Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jul 31, 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
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×