Thaddeus Fisher House
Encyclopedia
The Thaddeus Fisher House is a house in southeast Portland
, Oregon
, United States, listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
The Thaddeus Fisher House, constructed in approximately 1888-92, is locally
significant as one of the finest and best-preserved examples
of the Queen Anne style in the area. The house was built shortly after
the City of East Portland was incorporated by the City of Portland.
Incorporation came on the heels of a population boon: which created a big demand
for housing. Beginning in the late 80s numerous residences were constructed on
the east side of the river to meet this demand. Many of these dwellings, such
as the Fisher House, were designed in the Queen Anne style which was popular at
the time. The Fisher House has one of the most complex facade arrangements. There are
very few examples in the area, the Fisher house is one of only three.
In 1888, Thaddeus “Thad” F. Fisher and his wife Phoebe built a grand house just off Belmont Avenue’s up and coming business district, then, at the edge of the city (Paving Map of Portland 1894). Thad was a prominent Woodsmen of the World, a man of earnest endeavor who bore the respect of all who knew him (Multnomah County Archives). The house was built in the high style of Queen Anne. They planted plum and apple trees which still stand to this day. Highly ornamental in design, the house included intricate woodwork, intersecting cross gables, a 3-story tower, and a steeply pitched irregular roof. A large veranda coils around half the main house, and to this day functions as the meeting and greeting place for household residents and visitors.
The unique orgy of architectural styles incorporated in the house is what catches the attention of passersby. Set back and slightly higher than the street, the ‘life’ of the house is thrust upward into the sky, establishing a sense of continuity between the house and the surrounding overgrown setting. On almost a daily basis, people take pause on the sidewalk looking at the house, pointing, talking, and sometimes asking questions. Old neighborhood residents often stop by to reminisce and tell tales of the house’s past.
The Fishers were a wealthy couple. Thad was a sea captain during the time when Portland was becoming a key hub for shipping in the west. This house would have surely been a bold statement, a symbol of their class standing. During this time, the production of new inhabitable space on Portland’s Eastside was just beginning. Flight from the discords wrought by the industrial machine age was an achievement mostly possible for those who were wealthy enough to move. The elite were on a quest to escape the grimy city and reconnect to the natural world, enjoy sunlight, fresh air, greenery, and open space. Southeast Portland would have been a very different type of place to live in the late 1800s. The majority of the roads were still dirt and gravel, which turned to mud during the rainy months (Portland Paving Map). Horses and kerosene lamps were everyday objects, as electricity and automobiles were bourgeoning ideas. The Fishers, and their neighbors, were urban pioneers settling in and taming this new environment.
There would have been an enthusiasm brewing in the Sunnyside neighborhood, because the very same year the Fishers built their home, the Mt. Tabor Trolley line began, extending from the river to 34th and Belmont (Tri-Met History). The trolley system would have changed the quality of everyday life in the developing landscape. Mr. Fisher would have traveled just one block to catch a trolley ride to the Portland docks. The streetcar lines would have brought new possibilities to movement and communication across the city. Even in 1888, we can see evidence that life would have been speeding up and physically spreading out. Like in many cities, new spaces are mainly produced and shaped by those with power and capital. These productive landscapes would follow the path of the rail lines, becoming corridors of development bringing with them profits and further investment. Prosperous citizens like the Fishers used their established wealth to their advantage. They were able to leave the city, taking with them comforts of modern living into a more pleasant setting, all while having the power to be highly mobile.
The Fishers did not have any children. Mr. Fisher passed away in 1904 and was buried down the avenue at Lone Fir Cemetery (Multnomah County OR Archives). His wake was held at his home. The house remained in the Fisher family until 1935 when Phoebe sold it. In the 1930s the home was temporarily converted to eight units during World War II (National Register). Portland’s mushrooming defense industries led to a housing crisis. This epic migration consisted of factory workers, soldiers and their families. Measures were taken to build worker housing, but the demand could not be met, so thousands of single-family houses were converted to accommodate multiple families (Oregon State Archives). Even though the Fisher house is large, it would have been tight quarters. Residents would have shared bathrooms and kitchens. Many would have most likely viewed this home as temporary as they hoped the war would be.
