FRANK AND MINNIE VONDERAHE HOUSE -- Statement of Significance: This house is significant for its architecture, one of only a few Mediterranean style buildings in Oregon City. This house is one of a set of three, the others located at 9th and J.Q. Adams and 9th and Jackson. The house is also associated with Minnie J. Vonderahe, who was an early owner of the house, which has always been used as a duplex. After Vonderahe sold the property in 1944, it changed hands often until 1948 when Joe and Hulda Foley bought the property. A member of the Foley family lived in the house through the rest of the historic period, with renters in the unit at 1108 1/2. The Foley family sold the property in 1968.
This one-story duplex is a modest interpretation of the Mediterranean style, with a stucco façade and decorative terra cotta ornament over the central entry to the duplex on the north side. The building is a symmetrical composition, with the central entry flanked by sets of four ten-pane casement windows with narrow trim molding. Aside from these windows, the other windows in the building are eight-pane casement sashes in the northern half and 1/1 double-hung wood sashes in the southern half. The building features a flat parapet with louvered vents on the north façade, except over the entry which has a gabled parapet, and large rectangular chimneys on the east and west sides. Just south of these chimneys on each side are recessed porches that provide a rear access to the two rental units. The porches have corrugated steel roofs and plain wood balustrades.
This property is a locally designated historic site located within the McLoughlin Conservation District. Contact ocplanning@orcity.org for more information.