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Inventory Form
NR Nomination

LOCATION AND PROPERTY NAME
address:8740 SW Oleson Rd historic name:Fogelbo House
Portland, Washington County current/other names:Fogelquist
assoc addresses:
block/lot/tax lot:
location descr: twnshp/rng/sect/qtr sect:1S 1W 26
PROPERTY CHARACTERISTICS
resource type:Building height (stories):1.5 total elig resources:2 total inelig resources:3
elig evaluation: eligible/significant NR Status: Individually Listed
prim constr date:c.1935 second date: date indiv listed:07/15/2020
primary orig use: Single Dwelling orig use comments:Social: Clubhouse
second orig use: SOCIAL: General
primary style: Rustic prim style comments:
secondary style: sec style comments:
primary siding: Round Log siding comments:
secondary siding: Stone:Other/Undefined
plan type: architect:
builder:Henry Steiner and John Steiner
comments/notes:
GROUPINGS / ASSOCIATIONS
Not associated with any surveys or groupings.
SHPO INFORMATION FOR THIS PROPERTY
NR date listed: 07/15/2020
ILS survey date:
RLS survey date:
106 Project(s): None
Special Assess Project(s): None
Federal Tax Project(s): None
ARCHITECTURAL / PROPERTY DESCRIPTION
(Includes expanded description of the building/property, setting, significant landscape features, outbuildings and alterations)
Built circa 1940 by noted contract builder Henry Steiner, Fogelbo is a one-and-one-half story Rustic style house located at 8740 SW Oleson Road in southwest Portland between SW Oleson Road and a forest of protected wetlands. Situated in a suburban setting and surrounded by a residential neighborhood, the Fogelbo House has a well-tended lawn on the west side of the property, fruit bushes and trees to the north, a community lawn for outings and stands of mature firs and other trees to the east, and to the west, is Nordic Northwest, a cultural center built in 2015 that is outside of the boundary of this nomination. The resource boundary is the entirety of the present 1.99-acre tax lot, which includes the Fogelbo house (contributing), one-story garage (contributing), two small storage sheds (non-contributing), and the one-story Hanson House (non-contributing). The 2000 square foot Fogelbo house sits on an uncoursed stone foundation. The ground floor totals 1225 gross square feet (includes exterior walls), the second-floor totals 656 gross square feet, and the total is 1881 gross square feet, not including anything in the basement. Reflective of the Rustic style, the house features a peeled log exterior and reveals many characteristics one associates with the woodworking craft of Henry Steiner. The character defining architectural features are a mortared stone chimney (Photo 6), a horizontal log exterior (Photo 1 & 6), thick-cut cedar-shingle roof (photo 6), long rafters and log ceiling posts (Photo 8), a bentwood latch, slider and casement windows with pegged latches, wood door and window frames with round edges on the inside and outside, corners that are round notched with an ax, one-inch thick pegged oak floor, built-in corner cupboard, bookcases and lamp shelves, curving pole handrails, and a fireplace made of basalt rock (Photo 10). The house is fairly unchanged, though it has had several alterations, including some logs in the late 1960s were replaced in-kind under the windows in the kitchen and living room (the logs replaced were the same Douglas Fir wood and size as the originals), Shutters were added in 1962 (Photo 1 & 3), the deck was rebuilt in 2018 (Photo 3), and the cedar-shingle roof replaced in 2020. In 1956, a small bathroom and bedroom were added in the basement, which was at the time of construction storage for the sawdust furnace. Even though there have been minor alterations, the house’s appearance and building materials remain the same and, therefore, the Fogelbo House retains its integrity.
HISTORY
(Chronological, descriptive history of the property from its construction through at least the historic period - preferably to the present)
The Fogelbo House is nominated at the local level of significance under Criterion C, for Architecture, for the work of a master builder, Henry Steiner, as a notable example of Steiner’s workmanship and craft. The period of significance is 1938, which corresponds with the date of construction. Built by Henry Steiner and his sons, the Rustic style Fogelbo House reflects Steiners distinct type of Northwestern craftsmanship and architecture. Constructed for Oscar Olson, a Swedish immigrant, Steiner was chosen as the builder because of his Old-World craftsmanship, use of traditional carving techniques, and his northern European-inspired rustic designs. Ownership of the house has stayed within the Nordic community and over the years has become the location for the Nordic community to hold meetings, social gatherings, visits from dignitaries and royalty, and cultural events and celebrations. Ross Fogelquist, the current resident of Fogelbo, is an essential member of the Portland Swedish-American community and has founded and lead several clubs, organizations and societies including Swedish Society Linnea, New Sweden Heritage Society, and Nordic Northwest (formerly Scandinavian Heritage Foundation). The house was one of the first Steiner cabins built outside of the Mount Hood area and was designed for full time occupancy, unlike those in the Mount Hood area that typically were smaller in design (one-story) and intended for temporary use. The Fogelbo House also features distinctive architectural details that differentiate the Fogelbo house from other simpler Steiner designs. Those features include a stone entry, peeled and polished fir log walls, one-inch pegged oak floors, two knotty-pine bedrooms under a cathedral ceiling. Thus, Fogelbo house reflects the best of Steiner’s portfolio and remains a significant example of Oregon’s Rustic style architecture.
RESEARCH INFORMATION
Title Records Census Records Property Tax Records Local Histories
Sanborn Maps Biographical Sources SHPO Files Interviews
Obituaries Newspapers State Archives Historic Photographs
City Directories Building Permits State Library
Local Library: University Library:
Historical Society: Other Respository:
Bibliography:
Adamson, Linny. “The Woodsman’s Son.” Oregonian, Homes & Gardens. 23 December 2004. Bomberger, Bruce D. “The Preservation and Repair of Historic Log Buildings.” Preservation Brief No.26, National Park Service, 1991. Bookwalter, Jack. “The Steiner Cabins.” Northwest Renovation. December/January 2012-2013. Hoofman, Nancy. “Steiner Cabins are livable legacy.” Sandy Profile. 12 October 2000. “Housing History.” Sunday Oregonian,” Northwest Living. January 1, 1995, L9. Interview. Fogelquist, Ross. Owner of Fogelbo Home. 14 June, 2019 and November 28 & 29, 2019. Interview. Musser, Lloyd, Curator Mt. Hood Museum. Steiner Cabin Expert, 18 June, 2019 and December 6, 2019. McAlester, Virginia & Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. Mullen, Ruth. “The Woodsman’s Son,” The Oregonian, Homes and Gardens. December 23, 2004. “Scandinavian Heritage is securely lodged.” The Oregonian, Southwest Section. April 28, 1998. Shreve, Elaine. “Ross Fogelquist.” Garden Home History Project. July 21, 2013. . Simon, Laila. “Fogelbo: a bird’s nest full of treasures.” The Norwegian American. August 9, 2019. Smith, William Carlson. “The Swedes of Oregon.” American Swedish Historical Museum Year Book. ‘ Philadelphia PA, 1946.