14125 Beemer Way

UNKNOWN c.1880 -- Statement of Significance: Although the original owner is unknown the subject property may be one of the oldest houses in the Clackamas Heights area. The house is a good example of the Vernacular style. It is composed of several perpendicular volumes covered with wide, dropped siding and finished with corner and rake boards. According to the current owner, the house had a number of pieces of fancywork. She likened it to the McDonough House on 5th Street in Oregon City. All that is visible today are some patterned shingles on the side elevation of the front porch. Wide shakes in the end-wall of the frontal gable cover more fancywork. The possible age of the house is determined by the construction methods and materials. The house, at least the one-story eastern volume, is of plank construction, fastened with square nails. Plank construction was generally out-of-favor with local builders by 1875, and square nails by 1880. However, rare examples of this method of construction are known as late as 1905 in some areas. It is not known what method of construction was employed for the western, two-story volume. The patterned shingles and other noted fancywork was the hallmark of the late 19th century architecture, typically in the 1880s and 90s. The diamond window on the east elevation and the decorative paneled and glazed doors are other features common to dwellings built during the waning years of the 19th century. In addition to the removal of the "gingerbread," other alterations have been made to the house. Many of the changes are reversible. The owner believes that an historic photograph may exist. The front porch posts have been removed and a small section of the facade has been covered with vertical cedar siding; the original siding is clearly under the new material. A porch has been enclosed on the northwest (rear) elevation of the east volume. This is a common phenomenon, often employed to accommodate indoor plumbing for a bathroom or utility room. Landscape features, including a boxwood hedge, holly, camellias, rhododendron and mature fruit trees, contribute to the historic character of the dwelling.