A fine home in the Sullivan's Gulch Neighborhood

What a fine home seen on the Architectural Heritage Center Sullivan's Gulch Neighborhood Walking Tour on May 17. The 1917 house which sits on the southeast corner of the intersection of NE 19th Avenue and NE Clackamas Street seems to glow as the setting sun highlights it exterior.

About Sullivan's Gulch, from Portland Neighborhood dot com: Sullivan's Gulch is located in Northeast Portland. It is bordered by the Lloyd, Kerns, Hollywood, Grant Park, Laurelhurst, and Irvington neighborhoods. Sullivan's Gulch is conveniently located on bus lines, and within a short distance to the MAX light rail station at Lloyd Center. Sullivan's Gulch is a mixed urban and residential area that is located within walking distance to dining, shopping, and other entertainment. This well-established community has a mix of older East Portland homes, usually mid-sized to larger family homes located on streets with mature trees. There are also some lovely vintage apartments, and plexes for rent, as well as some newly developed condominiums for a more urban lifestyle.

About Sullivan's Gulch, from Sullivan's Gulch Neighborhood Association at Portlandonline dot com: A historic, pedestrian-friendly, diverse neighborhood in the Northeast section of Portland, Oregon -- just across the Willamette River from downtown. It is a truly urban neighborhood with large comfortable homes, gracious apartments and shady, tree-lined streets, and a vibrant local business district -- yet close to the central city and adjacent to Lloyd Center, bus lines, transit stations, and freeways.

And here's something else from the actual SGNA Web site: SULLIVAN'S GULCH NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION SULLIVAN'S GULCH IS LOCATED IN INNER NE PORTLAND (OREGON). WE'RE BORDERED BY THE LLOYD DISTRICT, HOLLYWOOD, GRANT PARK, LAURELHURST, KERNS AND IRVINGTON NEIGHBORHOODS. WE COVER HOLLADAY PARK AND NE 15TH TO 33RD AND I-84 TO NE BROADWAY. OUR BOUNDARIES INCLUDE LLOYD CINEMAS AND HOLLADAY PARK & THE MAX STATION WHICH OVERLAP WITH THE LLOYD DISTRICT COMMUNITY ASSOCATION. WE ARE THE PROUD HOME OF GULCH-O-RAMA AND A MYSTERIOUSLY BALANCING ROCK GARDEN.

There's steps, and then there's steps.

The front steps on a nearby house on NW Everett, during the snow marathon in 2008-2009. I took this photo on December 23, 2008, mainly because it looked like someone had made a snow angel in the snow packed onto the steps. Ever since we'd moved into our apartment in October, 2006, I had figured the house was vacant. This photo certainly supports that premise. All nearby steps had been cleared, repeatedly, as we had days and days of snowfall.


Maybe things are looking up for the house. I took this photo on May 8, 2010, a few days after I walked by on my way to the bus and noticed a man working on the steps. The right side front door was open. I got a glimpse of the stairs to the second floor. Now I'm totally curious as to what is going on with the house. Extremely hopeful, too.

Cristina and Leland's Place: A Timeline

Here's my photo-timeline of the progress on Cristina and Leland's new place, which is attached to her mother and step-father's home. I think it's wonderful that Delia and Gabriel want the two of them to be near; it's a sign of a family filled with love and caring. This timeline just hits a few points; it's not at all representative of the hard work the four of them, plus other crew members--both family and professional--put in over the last year. They're hoping to get the carpet, linoleum and cabinets installed soon. Then they'll move in. Hooray for them!

October, 2006


Now all this great big hole in the ground has become the home area which is directly behind the garage you see in the photo below.

May, 2007


When Kay and Milton drove up from Mississippi to visit, naturally one of the places we wanted to show them was Cristina and Leland's work-in-progress. Here's Cristina and Kay, standing where the driveway is today.

May, 2007


We went inside to see how the living area was progressing. Cristina's explaining the design for the ceiling. Behind Milton and Kay is the French door that opens directly into the back yard. The French door to the left opens towards the patio that you can see in the first photo.

May, 2007


From the backyard I got a pretty good shot of Mt. Hood. The fence you can barely see at the bottom of the photo is across the road that passes by the back of the place. The close up of Mt. Hood is enhanced a bit by iPhoto. Remember, this is the last week in May. Look at that snow! Now, the first week in October, it's snowing up there again, around 10,000 foot mark I think I heard on the weather report.

May, 2007


July, 2007


Leland posed for me at the back door. He's excited at the possibility of soon being settled in their home, as is his sweetheart.

July, 2007


This is the view from the garage, through the middle of the addition. The master bedroom and bathroom, plus another bathroom are on the right. Two other bedrooms are on the left.

July, 2007


Here's what I'm calling the great room. Isn't this bronze color fantastic? I can't wait to see how Cristina and Leland decorate it. I also like the silvery gray ceiling which gently sparkles.

July, 2007


Here's a close-up of the texture of the walls. Pretty neat!

July, 2007


July, 2007


The garage is huge, as you can tell by the width of this concrete pad.

August, 2007


I think these ceiling fans look fantastic. Most of the time up here in Portland all you need is a fan and/or an open window. This photo is in one of the bedrooms.

August, 2007


On this particular visit, Mama and I found these lovely dahlias at a roadside stand in Damascus. Here they're decorating Gabriel's saw which had been well-used throughout the months. I can't remember what the little wooden tool is for, but I think it got used lots, too.

August, 2007


The intrepid crew: Gabriel, Delia, Cristina, Leland. They paused in their work to pose for a photo. At this particular time, the exterior of the entire house, old and new, was in the process of getting two coats of paint.

That's all for now. After the move, I'll get more photos to share with y'all.