About the Reed Neighborhood
Reed is a neighborhood located within the Willamette River watershed in southeast Portland. The Reed neighborhood boundaries are SE Holgate Avenue to the north, SE Reedway, along SE 28th Avenue down to SE Woodstock Boulevard to the south, SE 39th Avenue to the east, and the Union Pacific railroad tracks (approximately SE 23rd Avenue) to the west.
Reed is named for Reed College, a private liberal arts college founded in 1908, located south of the neighborhood. Currently, Reed is primarily single-family residential with a few of its original farmhouses, but the northern part of the area is made up of period tudors, bungalows and English cottages, while the southern portion is mainly mid-century ranch homes and apartment buildings. The Reed neighborhood is bordered by Reed College, including a campus-protected natural wetland habitat, Eastmoreland Golf Course and Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden. This quiet neighborhood is recognized by its well-groomed, mature landscaping, old growth trees, and classic mid-century architectural style. Reed neighborhood’s western segment located west of SE 28th Avenue comprises industrial properties.
SE 28th St looking north from SE Bybee Ave in 1888!
Mid Century Modern in Southeast Portland. At the center of the Reed neighborhood is a community of about 150 homes that are unique to inner Southeast Portland. Reedwood is a mid-century neighborhood created and predominantly built between the years of 1955 and 1970. It is characterized by wide streets and low slung ranch and mid-century modern houses. Reedwood was billed as ‘Country seclusion...well within the City’. Winding streets, larger lots and large landscaped front yards separate Reedwood from its adjacent neighborhoods.
Reedwood’s planning and architecture is drawn from examples both near and far. Within walking distance to the North and South are excellent examples of mid-century modern architecture by one of Oregon’s most famous architects Pietro Belluschi. On the Reed College campus Belluschi assumed head designer and college master planning duties while with the firm of A.E. Doyle in the mid 40s. In 1947 Belluschi designed the Psychology Building, an excellent example of the emerging International Style of modernism. Later, the joint offices of Belluschi and the Portland branch of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) designed the MacNaughton Dormitory (1954) and the Foster- Sholz Dormitories (1955) again in the International Modernist style. To the North of Reedwood Belluschi and SOM designed the Tucker Maxon Oral School in 1953. Because of the schools single story post and beam design it may be even more influential to Reedwood than the larger Reed Campus buildings.
Several Portland area neighborhoods were being developed at the same time as Reedwood. Glendoveer, near the Gateway neighborhood to the east, in particular has many similarities to Reedwood. Laid out by renowned architects A. Quincy Jones and Fredrick E. Emmons in 1957, Glendoveer (or Hallberg Homes as it was then known) has the same wide streets and predominantly single-story houses. Jones and Emmons also worked for developer Joseph Eichler between 1951-1964 on the iconic Eichler neighborhoods and houses of Northern and Southern California. The Eichler houses and neighborhoods had received a great deal of attention by 1955 and undoubtably influenced Reedwood’s development.
There are several key characters in the development of Reedwood. First is the partnership of Creed Bonebrake and Earl Hansen, who created the Reedwood plats in 1955. Concurrently Way W. Lee designed and built the houses on the block between Raymond and Schiller, 33rd Place and 34th Ave. Finally, longtime landowners the Colt family platted Colt Terrace in 1957. Together these three groups created the neighborhood we all enjoy today.
MacNaughton Dormitory at Reed College built in 1954 designed by Belluschi and Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
Tucker Maxon School at the Northwest corner of the neighborhood designed by architect Pietro Belluschi
Reed College Psychology building also designed by Belluschi and built in 1947
The original plan. Until 1955 Reedwood was a predominantly forested area with blueberry patches. In the late ‘40s the land was mostly owned by the Tracy Colt, E.H. Lawrenson, Dave Smith, R.N. Watkins and A.C. (Creed) Bonebrake. Creed Bonebrake was a successful Portland pharmacist who resided in Vancouver, Washington. Bonebrake was the financier of Reedwood’s development but not the public face. That distinction belonged to Earl B. Hansen who became Bonebrake’s partner in the development of the land. Sometimes nicknamed ‘Slick’, Hansen was involved in real estate and became the idea man and promoter of the properties development. He was the primary contact to the other land owners and encouraged the development of their land. In 1948 Earl Hansen led a group in proposing the development of The College Plaza business district. College Plaza was planned to cover roughly 20 city blocks of buildings plus another 15 city blocks of parking. The $15.5 million project was nearing construction with financing and a long list of lease applicants including an 1800 seat movie theatre and a 17,000 SF food center. In many ways this project was well ahead of its time as it blended retail, office and residential development in close proximity. High density ‘elevator’ apartments plus more exclusive garden apartments were planned just to the west of the businesses. This type of mixed use development was unusual for 1948 and required zoning modifications which resulted in hearings before the planning commission. Homeowners in the adjacent, and recently developed, Reed College Heights neighborhood fought and successfully defeated both the zoning changes and the development of the College Plaza business district.
