| The Louis J. Adams House is a 2½ story, wood-frame Craftsman-style house, in the full expression of the style. The house is situated very prominently on a steep rise overlooking downtown Silverton, at the peak of a terraced lot on the south side of West Main Street, the primary east-west thoroughfare through Silverton, extending across the Silver Creek. The neighborhood is characterized by historic residences, most built between 1880 and 1920. Silver Creek is 0.2 mile to the northeast, down Main Street, and the Silverton Commercial Historic District (listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1987), begins on the other side of the bridge spanning the creek. The house sits on an irregular, partially-wooded 2.83-acre lot, with 248.42 feet of the property fronting West Main Street. It has a front-gabled roof featuring a prominent, projecting side-facing gable that reaches the full 2½ stories on the west elevation, opposing gabled dormer on the east elevation, and a heavy wrap-around porch stretching from the west, across the north (front) elevation, and across the east elevation. The rear of the house includes a second-floor porch overlooking the detached garage, extensive landscaping, full-court basketball court, and forested grounds with walking paths and picnic tables. The walls are stucco with extensive, locally-harvested fir trim and detailing finished in a contrasting dark tone. The house sits on a poured-concrete foundation, and includes a full, finished basement. The interior of the house is richly styled with built-in cabinetry, a finely-crafted fir central staircase, Scamozzi Ionic columns at the entry, coffered ceilings throughout the first floor, and features custom-designed, hand-painted friezes in the living and game rooms by noted Portland, Oregon Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau artist and designer CJ Hurley. The house totals 4,954 square feet. The Louis J. Adams House is undoubtedly among the finest residences in Silverton, and, having undergone an extremely thoughtful and appropriate restoration on many of the key interior spaces, and with few exterior alterations, maintains excellent integrity. |
