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A Southwest Portland office space has a long and veiled past.

鈥淭he history of it is a total mystery,鈥� said Candace Robertson of Robertson Architecture Inc. 鈥淣obody has records on it. We know the date that it was built and that’s about it.鈥�

The structure at 1512 S.W. 18th Ave. was constructed in 1891 and formerly was a single-family home, Robertson said. But it predates city record-keeping efforts by 14 years, so it’s unclear who built it.

Robertson ran her company out of the space for the past three years. With vaulted ceilings, hand-crafted woodwork, bay windows and stained glass, the quaint space speaks to another generation of construction, she said.

鈥淭he big difference between now and then is the ceiling height,鈥� she said, adding that while the minimum ceiling code requirement today is 8 feet, at the turn of the 20th century it was 8.6 feet. 鈥淓ven the ones that are only 8.6 feet, that extra tiny bit makes them feel that much more spacious. It’s surprising.鈥�

Jack Galick purchased the 2,300-square-foot property in 1997 and remodeled it into an office in 2005. Over the years, he said, tenants covered the original wood flooring and woodwork with carpet and paint. Galick said he brought the finishes back to their natural sheen.

鈥淚t’s kind of a unique piece of property,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e’ve never had much problem leasing it because it’s got a lot of eye appeal on the inside.鈥�

The space has six rooms/offices, including a drafting room upstairs that encompasses the entire second floor. Galick said he leases the property for $3,200 a month, or he would sell it for $629,900.

Robertson said one of her favorite characteristics of the building is a turquoise-and-gold-stained glass window in one of the bay windows downstairs.

鈥淚t’s a very pretty design,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t’s not over the top or anything 鈥� just very lovely.鈥�

She said that kind of craftsmanship is also visible in the wood trim throughout the house. She said that because construction in the late 19th century was done by hand and eyeballed to fit, most joints and seams don’t line up perfectly. Wood trim 鈥� plentiful in those days 鈥� was used to compensate for miscalculations.

鈥淣owadays, if you want to put fir trim on things, that stuff is like gold,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ack then it was like water.鈥�

Robertson said the house also has several odd architectural features, like a staircase that ascends from the second story to a tiny balcony, which became an important venue for her business.

鈥淭hat funny little balcony makes a great break room,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 mean you can go up there and watch the squirrels chasing each other around in the trees.鈥�

Block by Block is a weekly look at commercial real estate around Portland. Send suggestions for properties to [email protected].