Bitar Mansion
Encyclopedia
Bitar Mansion, also known as Harry A. Green House, is a mansion
in the Laurelhurst neighborhood
of Portland
, Oregon
, United States. The 12000 square foot and 17 room structure was designed by architect Herman Brookman
and built in 1927 for $410,000, equivalent to $ today. The Mediterranean-style house contains a grand ballroom and many elaborate details. The mansion has views of the Tualatin Mountains
and adjacent Laurelhurst Park
.
Robert and Mable Bitar purchased the house in 1951. Robert later became an honorary consul
to Lebanon
and lived in the mansion until his death in 2000. The house went on the real estate market for the first time in 55 years in 2006 and was purchased in December 2006 for $1.825 million. As of 2011, the house remains the most expensive home sold in southeast Portland. The house was put on the market again and is up for auction in August 2011.
and offers views of the Tualatin Mountains
. The house contains a round tower, multiple chimneys, a red-tiled roof, bronzed
iron gates, and Art Deco
accents with a peacock motif. A bell-cast entrance tower, which contains a curved stairway and a vestibule
, anchors "sweeping and curved low-pitched roofs". Next to the tower the living room's fireplace chimney. To the right of the entrance hall is the formal living room that opens to the parterre overlooking Laurelhurst Park. To the entrance hall's left is the dining room, followed by a curved wing housing the kitchen, service areas and garages. The interior features a marble-floored ballroom, heated pool, servants wing, and elaborate woodwork, tile, metalwork, and sculpture. Surrounding the French doors leading outside from the entrance hall are columns supporting paired peacocks cast in stone.
The house plan is influenced by English Arts and Crafts tradition. Italian influences are evidenced by the garden parterre in the backyard as well as the "medieval style" columns and arches at the breakfast room windows. Decorative embellishments along the main garden door suggest Art Deco and Spanish Plasteresque styles. Stuccoed walls, tiled roofs and metal-framed windows showcase Mediterranean style. The windows are three-paned vertically within each casement; feature windows have columns supporting Moorish-arched openings. The living and dining rooms contain large bay window
s. Outside, an arcade
leads to the swimming pool, where privacy from the street is provided by a pyramid-roofed bath house and garden walls. According to William J. Hawkins, III and William F. Willingham, these elements "add to the unity of the entire architectural composition, giving a handsome facade to the public street, yet providing a great variety of private spaces behind the house and walled gardens to the rear." The architect, Herman Brookman
, also designed the Congregation Beth Israel
and Fir Acres, the M. Lloyd Frank Estate
that became Lewis & Clark College
, both in Portland. Brookman mixed architectural styles, as evidenced by the many influences seen in Bitar Mansion.
investor, Robert later became an honorary consul
to Lebanon
and lived in the mansion until his death in 2000. While owned by the Bitar family, the home hosted First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt
, pianist Van Cliburn
, and many state governors
and U.S. senators
.
The house was placed on the real estate market in 2006, the first time in 55 years, and sold for $1.825 million. The new owners began to restore the mansion to its original condition with building renovations and searching for furnishings in the original Doernbecher style. Since 2010, the house has fallen into disrepair and been foreclosed. On August 22, 2011, the house was auctioned off at the Multnomah County Courthouse. The property was purchased by ReconTrust Company, an affiliate of Bank of America, for $1.605 million. The house remains the most expensive home sold in Southeast Portland.
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
in the Laurelhurst neighborhood
Laurelhurst, Portland, Oregon
Laurelhurst is a neighborhood of vintage homes and undulating streets surrounding a park of the same name, straddling the NE and SE sections of Portland. Stone markers flank the entrances to the area...
of Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States. The 12000 square foot and 17 room structure was designed by architect Herman Brookman
Herman Brookman
Herman S. Brookman was a prominent architect in Portland, Oregon, United States. His work includes the Commodore Hotel, the Frank M. Lloyd Estate , the Alan and Barbara Goldsmith House , the Victor and Marta Jorgensen House , and the Grace Kern House .John Yeon trained in his office. The Harry A...
and built in 1927 for $410,000, equivalent to $ today. The Mediterranean-style house contains a grand ballroom and many elaborate details. The mansion has views of the Tualatin Mountains
Tualatin Mountains
The Tualatin Mountains are a range of hills on the western border of Multnomah County, Oregon, United States...
and adjacent Laurelhurst Park
Laurelhurst Park
Laurelhurst Park is a city park in the neighborhood of Laurelhurst in Portland, Oregon. The park was acquired in 1909 from the estate of former Portland mayor William S. Ladd...
.
Robert and Mable Bitar purchased the house in 1951. Robert later became an honorary consul
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
to Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and lived in the mansion until his death in 2000. The house went on the real estate market for the first time in 55 years in 2006 and was purchased in December 2006 for $1.825 million. As of 2011, the house remains the most expensive home sold in southeast Portland. The house was put on the market again and is up for auction in August 2011.
Features
The Mediterranean-style mansion is on a property "the equivalent of seven standard city lots" adjacent to Laurelhurst ParkLaurelhurst Park
Laurelhurst Park is a city park in the neighborhood of Laurelhurst in Portland, Oregon. The park was acquired in 1909 from the estate of former Portland mayor William S. Ladd...
and offers views of the Tualatin Mountains
Tualatin Mountains
The Tualatin Mountains are a range of hills on the western border of Multnomah County, Oregon, United States...
