Johan Poulsen House
Encyclopedia
The Johan Poulsen House is a three-story American Queen Anne Style
mansion in Portland, Oregon
's Brooklyn neighborhood
. It was built in 1891 by Johan Poulsen.
or because his wife, Dora, did not like it. He sold it on a mortgage to Willey and sold it outright to Arthur Zwicker for $7,500 on July 14, 1894. Alternately, the home was sold to William J. Clemens, and Oregon senator, in 1902.
The house was built in 1891. The turret reaches approximately 50 feet. It includes a bedroom on the first floor for a servant. It contains two lead glass
Oriel window
s, a Palladian window, curved glass in the turret, and beveled lead glass
windows. The home also contains a veranda, added around 1915. It is considered a "Pacific Northwest
interpretation of the Queen Anne Style", since it does not contain stone or brick.
The interior features a large carved oak fireplace and mantel, carved stairway balustrades, and oak flooring with a mahogany border. Containing nine bedrooms and 12-foot ceilings, the maid's bedroom is on the first floor, with four bedrooms on each of the second and third floors. The third floor may have originally been a large ballroom.
The home was bought by "The Doughnut King", A. A. Hoover, in 1919, and became known as the "King's Castle" or "The King's Palace". The property was then sold to Henrietta B. Huthman in 1923, whose family owned it until 1946. The Huthman family added the two-car garage and large retaining wall in 1926. The two-car garage was connected to the house via tunnel. The home was converted to a boarding house
sometime between 1946 and 1976. James F. Nevin purchased the house in approximately 1976 and began restoring it.
The house was surveyed by the Portland Historical Landmarks Commission on October 3, 1973, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on March 14, 1977.
, Germany
. The area of his birth is now Denmark
. He came to Iowa in 1870, married his wife Dora in 1873, and came to Portland in 1875.
Before 1890 he also owned part of the North Pacific Lumber Company and Willamette Steam Sawmill Company. He sold his ownership of these companies to start the Inman-Poulsen Lumber Company with Robert D. Inman. Their company had a sawmill on the east side of the Willamette River
at Clinton Street. The sawmill dock could accommodate two oceangoing ships at a time. Inman had an almost identical house at 6th and Woodward Street, which was demolished in 1958 to make room for a factory.
By 1903, the Inman-Poulsen company was the largest lumber company in Oregon with 350 employees, later peaking at 700 employees. The large lumber mill had a conveyor belt piling sawdust, which went to a Portland General Electric
plant located next door.
Poulsen built another large house on Hassalo Street in the Lloyd District
, replaced by a Red Lion hotel
later.
Queen Anne Style architecture (United States)
In America, the Queen Anne style of architecture, furniture and decorative arts was popular in the United States from 1880 to 1910. In American usage "Queen Anne" is loosely used of a wide range of picturesque buildings with "free Renaissance" details rather than of a specific formulaic style in...
mansion in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
's Brooklyn neighborhood
Brooklyn, Portland, Oregon
Brooklyn is a mostly residential neighborhood in southeast Portland, Oregon. It sits along the east side of the Willamette River in the vicinity of Reed College...
. It was built in 1891 by Johan Poulsen.
House details
Poulsen bought the property in July 1890 for $3,000, and the house was completed in August 1891. Poulsen sold the house immediately to S. B. Willey, probably either due to financial issues caused by the lead-up to the Panic of 1893Panic of 1893
The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in 1893. Similar to the Panic of 1873, this panic was marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky railroad financing which set off a series of bank failures...
or because his wife, Dora, did not like it. He sold it on a mortgage to Willey and sold it outright to Arthur Zwicker for $7,500 on July 14, 1894. Alternately, the home was sold to William J. Clemens, and Oregon senator, in 1902.
The house was built in 1891. The turret reaches approximately 50 feet. It includes a bedroom on the first floor for a servant. It contains two lead glass
Lead glass
Lead glass is a variety of glass in which lead replaces the calcium content of a typical potash glass. Lead glass contains typically 18–40 weight% lead oxide , while modern lead crystal, historically also known as flint glass due to the original silica source, contains a minimum of 24% PbO...
Oriel window
Oriel window
Oriel windows are a form of bay window commonly found in Gothic architecture, which project from the main wall of the building but do not reach to the ground. Corbels or brackets are often used to support this kind of window. They are seen in combination with the Tudor arch. This type of window was...
s, a Palladian window, curved glass in the turret, and beveled lead glass
Beveled glass
Beveled glass is usually made by taking thick glass and creating an angled surface cut around the entire periphery. Bevels act as prisms in the sunlight creating an interesting color diffraction which both highlights the glass work and provides a spectrum of colors which would ordinarily be absent...
windows. The home also contains a veranda, added around 1915. It is considered a "Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
interpretation of the Queen Anne Style", since it does not contain stone or brick.
The interior features a large carved oak fireplace and mantel, carved stairway balustrades, and oak flooring with a mahogany border. Containing nine bedrooms and 12-foot ceilings, the maid's bedroom is on the first floor, with four bedrooms on each of the second and third floors. The third floor may have originally been a large ballroom.
The home was bought by "The Doughnut King", A. A. Hoover, in 1919, and became known as the "King's Castle" or "The King's Palace". The property was then sold to Henrietta B. Huthman in 1923, whose family owned it until 1946. The Huthman family added the two-car garage and large retaining wall in 1926. The two-car garage was connected to the house via tunnel. The home was converted to a boarding house
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
sometime between 1946 and 1976. James F. Nevin purchased the house in approximately 1976 and began restoring it.
The house was surveyed by the Portland Historical Landmarks Commission on October 3, 1973, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on March 14, 1977.
Johan Poulsen
Poulsen was born in 1849 as Johannes Poulsen in north SlesvigSouth Jutland County
South Jutland County is a former county on the south-central portion of the Jutland Peninsula in southern Denmark....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The area of his birth is now Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. He came to Iowa in 1870, married his wife Dora in 1873, and came to Portland in 1875.
Before 1890 he also owned part of the North Pacific Lumber Company and Willamette Steam Sawmill Company. He sold his ownership of these companies to start the Inman-Poulsen Lumber Company with Robert D. Inman. Their company had a sawmill on the east side of the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
at Clinton Street. The sawmill dock could accommodate two oceangoing ships at a time. Inman had an almost identical house at 6th and Woodward Street, which was demolished in 1958 to make room for a factory.
By 1903, the Inman-Poulsen company was the largest lumber company in Oregon with 350 employees, later peaking at 700 employees. The large lumber mill had a conveyor belt piling sawdust, which went to a Portland General Electric
Portland General Electric
Portland General Electric is an electrical utility based in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. It distributes electricity to customers in parts of Multnomah, Clackamas, Marion, Yamhill, Washington, and Polk counties - half of the inhabitants of Oregon...
plant located next door.
Poulsen built another large house on Hassalo Street in the Lloyd District
Lloyd District, Portland, Oregon
The Lloyd District is a primarily commercial neighborhood in the North and Northeast sections of Portland, Oregon. It is named after Ralph Lloyd , a California rancher, oilman, and real estate developer who moved to and started the development of the area.The Lloyd District is bounded by the...
, replaced by a Red Lion hotel
Red Lion Hotels Corporation
Red Lion Hotels Corporation , formerly the WestCoast Hospitality until 2006, is a US corporation operating in the western United States and Canada through three subsidiaries: Red Lion Hotels, WestCoast Hotel Partners and TicketsWest.-History:...
later.
