Jacob Kamm House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Jacob Kamm House
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The Kamm House in 2010.
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 Location in Portland, Oregon
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| Location | 1425 SW 20th Avenue Portland, Oregon |
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| Area | 0.3 acres (0.12 ha) |
| Built | 1871 |
| Architect | Justus F. Krumbein |
| Architectural style | French Second Empire |
| NRHP reference No. | 74001708 |
| Added to NRHP | November 5, 1974 |
The Jacob Kamm House is a beautiful mansion in Portland, Oregon. It was built in 1871 and looks like a fancy French palace. This house is special because it was moved from its first spot in 1950. It was moved to make space for a new school building. A person who loved old buildings, Eric Ladd, bought the house for only $1,000. He moved it to its new home, along with two other historic houses. This new area was even called "the colony" because of these special old homes.
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Building a Grand Home
The Jacob Kamm House was finished in 1871. It was designed for Jacob Kamm by a famous architect named Justus F. Krumbein. Krumbein also helped design the Oregon State Capitol building. Building the house cost a lot of money back then.
Even though it looks like it's made of stone, the house is actually built with wood. Its roof looks like it's made of slate tiles, but those are also wooden shingles shaped to look like slate. The house is very big, with three floors and a basement. It even has six bathrooms! When it was first built, it sat on a large property.
This house had some really cool features for its time. It had central heating using steam, which was very modern. It also had an early kind of air conditioning. This system used cool air from the basement and sent it through pipes into the house.
A Museum for Kids
Before the house was moved, it became a special place for children. In 1946, the Portland Children's Museum started there. It was called the "Adventure House" at first. The Portland Parks & Recreation department ran it.
By 1950, the museum was known as the "Junior Museum." It was a very popular place. Kids who had never climbed a tree before could explore and learn there. Hundreds of children visited the museum every week.
The Big Move of 1950
In 1950, the Jacob Kamm House had to move. This was because Lincoln High School needed the land for its new campus. Lincoln High was one of the first high schools in the western United States.
Moving the house was a huge job! It was too heavy for wheels, so it was moved on wooden rollers. The house was moved a short distance first. Then, it had to wait on the road during a big storm. Utility workers were busy fixing storm damage elsewhere. So, the rest of the journey had to wait.
Just two days before the house was going to be torn down, Eric Ladd bought it. He wanted to save it and move it to a special group of historic homes. This group was later called the "Old Portland Colony." The mansion was moved about half a mile to its new address.
Eric Ladd first planned to turn the house into three apartments. But for four years, starting in 1955, he ran a restaurant there called the Kamm House Restaurant. People even came dressed in old-fashioned clothes and arrived by horse and buggy for special events! Eric Ladd was known as a "tenacious preservationist" because he worked so hard to save old buildings.
Later Years and Landmark Status
By the 1960s, the house was starting to show its age. It was described as "just the skeleton" of the grand home it once was. However, it still held special items from other famous Portland buildings. For example, it had beautiful wood panels and stained glass from the old Portland Hotel.
In 1974, the Jacob Kamm House was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of important historic places in the United States.
Later, in 1982, there was a vote to make the house a Portland Historic Landmark. This would help protect it. Even though the owner at the time didn't want it to be a landmark, it eventually received this special status by 2009.
The House Today
Today, the Jacob Kamm House is still a busy place. It has apartments and offices inside. It is also home to the Alliance française de Portland. This group teaches about French language and culture. They even host a big Bastille Day festival every year!
Why the Kamm House is Important
Experts say the Jacob Kamm House is a very special building. It's one of the best examples of a grand mansion from the 1870s in Portland. It looks like a stone building, but it's cleverly made of wood. Its unique roof and fancy windows make it stand out. It reminds us of Portland's history and how people worked to save important buildings.
Images for kids
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This picture shows the detailed wooden corners and siding.
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A view of the front side of the house.
