Property Watch: First ever sale of the architectural ‘hippie house’
according to Article in the 1979 issue of National Geographicthe neighbors called this Salishan house the “hippie house,” as in “Which “Hippie House.” Located in the exclusive community of Salishan Spit north of Gleneden Beach, the house was designed by Portland architect Don Vallaster, then with a firm called Church & Shiels, for owners Bill and Marie Gregory. Before it could be built, it had to It passes an architectural commission, which was supposedly deadlocked on whether to permit it, until Salishan developer John Gray chimed in with an endorsement: “It looks like fun. Let’s do it.”
In fact, “pleasure” is as good a description as any, as it is difficult to describe the exact shape of the house, other than the free, geometric shape and abundant angled walls, the exterior mostly covered with cedar shake and vertical boards. Owner Bill, an accountant, was quoted as saying, “Who says walls have to be straight?” Architectural typologists might call it “organic,” a style pioneered by Frank Lloyd Wright, where a house responds to its natural environment, rather than imposing it on it. A Field Guide to American Homes He explains how this style comes into being: “It may start with a geometric shape used for the floor plan and then extend to the design of all parts of the house — fixtures, furnishings, even window shapes.” And that’s exactly what we see here.
A stained glass window above the front door depicts the sun setting over some sand dunes, a nod to the home’s main beachfront location. Inside there is a free-flowing multi-level floor plan, with windows of different shapes and sizes capturing multi-faceted views of the place. For example, a sunken living room has low windows that place lounge chairs at the level of the beach grass, while high windows take up the space of the ocean horizon line.
Built-in furniture creates cozy nooks and crannies that can be accessed by internal stairs and stairs. In keeping with organicism, finishes are mostly natural and regional, from the wood walls and floors to the living room floor and pebble rocks in the shower. There are two bedrooms and two bathrooms, one with a bathtub overlooking a stained-glass window, and even an outdoor sauna to enjoy. One sign for the sauna rules states: “The most important thing to take to the sauna is to have plenty of time.” Likewise with this house, there is so much to discover.
- Title: 321 Salishan Dr, Glenden Beach, OR 97388
- measuring: 1440 sqft / 2 bedroom / 2 bath
- Listing date: 10/06/2023
- Price list: $759,000
- Listing agent: Carla Kuhlenbeck, Windermere’s Distinctive Coastal Properties
Melissa Dalton is a freelance writer who has focused on design and lifestyle in the Pacific Northwest since 2008. She resides in Portland, Oregon. Contact Dalton here.
Editor’s note: Portland MonthlyProperty Watch magazine’s Property Watch column takes a weekly look at an interesting home in Portland’s real estate market (with periodic ventures into the suburbs and beyond, for good measure). Do you have a home that you think would work for this column? Contact us on (email protected).
