Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, Oct 24, 2025

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.




Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
×