After the war, the house was converted back to accommodate a single-family and the in the 1960s, it was rehabilitated and turned into three apartments by local preservation legends, Jerry Bosco and Ben Milligan (founders of the Architectural Heritage Center). In the early 1970s, when I-405 was under construction, they were alarmed by the tragic demolition of historic buildings throughout the region and salvaged countless architectural pieces (AHC History). Over several decades, they collected a trove of ornate building elements, some of which were used in the restoration of the Fisher house. These foraged pieces once held meaning in completely different places and contexts and are now collected in the Fisher house, acquiring new meanings and associations. For this pair of friends, the Fisher house was a project. Dedicated to saving pieces of Portland history, Ben and Jerry worked extraordinarily hard restoring the original siding, repairing and replacing the shingle work, windows, doors, and woodwork (National Register).
Ben and Jerry turned out to be at the root of one of the house’s most fabled tales. The house was once home to a Jewish family who erected a graveyard on the property. Later residents claimed the house was haunted and the cause of their unfortunate luck was the restless spirits of those buried. The graves were subsequently exhumed and the home blessed by a rabbi. However, this tale was not exactly true. When the current landlord bought the home from Ben and Jerry, there were several large carved stones in the yard. One tablet had a Hebrew inscription that said “Thou shall not steal.” Feeling understandably uneasy, the landlord donated the stone to a local Jewish history museum who informed him that it was taken from a Jewish cemetery that was demolished during I-405 construction. The other two stones still sit in the home’s overgrown backyard garden. Throughout the years, the residence has also acquired other items that are now passed down with the house. Most prominent of these are a set of carved wooden nautical men and a mermaid. These figures proudly smile down and greet visitors at the stairwell entrance. They have been used by residents as the subjects for short films, scrapbooks, and art projects. Rumor has it that they are original to the house; however, this legend has yet to be confirmed.
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, listed on 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...
.
The Thaddeus Fisher House, constructed in approximately 1888-92, is locally
significant as one of the finest and best-preserved examples
of the Queen Anne style in the area. The house was built shortly after
the City of East Portland was incorporated by the City of Portland.
Incorporation came on the heels of a population boon: which created a big demand
for housing. Beginning in the late 80s numerous residences were constructed on
the east side of the river to meet this demand. Many of these dwellings, such
as the Fisher House, were designed in the Queen Anne style which was popular at
the time. The Fisher House has one of the most complex facade arrangements. There are
very few examples in the area, the Fisher house is one of only three.
In 1888, Thaddeus “Thad” F. Fisher and his wife Phoebe built a grand house just off Belmont Avenue’s up and coming business district, then, at the edge of the city (Paving Map of Portland 1894). Thad was a prominent Woodsmen of the World, a man of earnest endeavor who bore the respect of all who knew him (Multnomah County Archives). The house was built in the high style of Queen Anne. They planted plum and apple trees which still stand to this day. Highly ornamental in design, the house included intricate woodwork, intersecting cross gables, a 3-story tower, and a steeply pitched irregular roof. A large veranda coils around half the main house, and to this day functions as the meeting and greeting place for household residents and visitors.
The unique orgy of architectural styles incorporated in the house is what catches the attention of passersby. Set back and slightly higher than the street, the ‘life’ of the house is thrust upward into the sky, establishing a sense of continuity between the house and the surrounding overgrown setting. On almost a daily basis, people take pause on the sidewalk looking at the house, pointing, talking, and sometimes asking questions. Old neighborhood residents often stop by to reminisce and tell tales of the house’s past.
