The Mid-Century Modern Homes of
Kenneth L. Birkemeir
All photos by Jack Bookwalter
by Jack Bookwalter
The post World War II building boom in Portland presented many opportunities for architects and builders to express their own interpretation of the “Modern” home. Designer/Builder Kenneth L. Birkemeier built approximately 700 homes and apartment units in Portland during the mid-century period. Although credited with building some Colonial, English, and conventional Ranch-style homes, it is the Birkemeier Modern house that remains his most recognizable house style today. These brick (or partial-brick) houses were artfully designed, often with elements of avant-garde or whimsical detailing. These “houses of tomorrow” looked forward to an optimistic future of technological promise. Each house contained the very latest innovations in design and household mechanical systems. Indeed, some of his houses seem quite futuristic even today.
Although Birkemeier houses can be found throughout the Portland metro area, significant concentrations exist in inner Northeast neighborhoods such as Alameda, Irvington, and Rose City Park. Smaller concentrations can be found in Southeast Portland around Reed College and also in Northwest Portland. These homes were usually built on vacant infill lots found in the original neighborhood subdivision plan. Some Birkemeier houses though were built on more challenging hillside land that had been passed over during earlier rounds of neighborhood construction.
Birkemeier benefited from advances in construction technology that made such hillside construction possible by the 1950s. But the true genius of his hillside houses lies in his artful use of land planning. Each house was tailor-made to the site, often fitting it as smoothly as a hand inside a glove.
Carefully designed rock retaining walls were often incorporated into the overall design of the building. Also, a towering hillside site could accent the drama of a Birkemeier futuristic house. Look for Birkemeier’s hillside houses along the Alameda Ridge in Northeast Portland and also in the Hillside-Northwest neighborhood of Portland Heights.
What are the identifying features of a Birkemeir Modern house? It’s not easy to generalize about Birkemeier’s designs because each house was so unique. He seemed to have a never-ending supply of innovative designs springing from his creative mind. Still, these homes share a number of commonly identified features.
First, most Birkemeier Modern houses were built (at least partially) of Roman brick. The great American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in his “Prairie House” designs of a half-century also favored these long shaped bricks. Birkemeier, together with his head mason Frank Snelling, built fanciful designs into the brick walls: decorative ledges, rounded portholes, brick-courses laid in diagonal lines, rock interspersed with brick, and other interesting details.
If you see a Roman brick house with artful use of brick, you most certainly have located a Birkemeier house. Frank Lloyd Wright’s influence can also be seen in Birkemeier’s open, flowing floor plans, great rooms with high ceilings, and in the meticulous care he took relating each house to its specific site. Family members have mentioned that Birkemeier was an admirer of Pietro Belluschi, the well-known Portland architect who was his contemporary. Though Belluschi built houses in wood and Birkemeier mostly in brick, the two both shared the open-plan, “organic” design philosophies of Frank Lloyd Wright.
Birkemeier was additionally influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, occurring — like the Prairie Houses — half a century before his Modern houses. Birkemeier houses contained many well-crafted “built-ins” — a common feature of Craftsman houses, but rare by the 1950s. Also, in the 1950s it became fashionable to paint and “lighten up” the natural unpainted woodwork of previous generations. Birkemeier was having none of that. True to Arts-and-Crafts principles, he insisted on installing only the finest grade wood and letting the natural beauty of the grain show through. His wood cabinets, moldings, and doors all reflected the fine hand craftsmanship (another tenet of the Arts and Crafts movement) that went into each house.
Although most of his houses were built “on-spec” (that is, built first, sold later), they each exhibited a pride of expert workmanship more often associated with custom building. Birkemeier worked on much of each house’s construction himself. Such “hands-on” involvement was as rare in his day as it is today. This quality of construction and originality of design have earned Birkemeier legions of fans over the years. A real estate listing today with the name Birkemeier in the title always commands attention and respect.
Birkemeier’s post-war houses were modern. Yet he distilled the best elements of the past and incorporated them into his often-daring visions of the future. Sadly, most middle-class housing built today provides neither the charm nor the workmanship of the past, nor any inspiring design vision of the future. The Birkemeier houses remain a treasure — a treasure for owners who live in them, and a treasure for Portland’s neighborhood.
