User:RentermaOSU/Harmon–Neils House

= Harmon-Neils House = The Harmon-Neils House, or the Neils House, is a historic residential at 2642 NW Lovejoy Street in Portland, Oregon of NW Multnomah county. The house was constructed in 1908 and designed by Portland’s famous architect, A.E. Doyle, for Edward Lansing Harmon. The house is classified on the National Register of Historic Places (NHRP). The house exemplifies the fusion of Craftsman and Colonial Revival architectures that Doyle utilized in his early works.

Ownership
The house has been owned by four different families since its construction in 1908 and still serves as a private residence. The first owner of the Harmon-Neils House was Edward. L. Harmon who had been transferred to Portland, Oregon from Michigan to work for Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company. Harmon commissioned architect A.E. Doyle and his company Doyle & Patterson to design a home for him and his wife, Elizabeth, and their daughter Helen. The Harmons would live in the house until 1922 when Edward and Helen died of streptococcus from spoiled milk. Grief stricken, Elizabeth Harmon sold the house in 1923 to Julius Neils of the substantial J. Neils Lumber Company.

Julius Neils had emigrated to America from East Germany, settled in Wisconsin, then migrated to the Northwest to acquire more lumber in 1923. Neils was considered a pioneer in the lumber industry. He bought the Harmon house and lived in it until his passing in 1933. Ownership of the house stayed within the family until daughter Anna Neils’ passing in 1980. Anna left the house to Gerhard Neils, brother, who gifted it to Concordia College.

John and Shirley Wentland bought the Harmon-Neils House from Concordia in 1981. John Wentland had the house registered for the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1983-1984. During their time at the house, the Wentlands sought to preserve the house's interior and exterior as Anna kept the house’s original design. In 1993, the Wentlands sold the house to likewise stewards, Allen Tooke and Marcia Truman, who also hold an admiration and preservation of the Doyle designed house. They currently reside in the Harmon-Neils House.

Design and Preservation
The Harmon-Neils House design showcases the “informal and practical aspects of Craftsman design” and “the refined classical detailing of the Colonial Revival.” The house highlights the American arts & crafts and pulls from Japanese influences. The exterior is covered entirely of red bricks and the interior is decorated with mahogany furnishings. The house is situated front and center of Lovejoy street in the popular Nob Hill District. The Herman-Neils house is near two other historic homes designed by Doyle. The house is 1 of 7 private residences with Doyle’s blend Craftsman and Colonial Revival architecture, and is 1 of 37 buildings listed under the NHRP designed by Doyle.

The Herman-Neils House is considered to be the most preserved of its original design of all Doyle’s works in Oregon. Renovations include updated kitchen and bathroom appliances by the Wentlands and the Tooke-Trumans installed a new roof of slate and copper. Other design elements were sourced from local artisans and businesses including Rejuvenation, a lighting company founded in Portland. In 2016, the Herman-Neils House was featured in a walking tour of historic places in Portland.