Redesigned mansion, once an Oswego Lake eyesore, is for sale at $11.5M. See what it looks like now

A Lake Oswego midcentury house that tumbled into a teardown state has been reimagined as a glass-fronted modern mansion. The once visible eyesore property at 4101 Southshore Blvd. is now on the market. The asking price: $11,477,000.

“Step into an unparalleled masterpiece where history and contemporary design converge on the shores of Oswego Lake,” said listing broker Terry Sprague of LUXE Forbes Global Properties.

Sprague said the redesign and additions, including an entire lower level opening to outdoor entertainment spaces around a resort-inspired pool, honor the original home’s hands-on Arts and Crafts roots “while seamlessly integrating Northwest Modern sophistication.”

The two-level house has 6,140 square feet of living space with large windows and slide-away glass walls that frame the property’s nearly 280 feet of private shoreline and its modern boathouse.

The three-year renovation by owner Ralph Martinez completed in 2024 involved architect Curt Olson, builder Skip O’Neill, landscape designer Steve Shapiro and interior designer Chris Soderberg.

Instead of razing the architecturally important house, original plans guided the expansion and upgrades like dramatic fireplaces, an elevator and luxurious primary suite. There are four more bedrooms, four more bathrooms and a powder room.

White oak floor-to-ceiling cabinets and closets appear as refinished paneled walls.

The home with a daylight basement was originally designed by acclaimed architect Wade Hampton Pipes in 1954 but by 2018, significant architecture and engineering elements, including the chimney, moldings and brass fittings, had deteriorated, or been damaged or destroyed.

The owner at the time asked that the property listed in the National Register of Historic Places be removed from historic protection so it could be demolished.

The owner stated to the National Park Service, which oversees the historic register, that the house was not adequately secured to the foundation and it ceased to have many of the hallmarks relied upon to earn the coveted designation.

Instead of meeting the wrecking ball, the property was sold to Martinez in 2021 for $3 million. Martinez then worked with preservation experts to comply with national register requirements.

“People can easily identify the original Wade Pipes’ house and enjoy the cool midcentury vibe,” Sprague told The Oregonian/OregonLive. “It’s relaxing to hang out here because the design team did a really great job of selecting quality materials that feel contemporary and midcentury.”

Sprague said people who appreciate historic properties look at each one as a piece of art. “They are not focused on square footage or the predictability of a new house, but are drawn to a home with a provenance,” he said. “Here, we are looking for the next curator of this piece of art.”

History of the house

Historians don’t dispute that architect Wade Pipes’ finest commission was the Oswego Lake house he designed around a central courtyard for his friends John and Elizabeth Bates.

The John M. and Elizabeth Bates House No. 4 with a two-story bay fronting the lake was the fourth and final residence Pipes designed for the couple.

Pipes planned not only the house but also the landscape, interior finishes and some of the furniture, “representing the culmination of his work as a pivotal figure in the Arts and Crafts movement in Oregon,” while also giving a nod to the Northwest Regional style, said historians.

Another nod to the past: The landscape had exposed boulders and stone blocks representing tony Lake Oswego’s 1860s’ beginnings as an iron producing town dotted with humble company housing and stores.

The British launched the Arts and Crafts movement that celebrated craftsmanship and locally made materials in the late 19th century. It was then readily adapted to American tastes, especially by Pipes.

How authentic was the Oregon-born architect’s high regard for British buildings? He spent his entire life in his native state except when he studied at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London, England.

Pipes’ taste in structures was duplicated in his fashion. Renowned Pacific Northwest modern architect Pietro Belluschi described Pipes as “an elegantly dressed man in English tweeds.”

Over Pipes’ 50-year career, he designed 70 residences, from quaint cottages to large Pacific Northwest residences with glass walls. At least 15 of his dwellings are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Belluschi and others applauded Pipes’ simple, yet elegant design.

Belluschi, who would return to Portland after serving as dean of Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s School of Architecture and Planning, also praised Pipes’ skill as a craftsman and designer who understood good composition and fine detailing.

“Wade Pipes was a man out of time: a free spirit living an uneasy truce with a technologically obsessed society,” observed Belluschi. “He was uncompromising in his principles and adamant in what he thought to be appropriate and beautiful.”

— Janet Eastman covers design and trends. Reach her at 503-294-4072, jeastman@oregonian.com and follow her on X @janeteastman.