PORTLAND, Ore. – A 98-year-old single family home in the Laurelhurst neighborhood is in the middle of being demolished.
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
The property, previously profiled by the Portland Chronicle in December, was purchased by Vic Remmers‘ Everett Custom Homes in October.
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
Remmers paid $601,300 for the house, making it the second highest purchase price for a home to be demolished that the Portland Chronicle has covered, second to a home on Northwest 25th and Raleigh.
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
On the site of the demolished 1917 home, Everett Custom Homes plans to build a two-story single-family residence.
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
The demolition and redevelopment is standard procedure by Everett Custom Homes, which prides itself on “preserving and improving” Portland’s communities, and is “very aware that being part of a neighborhood means being a good neighbor,” according to its website.
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
The Laurelhurst property sports a large sign in the front yard announcing that it is being deconstructed rather than demolished, which means it “contributes to the sustainability of our local environment and community,” according to the sign.
Photo credit: Portland Chronicle
Research carried out by Portland Chronicle staff suggests that deconstruction is often chosen when the house in question is located on a main thoroughfare with a high degree of visibility or is the subject of wider media attention, such as the house on Southeast 25th and Hawthorne that was “deconstructed” in 2012 to make way for developer Aaron Jones‘s large multifamily complex.
A house at Southeast 25th and Hawthorne is “deconstructed” in 2012. Photo credit: Portland Chronicle