Oregon developer Robert (”Bob”) Rummer had a hard time selling his modern dwellings with glass walls and soaring ceilings in the 1960s and 1970s. Back then, indoor-outdoor living spotlighting nature and encouraging community was an emerging concept and he told The Oregonian/OregonLive he practically gave the homes away, asking $25,000 to $32,000.
Then and now, however, Portland area residents who appreciated Frank Lloyd Wright’s later work and California tract developer Joseph Eichler’s single-level residences instantly understood the appeal of rooms with sliding doors that open to patios.
Today, an existing Rummer-built house for sale can sell fast. In June, Rummer celebrated his 97th birthday with the Rummer Development team, who debuted drawings of new residential properties with sustainable materials and energy efficient systems. Pricing, which will be determined by location, is not yet available.
Owners of Rummer’s “Mad Men”-era houses have invested in remodels and prices have risen. In 2010, a Rummer house built in 1971 at 13125 S.W. Heather Court in Beaverton sold for $785,000 with an offer accepted after two days. In 2011, the residence was renovated in the modernist style by Garrison Hullinger’s Studio Garrison and Aspen Creek Landscaping.
The 6,969-square-foot property is now for sale at $1.2 million by James DeMarco of Investors Trust Realty, who said the “trophy turn-key house has more than $500,000 of amazing features and improvements to the entire interior and exterior.”
Among the upgrades in the 2,112-square-foot house is an architectural refinement of the glass-wall atrium leading to the great room with a chef’s kitchen and wine and espresso bar. The primary suite now has a threshold-free tile shower in the bathroom and a walk-in closet with built-in storage. Two more bedrooms, which can be a home office, each have a built-in desk.
The backyard includes a garden patio, bubbling water feature and seating around a fire pit. The Hyland Hills neighborhood overlooks Taliesen Park and trails.
“Anyone who has an appreciation and appetite for midcentury modern homes with a love of the indoor-outdoor living lifestyle would be attracted to this house,” DeMarco told The Oregonian/OregonLive.
DeMarco, who has represented sellers and buyers of midcentury homes, including ones built by Rummer, for more than 30 years in the Portland metropolitan area, added “This one-of-a-kind house has a double gable roof ... and sustainable concrete radiant-heated floors.”
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— Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072
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