Remembering an Important Businessman

 

The next Portland house destined to land on the National Register of Historic Places tells us more about an important figure in the city’s development rather than importance of its architecture.

That doesn’t mean the house is chopped liver.  Built in 1891 by an undetermined architect or developer, reflects many details associated with Victorian-era Queen Anne homes.

For 17 years, it was the home of Arthur H. Devers, whose name is best known today because the $1 million he bequeathed in 1959 led to creation of the Devers Eye Clinic that is part of the University of Oregon Health & Sciences complex.

From a career beginning in Portland in 1891, Devers was a successful coffee and tea importer for many years.  He was a relentless advocate for Portland’s growth and beautification, including serving on six committees that created the successful 1905 Lewis & Clark Exposition that quickly stimulated Portland's growth.

Arthur Devers, 1905

An exhaustive National Register nomination written by Kristen Minor, a former City of Portland land-use planner and past member of the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission, described Devers as “a well-known, well-regarded and important businessman.”  Although he was a relative newcomer, Minor said Devers became part of a “small group of early Portland businessmen who were considered the de facto leaders of the city in the period from about 1890 to the mid-1910s.”

Among his activities, Devers helped create a “City Beautiful” committee that grew into the Civic Improvement League.  The league played an important non-governmental role in promoting Portland’s economic and urban development.

 The Portland Landmarks Commission unanimously supported the National Register nomination this month, sending it on to state and national officials who are highly likely to approve it.

 The Devers residence, at 1125 NW 21^st Ave., isn’t as large or elegant as other Queen Anne houses built for the economic elites.  Still, “The design of the house exterior, though no architect or builder information has yet been found, illustrates a layered, asymmetrical, surface-pattern approach typical of Victorian-era architecture in Portland,” the nomination states.

The house was divided into two apartments in 1947.  Regardless, “Most of the original material and workmanship are retained throughout the house, even at the interior.”  The house retains three stained-glass windows that reflect the style of the prominent Portland art glass Povey Brothers, though a conclusive link to the Povey firm has not been determined.

Landmarks Commission members applauded the idea of primarily basing the nomination on the importance of Devers’ life.  National Register rules allow nomination of properties “associated with lives of persons significant in our past.”

Regrettably in one sense, commercial uses near the Devers house have significantly changed the character of the immediate surroundings. 

-----Fred Leeson

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