2188 S.W. Park Place
Aaron Spencer//April 25, 2011//
In Southwest Portland’s King’s Hill neighborhood, near the West Hills, stately homes built at the turn of the century have largely been converted into office space.
One of these, the Lang House, at 2188 S.W. Park Place, was built in 1905 in the Colonial Revival architecture style that was common in the area at the time. The Lang family lived in the home until 1960, and today it is 100 percent leased with commercial tenants. It is for sale for $2.5 million.
The home was designed by Whidden & Lewis, well known at the time for its work on other West Hills homes, according to a book on the firm published by the Oregon Historical Society Press. The firm’s trademark first-floor central hallway extends deep inside, taking up two-thirds of the front of the house. It has a carriage entrance – a covered porch area leading to the driveway – Corinthian-capped columns and a terrace.
Inside, the house has 9,000 square feet, and much of the interiors are original, including a fireplace and a grand staircase from the hall. Some interior finishes, including woodwork and light fixtures, have been updated. Original fabric brocade hanging on the walls of the dining room is still intact.
The house was built for Max Lang and his wife; it was given to them as a 50th wedding anniversary present by their five sons. Max and his brother Isador owned Lang and Co., a wholesale grocer on Front Street. That company became the largest wholesale grocery house on the Pacific Coast by 1926.
Max’s son Louis lived in the home with his wife for years after Max’s death in 1918. The last of the family left the house in 1960. Later, the rooms in the home were converted into offices. Present tenants include a number of professional practices, including an economist, a psychologist and hay-and-feed exporter S.L. Follen Co. The current owner, Talus Design, also is a tenant.
The neighborhood seems residential, because most of the buildings were constructed as homes, but most of those homes are now filled with offices. The Lang House is located within the Central Business District but outside the bustle of downtown.
For details on purchasing the Lang House, contact broker Daren Duke with Colliers International at 503-499-0056 or [email protected].