Famous Portland architect’s forest ‘treehouse’ hits market for first time at $1.6M

The late, respected architect

Saul Zaik

had no client he needed to please when he designed an

intimate midcentury house

for his family near Northwest Portland’s Forest Park.

On a half-acre of wooded land, Zaik created a dwelling in 1961 with an open floor plan under vaulted ceilings. His spare aesthetic was achieved with Douglas fir planks and wall-size windows that reflect the outdoors.

After six decades of ownership, the Zaik family is selling their home at

720 N.W. Saint Helens Ave.

for the first time.

The asking price is

$1,599,000

and an open house is scheduled for 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday.

The property would appeal to “someone seeking the Northwest Regional Modern lifestyle,” listing broker

Lance Marrs

of Portland Modern Real Estate told The Oregonian/OregonLive. “This is architectural zen in a private forest location 10 minutes from downtown. It’s a modern and timeless oasis.”

Zaik’s original vision was to live among the mature fir and maple trees. The well-preserved home has 2,009 square feet of space divided into two pavilions separated by a glass lobby and accessed by a cantilevered entry deck.

The main wing has walls of glass on two levels for forested views in the living, dining and kitchen spaces, and the lower level’s two bedrooms.

The other wing has two bedrooms and a bathroom with glass doors that open to a garden carved into the hillside.

White wall panels balance the large amount of wood planks on the ceilings and floors. Interior partial-height walls add to the sense of airiness.

Surrounding the two wings are decks for entertaining under the stars.

Marrs likens the feel of Zaik’s residence to a treehouse. “Dappled sunlight, filtering through the forest canopy, fills the house from every side,” Marrs said in the listing description.

Saul Zaik’s work

Zaik established a high bar for modern design in Oregon. The innovative architect and preservation supporter, who

died in 2020

at age 93, left a legacy of handsome houses that exhibit all the appealing traits of Northwest modernism and its strong connection to the outdoors.

The style, introduced in the 1930s by Portland’s star architects

John Yeon

and

Pietro Belluschi

, and later championed by

John Storrs

,

Van Evera Bailey

,

Herman Brookman

and Zaik, remains popular due to the high level of livability and connection to nature.

Zaik’s easily identifiable, site-oriented work can be seen in resorts, condominiums in Salishan and other scenic places, as well as residences, like the

1956 Feldman House

for the heir to the Mt. Hood Borax Co.

Zaik, who served in World War II as a U.S. Navy radio operator

aboard a transport ship in the Pacific

, is famous for designing the

1970 Zidell House

on a steep, wooded parcel in Portland’s Southwest Hills. The octagonal dwelling with a ship’s mast was commissioned by shipyard magnate

Arnold Zidell

.

Zaik imagined the house as if it were an open umbrella. At the center is the mast of the decommissioned naval ship, the

USS James O’Hara

, that rises 48 feet before poking through the foundation of the house and continuing another 30 feet to the roof.

Zaik’s work appeared in Dwell, Sunset and architecture magazines, and Portland architectural writer Brian Libby




called Zaik the

“last of the midcentury-modern greats.”

In 1956, the University of Oregon graduate shared a

downtown Portland studio

at Southwest 14th Avenue and Columbia Street with architects Donald Blair,

William Fletcher

and other members of the fabled “14th Street Gang” of outliers designing intentionally pared-down buildings in the Pacific Northwest.

Zaik later partnered with Blair as Blair & Zaik Architects. Then Zaik/Miller Associates was established in 1966 by Zaik and Jim Miller.

The firm designed commercial buildings and contributed to additions and restoration of landmarks such as the Historic Timberline Lodge, in partnership with the late A.P. “Benny” DiBenedetto’s firm, as well as the Crater Lake Lodge campus and Vista House at Crown Point.

Zaik Associates received national and local design awards from the

American Institute of Architects

.

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— Janet Eastman covers design and trends. Reach her at 503-294-4072,

jeastman@oregonian.com

and follow her on X

@janeteastman

.

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