Historic Southeast Portland gem of a house sparkles with holiday decorations – oregonlive.com

Holidays are centered on traditions and the history of a familys home plays a role. The Gill-Wampler residence in Southeast Portland is an architectural gem that receives extra sparkle in December.

Set back from the street and surrounded by greenery, the jewelry box-like structure seems small. But, like a precious stone, the details are dramatic: Shutters are a series of chevrons painted in various shades of orange and red, and a decorative, fluted chimney pokes through the slightly flared, slate roof, which rests on exterior brick walls like a crown.

Open the diamond-paneled front door and youll see vertical mahogany beams that dress up the lath-and-plaster walls and a fireplace mantel displaying heirlooms and homemade decorations.

Youll also be embraced by orchestrated light, either streaming through expansive windows or emanating from a dozen vintage lamps, of various shapes and styles. During the holidays, star-shaped bulbs and tiny strings of twinkle lights add extra illumination.

Owner Rosalie Wampler gestures to the rich mahogany paneling, which was installed when the house was new in 1932.

A home with a lot of unpainted wood can seem dark, says Wampler, who lives here with her husband, Michael Gill, and their sons, Lee, 7, and Raleigh, 3.

Preparing for the holidays are Michael Gill and Rosalie Wampler with their sons, Lee, 7, and Raleigh, 3. Portrait by Adrian Klein Photography

Each year, Wampler and Gill rearrange the sofa, tables and Stickley-like Craftsman chairs in the living room to make room for the Christmas tree. Sometimes, the tree fronts windows that rise to the 11-foot-tall ceiling. Last year, visitors participating in a fundraising holiday home tour saw the tree in the middle of the large room.

Another tradition: The family makes colorful ornaments by drying slices of grapefruits, limes and oranges, then looping a candy cane-striped string through each one to hang on a branch.

Other decorations are also crafted at home. Bottle brushes dipped in food coloring or dye become miniature Christmas trees and empty toilet paper rolls, stacked into a tree shape, are dressed with tiny homemade ornaments and golden garlands.

Wampler says she doesnt spend money on store-bought decor unless its super sentimental. Besides, she adds, We all love crafts."

As for gifts, they will assemble necessity kits for people in need and exchange white elephant presents with their big, extended family.

Winter is a reflective time for Wampler. Trees have shed leaves, its a slow growing season and theres the long nighttime darkness, she says.

She counters the cold weather and black skies by decorating inside with a mix of natural cedar branches and mossy twigs, nostalgic items like thick blankets, smile-producing kitsch Christmas ornaments and lots of lights.

Dried slices of grapefruits, limes and oranges with a candy cane-striped string dangle from Christmas tree branches. Beth Nakamura/Staff

A collection of wooden fairy-tale characters dangle from a key rack over a lighted vintage Champale sparkling beer sign and an Advent calendar is propped up on a dish cupboard underneath an antique kitchen light fixture.

I have a penchant for old, Wampler says, who grew up in Portland. The idea of an old-time Christmas sounds wonderful to me.

What were Christmas celebrations like in the 1930s when this house was new?

Many of todays traditions began during the pivotal decade in which the Great Depression ended and World War II started: The image of Santa Claus in a red suit came from a Coca-Cola advertising campaign; Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer first appeared as a promotion for Montgomery Ward department stores and children were taught to think of others by leaving cookies and milk out for Santa and carrots for his reindeers.

More than the refined aesthetics of this residence are remarkable. The single-story home was designed by Herman Brookman, one of Portlands most influential architects, and it was radically modern for its time.

The minimalist approach still stands out among larger European-inspired, Period Revival and Craftsman houses in the neighborhood.

Brookman, an expert in elite residential architecture and landscaping, was living in New York City when he moved to Portland in 1923 to design a 63-acre estate south of downtown Portland for M. Lloyd Frank of the Meier & Frank department stores. The brick Fir Acres manor, aligned on its axis with Mount Hood, is now the centerpiece of the Lewis & Clark College campus.

With a rising reputation, Brookman was commissioned to plan the 1927 Mediterranean-style Harry A. Green residence, also known as the Bitar Mansion, in Laurelhurst , which cost $6 million in todays dollars.

Throughout his 50-year-career, Brookman designed landmark buildings, mansions and cottages, as well as contributing to the Neo-Byzantine, 1928 Temple Beth Israel in Northwest Portland.