Oregon Journal, October 3 1948
In 1955 Hansen and Bonebrake revised their plans and set out to develop the modern residential park of Reedwood. Marketing material for Reedwood promotes the country feel just minutes from downtown. Reedwood was platted in 1955 and in 1958 the house at 5205 SE 36th was built as the Reedwood model home. The house sits at the center of the wishbone split between 35th and 36th and is the visual entry to Reedwood. The model home was written about several times in The Oregonian as an example of modern Northwest living.
After the completion of the model home Hansen’s involvement diminished and builder Walt Parrot was brought on by Bonebrake. The majority of Reedwood was then sold by lots with buyers responsible for building their own houses. It appears that there were design regulations or CC&R’s for Reedwood dictating general zoning.
Way W. Lee. While Hansen and Bonebrake were promoting the Reedwood block between Raymond and Schiller, 33rd Place and 34th Avenue was being developed by Way W. Lee. Way, an OSU graduate who majored in engineering and minored in architecture, acted as both designer and contractor. After building his own house in 1952 at 4908 SE 33rd Place (which has its own instagram account), Way set out to acquire more land to develop. His acquisition of land was not easy. As a minority he faced a great deal of discrimination and land owners who refused to sell to him. Only by enlisting his neighbor (and business associate) Mr. Hemstreet to act as a middle man in the purchase was Way able to acquire land. At that time the Hellmans Addition plats were all 50x100 lots. Way combined lots to form five new properties; 4805 SE 34th, 3362 and 3350 SE Schiller, 4912 SE 33rd Place and 3353 SE Raymond Street. Three of the lots were sold to families whom hired Way to build their houses while the other two were speculative houses that were sold after they were completed. Out of these homes 3353 SE Raymond Street brought Way the most attention. It served as his model home and drew an estimated 30,000 visitors during its 6 weeks of open houses. During construction of these first five homes Way purchased more land on the same block from William Smith. This purchase resulted in the rest of the houses on the block; 3357, 3369 and 3377 SE Raymond Street, 4811 SE 34th and 4917 SE 34th where Mr. and Mrs. Smith still live.
Way W. Lee went on to develop, design and construct many other houses adjacent to his original block as well as houses in the Reedwood and Colt Terrace plats. He also designed and built the Garden Terrace Apartments and a few commercial buildings along SE 28th and SE 26th. Way’s office is also in the Reed neighborhood at 5210 SE 26th. Due to both the quality of his designs and the quantity of built work Way W. Lee had perhaps the single most influence on the appearance of Reedwood today.
Open house for the Way W Lee model house on the corner of SE Raymond St and SE 33rd Place in 1959
The Colt family. In 1945 Tracy Colt bought a 10 acre parcel of land from a Reed College professor. The property stretched from Steele to almost Raymond Street and from 32nd Avenue to 33rd Place. Colt owned Colt Bearing Services located in downtown Portland in what is now known as the Bearing building at NW Everett and 11th. In 1947 he hired Roscoe Hemenway to design the Colt house at 5215 SE 32nd Avenue. Hemenway was one of Portland most respected residential architects of his time know mostly for his Colonial Revival designs in the west hills. The Tracy Colt house backed up to Lambert Gardens and still occupies the largest parcel of land in Reedwood at 36,000 SF.
In 1957 Colt Terrace was platted and the first house at 5215 SE 33rd Avenue was built. The house was originally built for James (Jimmy) Bissio, the well known owner of Bissio Motors. When Bissio became ill he sold the house back to Tracy’s son Jim who still lives in the house with his wife Cynthia. This house was designed to set a high standard for homes in Colt Terrace. The old growth tongue and groove ceilings, true post and beam construction and finely detailed clerestories are the best example of mid-century modern design in Reedwood. Jim went on to build the adjacent house at 5211 SE 33rd Avenue as well. The Colts also built the house at 5205 SE 32nd adjacent to the Tracy Colt house where Jim’s son Chris lives. Colt Terrace properties did have design requirements or CC&R’s that required large front setbacks and restricted on street parking.
View of Lambert Gardens from the Colt house
Tracy Colt House circa 1950
SE Steele and SE 32nd St circa 1950
Lambert Gardens Peacock at the Colt house
The next generation. Today a new generation of neighbors are appreciating these homes and bringing new life to the community. If you live in the neighborhood be sure to sign up for our mailing list to stay informed about events, meet ups, and board meetings!