Jack Bookwalter is a freelance writer and architectural historian living in Portland, OR.
The post World War II building boom in Portland presented many opportunities for architects and builders to express their own interpretation of the “Modern” home. Designer/Builder Kenneth L. Birkemeier built approximately 700 homes and apartment units in Portland during the mid-century period. Although credited with building some Colonial, English, and conventional Ranch-style homes, it is the Birkemeier Modern house that remains his most recognizable house style today. These brick (or partial-brick) houses were artfully designed, often with elements of avant-garde or whimsical detailing. These “houses of tomorrow” looked forward to an optimistic future of technological promise. Each house contained the very latest innovations in design and household mechanical systems. Indeed, some of his houses seem quite futuristic even today.
Although Birkemeier houses can be found throughout the Portland metro area, significant concentrations exist in inner Northeast neighborhoods such as Alameda, Irvington, and Rose City Park. Smaller concentrations can be found in Southeast Portland around Reed College and also in Northwest Portland. These homes were usually built on vacant infill lots found in the original neighborhood subdivision plan. Some Birkemeier houses though were built on more challenging hillside land that had been passed over during earlier rounds of neighborhood construction.
Birkemeier benefited from advances in construction technology that made such hillside construction possible by the 1950s. But the true genius of his hillside houses lies in his artful use of land planning. Each house was tailor-made to the site, often fitting it as smoothly as a hand inside a glove.
Carefully designed rock retaining walls were often incorporated into the overall design of the building. Also, a towering hillside site could accent the drama of a Birkemeier futuristic house. Look for Birkemeier’s hillside houses along the Alameda Ridge in Northeast Portland and also in the Hillside-Northwest neighborhood of Portland Heights.
What are the identifying features of a Birkemeir Modern house? It’s not easy to generalize about Birkemeier’s designs because each house was so unique. He seemed to have a never-ending supply of innovative designs springing from his creative mind. Still, these homes share a number of commonly identified features.
First, most Birkemeier Modern houses were built (at least partially) of Roman brick. The great American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in his “Prairie House” designs of a half-century also favored these long shaped bricks. Birkemeier, together with his head mason Frank Snelling, built fanciful designs into the brick walls: decorative ledges, rounded portholes, brick-courses laid in diagonal lines, rock interspersed with brick, and other interesting details.
If you see a Roman brick house with artful use of brick, you most certainly have located a Birkemeier house. Frank Lloyd Wright’s influence can also be seen in Birkemeier’s open, flowing floor plans, great rooms with high ceilings, and in the meticulous care he took relating each house to its specific site. Family members have mentioned that Birkemeier was an admirer of Pietro Belluschi, the well-known Portland architect who was his contemporary. Though Belluschi built houses in wood and Birkemeier mostly in brick, the two both shared the open-plan, “organic” design philosophies of Frank Lloyd Wright.
Birkemeier was additionally influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, occurring — like the Prairie Houses — half a century before his Modern houses. Birkemeier houses contained many well-crafted “built-ins” — a common feature of Craftsman houses, but rare by the 1950s. Also, in the 1950s it became fashionable to paint and “lighten up” the natural unpainted woodwork of previous generations. Birkemeier was having none of that. True to Arts-and-Crafts principles, he insisted on installing only the finest grade wood and letting the natural beauty of the grain show through. His wood cabinets, moldings, and doors all reflected the fine hand craftsmanship (another tenet of the Arts and Crafts movement) that went into each house.
Although most of his houses were built “on-spec” (that is, built first, sold later), they each exhibited a pride of expert workmanship more often associated with custom building. Birkemeier worked on much of each house’s construction himself. Such “hands-on” involvement was as rare in his day as it is today. This quality of construction and originality of design have earned Birkemeier legions of fans over the years. A real estate listing today with the name Birkemeier in the title always commands attention and respect.
Birkemeier’s post-war houses were modern. Yet he distilled the best elements of the past and incorporated them into his often-daring visions of the future. Sadly, most middle-class housing built today provides neither the charm nor the workmanship of the past, nor any inspiring design vision of the future. The Birkemeier houses remain a treasure — a treasure for owners who live in them, and a treasure for Portland’s neighborhood.
Jack Bookwalter is a freelance writer and architectural historian living in Portland, OR.