Val Ballestrem of the Architectural Heritage Center wrote that Brookmans work has long been recognized as much for its artistry as for its design quality.

From Art Deco to modern, English to Moorish, regardless of the size or budget, Brookmans signature style materialized: Recessed entrances, leaded-glass windows with colored jewels and precision ornamental ironwork, often by metal artist Oscar B. Bach of New York, whose work appears in the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building.

Architect Herman Bookman designed the 1932 house to be modern for its time. Photo by Beth Nakamura/Staff

Brookmans breakthrough modernist style, as seen in the Gill-Wampler residence, influenced architect John Yeon, who trained in Brookmans office, and others who perfected the Pacific Northwest modern style, which employs native wood, rough brick and glass to achieve elegance.

As important, Brookmans highly livable modern homes prefigured the post-World War II ranch-style dwellings that dominated the 1950s and 1960s, according to historians who successfully campaigned to elevate the architects buildings onto the National Register of Historic Places.

In the early 1930s, Brookman accepted an ambitious commission: To establish high-end, modern homes in a new tract east of the Willamette River.

The goal to build 21 houses was derailed as the Depression lingered, yet three of Brookmans plans were completed in 1932 and remain, lined up on one street, with newer structures since erected in between.

One of the plans became Brookmans personal residence, another was a model home and the third is the Gill-Wampler house.

The three modern homes were praised in print in 1934 by Architecture Magazine and The Oregonian for their attractive design and the way they complemented the landscape.

The Gill-Wampler residence was first occupied by Thomas Greene, Jr., his wife, Dorothy, and their son, Thomas III. In 2012, Gill and Wampler became the second owners of the 87-year-old house.

They bought the property sight unseen.

Although they were grateful so much of the original materials had survived, the property wasnt pristine. When they walked inside for the first time, they found rooms packed with unwanted items, even though no one had lived there for three years.

Some of the custom wood-pane windows needed to be replaced, but fortunately the oak floors had been protected under layers of carpet.

The kitchen still has original counters made of old-growth Douglas fir and peach cabinetry with dovetail drawers and glass knobs. Photo by Beth Nakamura/Staff

The kitchen still has original counters made of old-growth Douglas fir and peach cabinetry with dovetail drawers and glass knobs. When Wampler starts the project to repair the wooden apron board, she believes Pratt & Larson could hand make pieces to match the existing turquoise subway tiles.

Its funny how modern this old house is, says Wampler, even the way the subway tile is laid out. It has aged well.

She has sentimental items on display in the kitchen: Vintage wood canisters sit on top of her grandfathers lazy Susan and an antique porcelain Kaffee hand-crank coffee grinder is mounted on a wall.

Having an authentic old kitchen was something I sought my entire life, says Wampler, who manages and restores Portland apartments built in the same era as her house.

The bathroom has original pink hexagon tile and an elongated diamond-shaped window. The stained glass was removed long ago, and a new vanity and light fixtures were installed in the 1950s.

In the master bedroom is a matching headboard, footboard, gentlemans chest and nightstand set made of birdseye maple in the 1930s that the Greenes left behind.

An old clock has also long been a part of the house. Wampler repaired it and it now sits on the living rooms mahogany mantel underneath a century-old photograph of Mount Hood she found at a Goodwill store.

A framed portrait of the houses architect, Herman Brookman, is displayed in the dining room. Photo by Beth Nakamura/Staff

A framed portrait of architect Brookman rests on a sideboard in the dining room, against a horn speaker from a crank record player that her brother, Sam Wampler, salvaged and repurposed.

Her mother, Joclyn Wampler, owns the Montana Antique Mall in Missoula, so not only does Rosalie Wampler know style eras well, she can shop second-hand stores and estate sales to find authentic pieces.

Especially during the holidays, she says she hopes to evoke a feeling far away from the present time. Maybe our Christmas decorating is to create one big distraction and a vacation from everyday life, she says.

Its a time, when she and her husband talk about loved ones who have passed away and Christmases when they were young. We take stock of the world around us, she says.

Another tradition: On Sundays, they take their sons to a place where they can appreciate the natural world. There, she says, they are together and can "reset our standards of kindness.

-- Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072

jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman

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Historic Southeast Portland gem of a house sparkles with holiday decorations - oregonlive.com