Zenabe Court Apartments, seen on the AHC Historic Multi-Family Housing of NW Portland Walking Tour

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We walked and looked and listened and repeated it, gladly, for a couple of great hours on Thursday, May 2. I especially liked this multi-family unit with the deep courtyard entrance. We learned from our docent/tour guide that Elmer Feig was the architect for this building--twenty-one of his apartment buildings from the 1920s are in NW Portland. The accoutrement on the facades range from Art Deco to Moorish to Mission to Egyptian. While I like the wrought iron arch at the entrance, I adore the clinker bricks. A bit about those bricks: In early brick firing kilns, the surface of the bricks that were too close to the fire changed into the volcanic textures and darker/purplish colors. They were often discarded, but around 1900, these bricks were discovered by architects to be usable, distinctive and charming in architectural detailing.

Here is the information that the Architectural Heritage Center put online and in their newsletter to entice us into going on what turned out to be a spectacular walking tour: Northwest Portland’s Alphabet District is often thought of for its beautiful mansions, when in fact, it has a surprising history as a "rental" district. The Couch family built some of the earliest upscale rental units. In the 1920s, Elmer Feig became well known for his Northwest Portland apartment designs, and a housing crunch during World War II led to the conversion of many classic homes into multi-family units. We hope you’ll join us as we explore this fascinating aspect of one of Portland’s most endearing neighborhoods.

From the KBC Management Web page: Zenabe Court, 708 N.W. 20th Avenue, Portland, Oregon, built in 1929, was designed by Elmer Feig in the Spanish Colonial style. The unique, staggered brick façade creates a warm impression. A wrought iron arch invites one into the tropically landscaped entry court. Colorful tile accents welcome you through the front door. Zenabe is a short walk to nearby dining and boutiques, yet is located in a decidedly residential area of Nob Hill. Convenience, balanced with a residential flavor, provides a perfect mix for the vogue Zenabe Court.

Studio and One Bedroom flats have been carefully restored to accentuate original details. Beautiful hardwoods, cove ceilings and originally tiled bathrooms are featured throughout. Built-in armoires or walk-in closets provide ideal storage. Several floor plans include arched wood burning fireplaces, accented by original artistic plaques. The Zenabe is simply stunning.

Studio 460-520 sq. ft.
Double Studio 625 sq. ft.
One Bedroom 620-800 sq. ft.

APARTMENT FEATURES:

• Golden hardwoods 
•  Tile bath flooring 
•  Period light fixtures 
•  Large walk-in closets & armoires 
•  Cove ceilings 
•  Fireplaces in select floor plans

AMENITIES:

•  Laundry room 
•  Bike room 
•  Entry intercom 

No pets or smoking permitted.

He spells it clinker, she spells it klinker, but it's all brick to me.

On May 19 I enjoyed an Architectural Heritage Center Neighborhood Walk, through the Hollywood District. We saw lots of interesting houses and buildings, heard lots of interesting history, and walked lots and lots of blocks. Since I don't have house architecture styles memorized, I can't remember what we saw where, drat it. But I can remember clinker bricks. I've had some fun with Picnik on these photos.


Here's a close-up photo of the same front porch column. I wonder if it is completely made of clinkers or if they just cover the column?


Around the corner and down the block, more clinkers decorate this porch.


I saw this house before the one that is in the top photo, but seeing the clinkers painted gray bothered me too much to put this house as the first photo. However, I have altered the photo in Picnik so that you can see the design developed with the clinker bricks. And thank goodness the person who wielded that doggone paint brush didn't get up on the roof and paint the chimneys!

I think you'll learn lots from this Old House Journal article, “The Accidental Charm of Clinker Bricks”.

And here's some info from Wikipedia: Clinker bricks are partially vitrified brick stones used in the construction of buildings.
Clinkers are burnt under temperatures so high that the pores of the fuel property are closed by the beginning sinter process. Thus they are considerably denser and therefore heavier than regular bricks. Clinkers hardly take up water and are very resistant.
In early brick firing kilns, the surface of the bricks that were too close to the fire changed into the volcanic textures and darker/purplish colors. They were often discarded, but around 1900, these bricks were discovered by architects to be usable, distinctive and charming in architectural detailing, adding the earthy quality favored by Arts & Crafts style designers. Modern brick-making techniques can recreate the appearance of these bricks and produce a more consistent product.
In the United States, clinker bricks were made famous by the Pasadena, California architecture firm Greene and Greene who used them (often in combination with native rocks) in walls, foundations, and chimneys.