Notable Homes

The Oregonian Sunday January 22, 2006
Homes Section
Mediterranean Masterpiece
Piece of history for sale in Laurelhurst

For the first time in 55 years, one of Portland's most spectacular vintage homes is for sale near Laurelhurst Park. The 1920s-era Mediterranean-style beauty, known first as the Harry A. Green estate and, since 1951, the Bitar estate, is listed for $2.8 million with Christine James Nibley and Dan Volkmer of Windermere/Cronin & Caplan Realty Group.
The 12,000-square-foot, 20-room mansion has seven bedrooms, 4 full and 2 half baths, four fireplaces, a ballroom, solarium, three-car garage, pool, greenhouse and bathhouse. At the Bitar estate, "the enchantment of exotic faraway places is just as beguiling and the quality of craftsmanship is just as strong as at Hearst Castle," said Volkmer. "And the floor plan is better."
Constructed from 1927 to 1928 at a cost of $410,000, the home is considered one of architect Herman Brookman's masterpieces. A native New Yorker, Brookman apprenticed with H.T. Lindeberg, an architect famous for his grandiose, Great Gatsby-style Long Island homes.
Brookman was lured to Portland in 1923 by Meier & Frank executive M. Lloyd Frank to design his country estate, Fir Acres --- a 60-acre Tudor-style house and grounds that is now part of the Lewis & Clark college campus. Brookman also designed Temple Beth Israel in Northwest Portland.
In the Green house, Brookman created a Mediterranean stunner using a mix of materials, including stucco walls, red roof tiles and elaborate lace-patterned exterior metalwork.


Golden Years
Kristine Wilkins, one of Robert and Mable Bitar's four daughters, grew up in the house. "My dad used to deliver groceries on his bike around the neighborhood," she said. "From the very first time he saw it, he said, 'Someday I'm going to own that house.' We moved there in 1951 and both my mother and father lived there the rest of their lives." Robert Bitar died in 2000 and Babel died in 2003.
Mediterranean: Years ago, Bitar home was whirl of visitor and dinner parties Wilkins remembers a golden childhood filled with parties and laughter. Robert --- a grocery store owner, real estate investor and honorary consulate to Lebanon --- and his raven-haired wife loved to entertain. For years, Wilkins said, "They were like a switchboard that connected everyone, from the folks down the block to all kinds of celebrities and politicians." Red Skelton, Van Cliburn, Eleanor Roosevelt, Danny Thomas and several Miss Americas all entertained, dined and visited here. The Bitars were involved with the Royal Rosarians and Mabel was a founder of the Portland Opera Guild.
The home's grand details, such as 24-karat-gold ceilings and crystal chandeliers, bathrooms with handmade European tiles and a pair of cast-stone peacocks perched above a patio door, were the perfect backdrop for this glamorous crowd.
"There was always something wonderful happening," Wilkins said. "We'd come home from school and Mom would say 'so and so is coming tonight.' We were always part of it; we answered the door and got all dressed up." The kitchen, originally designed to be staffed by the Green household's servants, was remodeled during the Bitar years to allow Mabel to cook for her guests. A woman who didn't own a pair of sneakers and thoroughly enjoyed dressing up, Mabel was an accomplished hostess who served authentic Lebanese dishes, considered quite exotic in Portland at the time.

Artful influences
A herringbone brick walk swoops up to the entrance tower, where an ornate wrought-iron gate opens into a mirrored Arabian Nights-style vestibule with handmade tiles. The tiles appear again in the garden room, where French doors open onto the gardens, pool and solarium with a fountain. The two-story entry has a dramatic spiral staircase with ornate bronze railings, a rotunda overhead and a balcony overlooking the front drive. German artisan Johann Tuerck, founder of Portland Art Metal Works, was just one of the master craftsmen who had a hand in the original construction. Tuerck designed the elaborate conservatory entrance. Other examples of his work are the wrought-iron fences and lampposts at the Bull Run reservoirs, which were built in 1894.
An elevator shuttles guests to all three floors. Upstairs, there's a master suite, servant's quarters, more bedrooms and a spacious linen room that Wilkins and her sisters called the ironing room. "We would iron for 50 cents an hour, and then stack the linens in the room's shelves and drawers. We actually had a lot of fun on ironing days."
The ballroom features a raised stage, hardwood floors and a spacious bar. Wilkins recalls this area as one of the home's most exciting spots. "There was a lot of music and dancing and just wonderful times, " she said. "And my sisters and I did our own little shows on the stage. We really had a grand time."
The basement also houses several storage rooms, a spacious playroom, a huge boiler room with the original heaters for the pool (the first in Portland) and a laundry area with heated drying racks. Though the overall style is Mediterranean, the estate is an artful blend of several influences. William J. Hawkins, author of "Classic Houses of Portland" (Timber Press; $49.95), points out details that evoke medieval Italian, Art Deco and Spanish Renaissance styles, such as arched, stained-glass casement windows, a floor plan designed to move guests in a spiral pattern and a mosaic-tiled entry dome. "With the sculptural richness of the facade on one side, the beauty of Laurelhurst Park on the other, and the luxury of the formal gardens of the parterre in between, the private and intimate space is one of the most attractive in the city," Hawkins writes. "It is an exceptional house and one of Herman Brookman's best designs."
The estate is "equivalent to irreplaceable art. It's almost like owning a part of Madrid's famous Prado museum," said listing broker Volkmer. "The many different artisans Brookman used to create the carved wood, cast stone, wrought iron, handset tile and beautiful plaster created a glorious marriage of Mediterranean style and good old-fashioned American craftsmanship."

Carolyn Patten is a Portland freelance writer. She can be reached at carolynpatten@spiritone.com

RESOURCES

~ Dan Volkmer, Windermere Cronin & Caplan Realty Group, Inc., Northwest Johnson office, 733 NW 20th Avenue: 503-22-1144 | dan@danvolkmer.com
~Christine James Nibley, Windermere Cronin & Caplan Realty Group, Inc., Portland Heights office, 2424 SW Vista Avenue: 503-227-5500 | cnibley@windermere.com