A Dreamy Forest Home by a Renowned Pacific Northwest Architect Asks $1.3M
In 2015, architect Saul Zaik told Dwell: "[My generation of architects] were all World War II veterans, and we were out to change the idea of architecture. We were really just building boxes with a bunch of windows, but experimenting with how you integrated indoor and outdoor spaces."
One such experiment in Portland, Oregon, has just hit the market for the first time. The Mason Residence was commissioned by Cecilia and Michael Mason, a prominent local neurosurgeon, and completed in 1971. Located on a lush 1.5-acre lot, the home is just a 15-minute drive from downtown.
The house is located down a winding driveway on a 1.5-acre forested lot, just fifteen minutes from downtown Portland, Oregon.
Ensconced in its site, the home is set well out of view from the street.
Zaik was born in 1926, and he graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in architecture in 1952. After working with local firms, the architect set up an office in an old Victorian at SW 14th and Columbia, where he shared space with many architects and designers, including William Fletcher, Donald Blair, John Reese, Frank Blachly, Alex Pierce, and George Schwarz. The group was nicknamed the 14th Street Gang, and became known for continuing the legacies of Pietro Belluschi and John Yeon, to further hone the Northwest modern style.
Glass walls frame the entry. The exterior is covered in cedar siding.
There’s a wide covered porch at the front door, with glass on either side. Up the stairs is a landing, off which there are three bedrooms and two baths.
For this commission, "Zaik made many site visits with the owners to place the home in the perfect spot on their gently sloped, forested lot," says the listing agent Marisa Swenson.
The 4,009-square-foot home has many large-scale windows, and several decks for enjoying the lightly landscaped site. The views start in the foyer, where glass flanks the front door and two glazed walls overlook a courtyard. This corridor serves to bring light and nature into the center of the home, setting a peaceful tone that pervades throughout.
The windows in the foyer look out onto a courtyard, which has a sitting deck as well.
The stairs terminate in a circulation corridor beside the kitchen and dining room.
The main floor consists of two wings—on one side is the principal bedroom suite, complete with an office and laundry. On the other side of the foyer, down a short flight of stairs, the public spaces are laid out in a row. There’s a living room at either end of the house, each with glazed corners looking out into the trees, and the kitchen and dining room are placed between them. An exterior deck wraps the entire side of the house.
The dining room has glass on both sides.
A short flight of stairs leads down to the living room, with its soaring, vaulted wood-clad ceilings and nearly double-height glass.
The main living room features vaulted ceilings clad in wood, oak floors, and stone detailing around the fireplace. With four bedrooms and 3.5 baths, the home has only been inhabited by the original owners, and has not been altered much at all—just appliance changes and a new kitchen counter.
The fireplace has discreet storage on either side, and built-in cabinetry fills a niche in the corner.
An exterior porch with vaulted eaves wraps a glass corner. "The deep gable overhangs and wood decks and walkways are reminiscent of the lodges and properties at Salishan and Sunriver, where Saul Zaik designed a handful of homes," says the listing agent.
Zaik has since become well-known for several of his residential designs, including the 1956 Feldman House, renovated by Jessica Helgerson Interior Design in 2014 and profiled by Dwell, as well as the 1970 Zidell House, for which Zaik was asked by his shipyard magnate client to incorporate a 48-foot-tall mast. (It’s possible to rent a room in the Zidell House on Airbnb.)
Zaik continued practicing his craft throughout his life, and he did not retire before his death last year. The Mason Residence is listed for $1,350,000. Scroll ahead to see more of the property.
The generous deck can be accessed from both living rooms.
The house is surrounded by mature landscaping.
The new kitchen counter is Corian.
There’s a second living room off the kitchen. The floors throughout are oak.
This family room has a built-in sofa and a brick fireplace with a firewood niche.
Vaulted ceilings continue in the main suite, which has a dedicated office space with a built-in desk.
An upstairs bedroom has windows up to the ceiling.
There’s also a greenhouse on the property.
A view of the house from the side.
The living room lit up at night. Upon Zaik’s passing in 2020, the Oregonian wrote: "His architecture was timeless, engaging, and always fit harmoniously into its environment."
10950 NW Lost Park Drive in Portland, Oregon, is currently listed for $1,350,000 by Marisa Swenson of Dwell Realty.
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Project Credits:
Architect: Saul Zaik
Staging: Modernfolk Staging
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