‘Very rare’ home designed by Pietro Belluschi for sale in Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A piece of Portland history is for sale in a secluded suburb of Forest Park, where a 1940s home was designed by a world-renowned architect who helped shape Portland’s cityscape and beyond.

The Joss House, at 7035 Northwest Penridge Road, is just one example of “elegant modernism” Pietro Belluschi brought to his designs, according to Modern Homes Collective, the brokerage listing the home.

Belluschi grew up in Ancona, Italy, and in his 20s, moved to the United States where he attended college. He later moved to Portland in 1925 to work at the city’s prestigious architectural firm A.E. Doyle, according to the Oregon Historical Society.

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Decades later, his designs are sprinkled throughout the city and span coast-to-coast from the Portland Art Museum, and the Equitable Building, to the Julliard School of Music and Alice Tully Hall and the Pan American Building over Grand Central Terminal in New York City, OHS said.

Modern Homes Collective told KOIN 6 News the Joss family acquired the hill-top property from other family members and enlisted Belluschi to build a home their family could grow into in 1941. The site originally included views of Mt. Hood and the Tualatin Valley.

The four-bedroom, two bath home sits on 0.68 acres and is listed for $1,695,000.

  • The Joss House living room features vaulted wood ceilings with exposed beams, a concrete gas fireplace, and built-ins (Courtesy Alex Davies/Stacks Photo.)
    The Joss House living room features vaulted wood ceilings with exposed beams, a concrete gas fireplace, and built-ins (Courtesy Alex Davies/Stacks Photo.)
  • The Joss House living room features vaulted wood ceilings with exposed beams, a concrete gas fireplace, and built-ins (Courtesy Alex Davies/Stacks Photo.)
    The Joss House living room features vaulted wood ceilings with exposed beams, a concrete gas fireplace, and built-ins (Courtesy Alex Davies/Stacks Photo.)
  • Portland’s Joss House, built in 1941 by Pietro Belluschi, evokes his “’eloquent simplicity,’” style in the home’s secluded suburb of Forest Park, according to Modern Homes Collective (Courtesy Alex Davies/Stacks Photo.)
    Portland’s Joss House, built in 1941 by Pietro Belluschi, evokes his “’eloquent simplicity,’” style in the home’s secluded suburb of Forest Park, according to Modern Homes Collective (Courtesy Alex Davies/Stacks Photo.)
  • The Joss House, built in 1941, has undergone some kitchen and bath renovations for modern living, while retaining the home’s original design (Courtesy Alex Davies/Stacks Photo.)
    The Joss House, built in 1941, has undergone some kitchen and bath renovations for modern living, while retaining the home’s original design (Courtesy Alex Davies/Stacks Photo.)
  • The Joss House, built in 1941, has undergone some kitchen and bath renovations for modern living, while retaining the home’s original design (Courtesy Alex Davies/Stacks Photo.)
    The Joss House, built in 1941, has undergone some kitchen and bath renovations for modern living, while retaining the home’s original design (Courtesy Alex Davies/Stacks Photo.)
  • The Joss House, built in 1941, has undergone some kitchen and bath renovations for modern living, while retaining the home’s original design (Courtesy Alex Davies/Stacks Photo.)
    The Joss House, built in 1941, has undergone some kitchen and bath renovations for modern living, while retaining the home’s original design (Courtesy Alex Davies/Stacks Photo.)
  • Portland’s Joss House features four bedrooms and two baths, and is built in Pietro Belluschi’s Northwest Regional Style (Courtesy Alex Davies/Stacks Photo.)
    Portland’s Joss House features four bedrooms and two baths, and is built in Pietro Belluschi’s Northwest Regional Style (Courtesy Alex Davies/Stacks Photo.)
  • Portland’s Joss House features four bedrooms and two baths, and is built in Pietro Belluschi’s Northwest Regional Style (Courtesy Alex Davies/Stacks Photo.)
    Portland’s Joss House features four bedrooms and two baths, and is built in Pietro Belluschi’s Northwest Regional Style (Courtesy Alex Davies/Stacks Photo.)
  • Portland’s Joss House features four bedrooms and two baths, and is built in Pietro Belluschi’s Northwest Regional Style (Courtesy Alex Davies/Stacks Photo.)
    Portland’s Joss House features four bedrooms and two baths, and is built in Pietro Belluschi’s Northwest Regional Style (Courtesy Alex Davies/Stacks Photo.)
  • Portland’s Joss House features four bedrooms and two baths, and is built in Pietro Belluschi’s Northwest Regional Style (Courtesy Alex Davies/Stacks Photo.)
    Portland’s Joss House features four bedrooms and two baths, and is built in Pietro Belluschi’s Northwest Regional Style (Courtesy Alex Davies/Stacks Photo.)
  • Portland’s Joss House features four bedrooms and two baths, and is built in Pietro Belluschi’s Northwest Regional Style (Courtesy Alex Davies/Stacks Photo.)
    Portland’s Joss House features four bedrooms and two baths, and is built in Pietro Belluschi’s Northwest Regional Style (Courtesy Alex Davies/Stacks Photo.)
  • Portland’s Joss House was built by renowned architect Pietro Belluschi (Courtesy Pablo Enriquez.)
    Portland’s Joss House was built by renowned architect Pietro Belluschi (Courtesy Pablo Enriquez.)
  • Portland’s Joss House was built by renowned architect Pietro Belluschi (Courtesy Pablo Enriquez.)
    Portland’s Joss House was built by renowned architect Pietro Belluschi (Courtesy Pablo Enriquez.)
  • Portland’s Joss House was built by renowned architect Pietro Belluschi (Courtesy Pablo Enriquez.)
    Portland’s Joss House was built by renowned architect Pietro Belluschi (Courtesy Pablo Enriquez.)

The home has undergone some updates to the kitchen and bathrooms to accommodate modern living while preserving the original design, the brokerage said.

Standing three stories tall with 2,429 square feet of living space, the Joss House features floor to ceiling windows, vaulted wood ceilings with exposed beams, a concrete gas fireplace, and built-ins.

Modern Homes Collective Founder and Broker Marisa Swenson told KOIN 6 News that finding Belluschi’s homes on the market is “very rare.”

“We have only seen a small handful in my 16 years on the market and some have sold off of the market to buyers specifically looking for them,” Swenson said.

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