New House is Gem
C.K. Henry Home in Laurelhurst East Side Landmark
View Fine On All Sides
Construction and Finish of Highest Class, Surroundings to Be in Keeping With Style--Cost, With Grounds, $50,000
One of the most beautiful residences in Portland is the new home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles K. Henry, in Laurelhurst, which was recently completed and occupied. For a building site Mr. Henry picked out the most sightly spot in the whole tract, and the one which, by its contour, seemed best adapted for landscaping. In architecture, arrangement, furnishings and setting, the house is a fine example of good taste.
The residence is at East Glisan Street and Laddington Court, which was formerly known as East 38th Street. This site is of irregular shape and contains an area of about ten city lots. It sloped gently to the south, which is the front, and more gradually to the east and west. At the north of the house the ground rises very slightly.
House is East Side Landmark
Already the house is a landmark for the entire East Side and it is plainly seen from the eminences and tall buildings on the West Side. It commands a view in all directions. On the south the windows look out on the Laurelhurst Park with its dark fir forest in the center. The snow peaks of Hood and St. Helens stand out boldly to the east and north and appear even higher because of the vantage point from which they are viewed. On the east also Mount Tabor is a near neighbor, with its many fine homes. The view on the north extends to the Peninsula...
The approach to the house is by a winding path. The building is constructed of massive gray granite slabs, quarried at Wilkerson, WA. Some of the window ledges are ten feet long, and the stone throughout is cut in large pieces. The chimneys are of the same material and are carried to a great height, adding to the decorative effect. 26 tons of stone were used in the largest chimney.
House Planned by Mrs. Henry
The house was planned largely by Mrs. Henry both in the arrangement and the interior fittings, and was built by the Spencer-McCain Company. In every department of the construction the mechanics did exceptionally fine work. An example of this is seen in the scarfing of the stone around the woodwork of the windows and doors.
The treads and risers of the steps and the floors of the porches are of quarry tile of a living red tone. This is an especially attractive feature of the exterior of the house. The entrance leads into a vestibule of mahogany with mosaic floor. The vestibule opens through French doors into the large reception hall, with the living room and den to the left and dining room to the right. Broad stairs ascent from the reception hall to the second story and attic.
The floors from the main floor to the attic are of heavy quarter-sawed oak, dressed to a glass-like smoothness. The windows from bottom to top are of plate glass of perfect transparency, and are kept tight by metal weather stripping. All the paneling on the first floor is of especially selected mahogany, and the furniture is of mahogany and teakwood.
Furniture is Mahogany and Teak
Mr. Henry has picked up a number of pieces of teakwood, one being an electric lighting fixture of unique design, and another a desk which is a part of the furniture of his den. His prize is in the den, with its mahogany-beamed ceiling and comfortable fireplace. The den is also the library, the bookcases being built in, and made of beveled plate glass in coppered settings.
There are three fireplaces on the first floor and two upstairs. Casement windows and French doors prevail throughout the house. There are four large bedrooms with ample closets upstairs. A large covered sleeping porch commands a fine view to the north. One the third floor is a large billiard room, which may also be used as a ballroom. The basement contains the hot water plant with which the house is heated, and housekeeping utilities.
Landscaping to be Feature
The house cost $25,000 and the grounds will represent an outlay of as much again when completed. The landscaping is now being done, and the work will be completed within a month or two. The sloping ground in front will be given up to the lawn and flowering shrubs. Mr. Henry has a choice collection of plants and trees and recently acquired a number more. He has a large number of hollies, azaleas, rhododendrons and other shrubs indigenous to the temperate zone. When in Santa Barbara recently he bought a collection of palms which will soon be sent north.
At the north of the house will be a formal garden, and a Japanese teahouse built of concrete, which will be connected with the house by a pergola embracing a porte cochere. A kitchen vegetable garden is also included in the arrangement of the grounds.
Mr. Henry has joined with his neighbors on the east and north, Dr. Homer I. Keeney, C.V. Cooper and O.W. Taylor in building a private driveway for automobiles through the grounds, which will provide an entrance to garages from the two streets.
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