. The house contains a round tower, multiple chimneys, a red-tiled roof, bronzed
Bronzing
Bronzing is a process by which a bronze-like surface is applied to other materials . Some bronzing processes are merely simulated finishes applied to existing metal surfaces, or coatings of powdered metal that give the appearance of a solid metal surface...
iron gates, and Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
accents with a peacock motif. A bell-cast entrance tower, which contains a curved stairway and a vestibule
Vestibule (architecture)
A vestibule is a lobby, entrance hall, or passage between the entrance and the interior of a building.The same term can apply to structures in modern or ancient roman architecture. In modern architecture vestibule typically refers to a small room or hall between an entrance and the interior of...
, anchors "sweeping and curved low-pitched roofs". Next to the tower the living room's fireplace chimney. To the right of the entrance hall is the formal living room that opens to the parterre overlooking Laurelhurst Park. To the entrance hall's left is the dining room, followed by a curved wing housing the kitchen, service areas and garages. The interior features a marble-floored ballroom, heated pool, servants wing, and elaborate woodwork, tile, metalwork, and sculpture. Surrounding the French doors leading outside from the entrance hall are columns supporting paired peacocks cast in stone.
The house plan is influenced by English Arts and Crafts tradition. Italian influences are evidenced by the garden parterre in the backyard as well as the "medieval style" columns and arches at the breakfast room windows. Decorative embellishments along the main garden door suggest Art Deco and Spanish Plasteresque styles. Stuccoed walls, tiled roofs and metal-framed windows showcase Mediterranean style. The windows are three-paned vertically within each casement; feature windows have columns supporting Moorish-arched openings. The living and dining rooms contain large bay window
Bay window
A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room, either square or polygonal in plan. The angles most commonly used on the inside corners of the bay are 90, 135 and 150 degrees. Bay windows are often associated with Victorian architecture...
s. Outside, an arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
leads to the swimming pool, where privacy from the street is provided by a pyramid-roofed bath house and garden walls. According to William J. Hawkins, III and William F. Willingham, these elements "add to the unity of the entire architectural composition, giving a handsome facade to the public street, yet providing a great variety of private spaces behind the house and walled gardens to the rear." The architect, Herman Brookman
Herman Brookman
Herman S. Brookman was a prominent architect in Portland, Oregon, United States. His work includes the Commodore Hotel, the Frank M. Lloyd Estate , the Alan and Barbara Goldsmith House , the Victor and Marta Jorgensen House , and the Grace Kern House .John Yeon trained in his office. The Harry A...
, also designed the Congregation Beth Israel
Congregation Beth Israel (Portland, Oregon)
Beth Israel is a Reform congregation and Jewish synagogue in Portland, Oregon, United States. The congregation was founded in 1858, while Oregon was still a territory, and built its first synagogue in 1859.-Architecture:...
and Fir Acres, the M. Lloyd Frank Estate
M. Lloyd Frank Estate
The M. Lloyd Frank Estate, located in southwest Portland, Oregon, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.-See also:* Lewis & Clark College* National Register of Historic Places listings in Southwest Portland, Oregon...
that became Lewis & Clark College
Lewis & Clark College
Lewis & Clark College is a private institution of higher learning located in Portland, Oregon. Made up of an undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences, a School of Law, and a Graduate School of Education and Counseling. Lewis & Clark is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges with athletic...
, both in Portland. Brookman mixed architectural styles, as evidenced by the many influences seen in Bitar Mansion.
History
Robert and Mable Bitar purchased the house in 1951. Robert recalled that as a young boy he vowed to one day own the house. A grocery store owner and real estateReal estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
investor, Robert later became an honorary consul
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
to Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and lived in the mansion until his death in 2000. While owned by the Bitar family, the home hosted First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
, pianist Van Cliburn
Van Cliburn
Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn Jr. is an American pianist who achieved worldwide recognition in 1958 at age 23, when he won the first quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, at the height of the Cold War....
, and many state governors
Governor of Oregon
The Governor of Oregon is the top executive of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. territorial governments....
and U.S. senators
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
.
The house was placed on the real estate market in 2006, the first time in 55 years, and sold for $1.825 million. The new owners began to restore the mansion to its original condition with building renovations and searching for furnishings in the original Doernbecher style. Since 2010, the house has fallen into disrepair and been foreclosed. On August 22, 2011, the house was auctioned off at the Multnomah County Courthouse. The property was purchased by ReconTrust Company, an affiliate of Bank of America, for $1.605 million. The house remains the most expensive home sold in Southeast Portland.
See also
- Architecture of Portland, Oregon
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Southeast Portland, OregonNational Register of Historic Places listings in Southeast Portland, OregonThe following list attempts to comprehensively present the full set of National Register of Historic Places listings in Southeast Portland, Oregon, and offers brief descriptive information about each of them...
- Pittock MansionPittock MansionThe Pittock Mansion is a French Renaissance-style "château" in the West Hills of Portland, Oregon, USA, originally built as a private home for The Oregonian publisher Henry Pittock and his wife, Georgiana. It is a 22 room estate built of Tenino Sandstone situated on that is now owned by the...
, a 1909 Portland mansion
External links
- "Exploring the Fabulous Bitar Mansion: Portland's Former Lebanese Consulate" by Dan Volkmer, Windermere Real EstateWindermere Real EstateWindermere Real Estate, a real estate company founded and based in the Windermere neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, was founded by John W. Jacobi in 1972, when he purchased an eight-agent office...
(PDF) - Images of the Harry A. Green House from author Bart KingBart King (author)From Portland, Oregon, Bart King is an American author of adult and children's non-fiction, specifically guidebooks. He is also a middle school teacher and public speaker...
via Flickr - Historic images of the Harry A. Green House from the University of Oregon digital collections