Rice–Gates House
Encyclopedia
The Rice-Gates House is a historic private residence on Southeast Walnut Street in downtown Hillsboro, Oregon
, United States. Completed in 1890, the Second Empire architectural style structure stands two stories tall with a mansard roof
. The wood building was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1980 and is named after several former owners, William Rice, Harry V. Gates
, and his son Oliver.
in 1903, a former state legislator. Gates sold the home in 1911 to his son Oliver B. Gates, though Harry continued to live in the house. Both lived in the residence until 1927, and a garage that was once part of the property was added to the adjacent property. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 8, 1980. As of 2008, parts of the home are in disrepair, including the main steps leading to the home.
The home is of the Second Empire style and has a mansard roof
with diamond shaped shingles. The roof features include a boxed cornice, Gable
fronted dormer
s, and eaves with paired brackets. Windows at the house are topped with an arch and contain a pediment
above each window. Builders of the L-shaped home used balloon framing on the two-story wood building, which consists of using lumber tall enough to stretch from the basement to the top of the building instead of the bottom of the next floor.
Siding on the structure is made of horizontal wood boards and is painted yellow with burgundy and Aquamarine
accents. Other exterior accents include bracketed posts and wood dentil
s. There are three porches on the outside as well, each topped with a matching mansard roof on a smaller scale than the main roof. One of these porches is a sun porch enclosed with glass, while the other two have arcaded bases
supporting the roof. The posts are decorated with detailed scroll work at the top. Parts of the home have sets of paired windows, and the main entrance has an arched transom light
to go with the pediment above the window.
The basement is composed of brick arranged in a stretcher bond
pattern and is a look-out style with the majority of it above ground. The horizontal siding extends into the second floor with the steep-sloped mansard roof covering the remainder. The structure has two brick chimneys, both on the inside and topped with corbelled caps
. Windows on the house are single hung sash windows
opening from the bottom. Doors and the windows also have the decorative scroll work similar to that on the porch posts. The Rice-Gates House is on Southeast Walnut Street in the central part of Hillsboro.
Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Lying in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to many high-technology companies, such as Intel, that compose what has become known as the...
, United States. Completed in 1890, the Second Empire architectural style structure stands two stories tall with a mansard roof
Mansard roof
A mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
. The wood building was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1980 and is named after several former owners, William Rice, Harry V. Gates
Harry V. Gates
Harry Verner Gates was an American engineer and politician in the state of Oregon. A native of Massachusetts, he later lived in Iowa worked on the railroads before settling in Hillsboro, Oregon, where he shifted to water projects. A member of the Republican Party, he served a single term in the...
, and his son Oliver.
History
In 1890, attorney William J. Rice had a new two-story home built for him in an area that was then south of downtown Hillsboro. He sold the home to Harry V. GatesHarry V. Gates
Harry Verner Gates was an American engineer and politician in the state of Oregon. A native of Massachusetts, he later lived in Iowa worked on the railroads before settling in Hillsboro, Oregon, where he shifted to water projects. A member of the Republican Party, he served a single term in the...
in 1903, a former state legislator. Gates sold the home in 1911 to his son Oliver B. Gates, though Harry continued to live in the house. Both lived in the residence until 1927, and a garage that was once part of the property was added to the adjacent property. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 8, 1980. As of 2008, parts of the home are in disrepair, including the main steps leading to the home.
Details
Mansard roof
A mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
with diamond shaped shingles. The roof features include a boxed cornice, Gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
fronted dormer
Dormer
A dormer is a structural element of a building that protrudes from the plane of a sloping roof surface. Dormers are used, either in original construction or as later additions, to create usable space in the roof of a building by adding headroom and usually also by enabling addition of windows.Often...
s, and eaves with paired brackets. Windows at the house are topped with an arch and contain a pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
above each window. Builders of the L-shaped home used balloon framing on the two-story wood building, which consists of using lumber tall enough to stretch from the basement to the top of the building instead of the bottom of the next floor.
Siding on the structure is made of horizontal wood boards and is painted yellow with burgundy and Aquamarine
Aquamarine (color)
Aquamarine is a color that is a pale bright tint of spring green toned toward cyan. It is named after the mineral aquamarine, a gemstone mainly found in granite rocks...
accents. Other exterior accents include bracketed posts and wood dentil
Dentil
In classical architecture a dentil is a small block used as a repeating ornament in the bedmould of a cornice.The Roman architect Vitruvius In classical architecture a dentil (from Lat. dens, a tooth) is a small block used as a repeating ornament in the bedmould of a cornice.The Roman architect...
s. There are three porches on the outside as well, each topped with a matching mansard roof on a smaller scale than the main roof. One of these porches is a sun porch enclosed with glass, while the other two have arcaded bases
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....
supporting the roof. The posts are decorated with detailed scroll work at the top. Parts of the home have sets of paired windows, and the main entrance has an arched transom light
Transom (architectural)
In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...
to go with the pediment above the window.
The basement is composed of brick arranged in a stretcher bond
Brickwork
Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar to build up brick structures such as walls. Brickwork is also used to finish corners, door, and window openings, etc...
pattern and is a look-out style with the majority of it above ground. The horizontal siding extends into the second floor with the steep-sloped mansard roof covering the remainder. The structure has two brick chimneys, both on the inside and topped with corbelled caps
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
. Windows on the house are single hung sash windows
Sash window
A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels or "sashes" that form a frame to hold panes of glass, which are often separated from other panes by narrow muntins...
opening from the bottom. Doors and the windows also have the decorative scroll work similar to that on the porch posts. The Rice-Gates House is on Southeast Walnut Street in the central part of Hillsboro.
Further reading
- Norman, James B. (1991). Portland's Architectural Heritage: National Register Properties of the Portland Metropolitan Area. Portland, Or: Oregon Historical Society Press.