The Fishers were a wealthy couple. Thad was a sea captain during the time when Portland was becoming a key hub for shipping in the west. This house would have surely been a bold statement, a symbol of their class standing. During this time, the production of new inhabitable space on Portland’s Eastside was just beginning. Flight from the discords wrought by the industrial machine age was an achievement mostly possible for those who were wealthy enough to move. The elite were on a quest to escape the grimy city and reconnect to the natural world, enjoy sunlight, fresh air, greenery, and open space. Southeast Portland would have been a very different type of place to live in the late 1800s. The majority of the roads were still dirt and gravel, which turned to mud during the rainy months (Portland Paving Map). Horses and kerosene lamps were everyday objects, as electricity and automobiles were bourgeoning ideas. The Fishers, and their neighbors, were urban pioneers settling in and taming this new environment.
There would have been an enthusiasm brewing in the Sunnyside neighborhood, because the very same year the Fishers built their home, the Mt. Tabor Trolley line began, extending from the river to 34th and Belmont (Tri-Met History). The trolley system would have changed the quality of everyday life in the developing landscape. Mr. Fisher would have traveled just one block to catch a trolley ride to the Portland docks. The streetcar lines would have brought new possibilities to movement and communication across the city. Even in 1888, we can see evidence that life would have been speeding up and physically spreading out. Like in many cities, new spaces are mainly produced and shaped by those with power and capital. These productive landscapes would follow the path of the rail lines, becoming corridors of development bringing with them profits and further investment. Prosperous citizens like the Fishers used their established wealth to their advantage. They were able to leave the city, taking with them comforts of modern living into a more pleasant setting, all while having the power to be highly mobile.
The Fishers did not have any children. Mr. Fisher passed away in 1904 and was buried down the avenue at Lone Fir Cemetery (Multnomah County OR Archives). His wake was held at his home. The house remained in the Fisher family until 1935 when Phoebe sold it. In the 1930s the home was temporarily converted to eight units during World War II (National Register). Portland’s mushrooming defense industries led to a housing crisis. This epic migration consisted of factory workers, soldiers and their families. Measures were taken to build worker housing, but the demand could not be met, so thousands of single-family houses were converted to accommodate multiple families (Oregon State Archives). Even though the Fisher house is large, it would have been tight quarters. Residents would have shared bathrooms and kitchens. Many would have most likely viewed this home as temporary as they hoped the war would be.
After the war, the house was converted back to accommodate a single-family and the in the 1960s, it was rehabilitated and turned into three apartments by local preservation legends, Jerry Bosco and Ben Milligan (founders of the Architectural Heritage Center). In the early 1970s, when I-405 was under construction, they were alarmed by the tragic demolition of historic buildings throughout the region and salvaged countless architectural pieces (AHC History). Over several decades, they collected a trove of ornate building elements, some of which were used in the restoration of the Fisher house. These foraged pieces once held meaning in completely different places and contexts and are now collected in the Fisher house, acquiring new meanings and associations. For this pair of friends, the Fisher house was a project. Dedicated to saving pieces of Portland history, Ben and Jerry worked extraordinarily hard restoring the original siding, repairing and replacing the shingle work, windows, doors, and woodwork (National Register).
Ben and Jerry turned out to be at the root of one of the house’s most fabled tales. The house was once home to a Jewish family who erected a graveyard on the property. Later residents claimed the house was haunted and the cause of their unfortunate luck was the restless spirits of those buried. The graves were subsequently exhumed and the home blessed by a rabbi. However, this tale was not exactly true. When the current landlord bought the home from Ben and Jerry, there were several large carved stones in the yard. One tablet had a Hebrew inscription that said “Thou shall not steal.” Feeling understandably uneasy, the landlord donated the stone to a local Jewish history museum who informed him that it was taken from a Jewish cemetery that was demolished during I-405 construction. The other two stones still sit in the home’s overgrown backyard garden. Throughout the years, the residence has also acquired other items that are now passed down with the house. Most prominent of these are a set of carved wooden nautical men and a mermaid. These figures proudly smile down and greet visitors at the stairwell entrance. They have been used by residents as the subjects for short films, scrapbooks, and art projects. Rumor has it that they are original to the house; however, this legend has yet to be confirmed.