call your Realtor, lender, or tax advisor to learn more.

Roscoe Hemenway:

     Mr Hemenway was born in Cottage Grove, Oregon in 1899.  He graduated from the University of Oregon Architecture school in 1923 and promptly came to Portland.  His first design was for his sister and her husband at 3112  N.E. 17th Street in Irvington.  She lived in the home until she was 99 and it now has it’s second owner.  It has been updated a bit, but all the original moldings and decoration are still intact.  He practiced in Portland for over 30 years and was one of Portland’s most prolific Architects.  The majority of his designs are in the Colonial Revival style, but he also designed Mediterranean, 30s Modern, Ranch, and Tudor homes.  The majority of his homes are in Portland’s West Hills, yet he also designed in Irvington, Alameda, Colonial Heights, Eastmoreland, Raleigh Hills, and Lake Oswego.  Arguably his most famous design is the “Archbishops House” at the intersection of S.W.  Patton Road, S.W. Greenway, and S.W. Talbot Road.

    I’ve been lucky enough to have lived in a Hemenway on S.W. 17th in Portland Heights for many years.  There are several things about the home that impressed me; the quality of the craftsmanship, the overall floor plan, and the materials used.  What is most significant about a Hemenway house is the scale of the home.  He placed homes on a lot in such a way that takes full advantage of the surrounding landscape and views, yet each room was of a size that was pleasing to the eye and worked well with furniture.  He was known for his “Keeping Kitchens” which were a kind of Den/Family room off of his kitchens, his use of fine woods, and his high quality cabinetry.

     It is not known how many homes he designed and built.  Mr Hemenway died in 1957 at the relatively young age of 58 and while there are bits and pieces of information about him, there is no formal organization that studies and preserves his homes.

     I will be blogging every two months about Portland’s Architects and you can find it here on the Lee Davies website.  You can also contact me with any questions or comments.  I am one of Portland’s top Realtors specializing in Architecturally significant Real Estate.  Next up:  Wade Pipes.

by Mike Ness