914 Madison Street

D.C. LATOURETTE HOUSE -- Statement of Significance: DeWitt Clinton and Ellen Scott Latourette purchased lots 1 through 8 from Thomas Charman in 1887 and built his house in 1891. Latourette was born in Oregon City in 1856 to a prominent Oregon City family. A financier and banker, he was instrumental in establishing the Oregon Commercial Bank of Oregon City in 1889. Latourette was a stockholder in several Oregon City businesses and served as Oregon City attorney, as city councilman, and as deacon in the Oregon City Baptist Church. He attended Pacific Union in 1878 and taught school in Yamhill County for several years, before being admitted to the bar in 1882. Following his death in 1937, Mrs. Latourette continued to live in the house until the mid- 1940s. After that time, the house was used as a rental until sold the Latourette estate in the 1960s. This property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

This 1-1/2 Queen Anne style house is currently on the National Register. It is prominently located on a corner lot at Madison and 10th Street, with a 3-car garage built into the hill off of 10th. The house has a gable roof with a hip roof over the porch. It has a T-shaped plan and sits on a poured concrete foundation. The exterior of the first story is clad with channel drop siding, while the upper story has fishscale imbrication. Decorative woodwork reminiscent of half-timbering is used in the upper part of the gable. The windows are 1/1 wood double-hung. There is one chamfered windowed corner with a pendant and fancy brackets. At the time of the 1982 survey, the porch had very simple columns and balustrade. Since then, the owners have replaced these elements with ones more in keeping with the original: slender, turned colonnettes (that appear to have been installed upside down), fancy brackets, and a low balustrade. Lattice skirting has been added around the porch. At the front of the property is a parged concrete retaining wall (part of it is basalt at one end). A sidewalk has also been recently added.

This property is a locally designated historic site located within the McLoughlin Conservation District. Contact ocplanning@orcity.org for more information.