Oregon Historic Sites Database

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NR Nomination

LOCATION AND PROPERTY NAME
address:17014 SE Oatfield Rd historic name:Kinsman, John & Elizabeth, House
Milwaukie, Clackamas County current/other names:
assoc addresses:
block/lot/tax lot:
location descr: twnshp/rng/sect/qtr sect:
PROPERTY CHARACTERISTICS
resource type:building height (stories):1.5 total elig resources:4 total inelig resources:1
elig evaluation: eligible/significant NR Status: Individually Listed
prim constr date:1964 second date: date indiv listed:02/22/2021
primary orig use: Single Dwelling orig use comments:
second orig use:
primary style: Modern Period: Other prim style comments:
secondary style: sec style comments:
primary siding: Horizontal Board siding comments:
secondary siding: Vertical Board
plan type: architect:John Kinsman (Main House), Stuart Mockford (Treehouse)
builder:
comments/notes:
GROUPINGS / ASSOCIATIONS
Not associated with any surveys or groupings.
SHPO INFORMATION FOR THIS PROPERTY
NR date listed: 02/22/2021
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)
The John and Elizabeth Kinsman House is a multi-level, irregularly-shaped wood frame dwelling located on a large landscaped lot in Clackamas County, Oregon. The main house is 3,998 square feet with an open floor plan. Almost entirely as built and retaining exceptionally high integrity, the house was designed and built by Milwaukie-based designer and contractor John Kinsman for his own occupancy in 1963-1964. The Kinsman House is a local exemplar of the contemporary residential style that was popular during the late-1950s and early 1960s and is counted as contributing building in Section 5. The large intact landscaped setting, retaining original trees and designed garden spaces is counted as contributing site. The Log Cabin, although pre-dating Kinsman ownership was incorporated into the 1963 planning and is also counted as a contributing building. The Treehouse, a quirky guest house/studio designed by Stuart Mockford and John Kinsman, was completed in 1969 and is also counted as a contributing building. The compatible garage, built outside the period of significance, is counted as a non-contributing building.
HISTORY
(Chronological, descriptive history of the property from its construction through at least the historic period - preferably to the present)
The John and Elizabeth Kinsman house, designed and built in 1963-1964, is locally significant under Criterion C for its architecture as an exemplar of the Contemporary Style, a residential style emphasizing local materials and indoor-outdoor living that reflected a break with previous architecture forms. The house was designed and built by the owner, John Kinsman, for his own occupancy. Virtually unchanged and retaining extremely high integrity, the Kinsman House successfully relates its original design. The Kinsman House, a large and incredibly intact example of mid-20th century residential architecture in this area of Clackamas County, exemplifies the Contemporary style. Its setting, within a highly compatible and contributing landscape reinforces its character and strongly supports an ability to accurately convey the original design.
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:Kinsman Foundation Offices
Bibliography:
Abbott, Carl. Portland: Planning, Politics and Growth in at Twentieth-Century City. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1983. Frank, Ann Wall. Northwest Style: Interior Design and Architecture in the Pacific Northwest. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, 1999. Hess, Alan. The Ranch House. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams Inc., 2004. Kinsman Foundation. “Our History,” found at https://kinsmanfoundation.org/our-history/, visited 2-March-2020. McAlester, Virginia Savage. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2013. Morgan, William. The Abrams Guide to American House Styles. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2004. Oregonian. Misc. articles as cited in text by date:page. State of Oregon. Oregon Bluebook. Misc. issues as cited in text by date:page. Van Leeuwen, Thomas A. P. The Springboard in the Pond: An Intimate History of the Swimming Pool. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1999.