Oregon beach house by famous architect for sale by owner at $1.2M

One of the few homes designed by respected architect

Roscoe Hemenway

on the Oregon coast is for sale at $1.2 million.

The asking price for the two-story house, built in 1949 at

5215 Grandview St. in Neskowin

, includes the residence on a 0.43-acre lot and an unimproved 0.14-acre lot, said owners Salem architect

Nathan Good

and artist

April Waters

, who are marketing the residential property themselves.

Selling a home without a real estate agent is rare. The percent of U.S. houses for sale by owner dropped to an

all-time low of 6%

in 2024, according to the National Association of Realtors. One in three of those sellers (38%) had a buyer lined up, said the trade association.

Good and Waters, who are searching for the next owner of their beach house, have thoughtfully improved its 2,500 square feet of living space since they purchased the property in 2012. They said they appreciate the home’s original design, construction and alignment on the site 196 feet above sea level.

Original owner Charles Duffy of Salem hired Hemenway, who designed a staggered (“sawtooth”) layout to enable corner windows with views to the south and that capture the sun’s light from the south and southwest, said Good.

Frank Lloyd Wright and other forward-thinking 20th century architects used the sawtooth strategy, which still has appeal today. Good said he has incorporated staggered layouts and corner windows for most of the homes he has designed on lots with notable views.

He tells his clients that corner windows also expand a room’s perceived size, enhance natural ventilation and enable daylight from multiple directions.

Oregon-born Hemenway is best known for his 1940s and 1950s Colonial Revival mansions that today

sell for multimillions

in Portland’s Southwest Hills, Dunthorpe and Lake Oswego.

Some Colonial Revival elements can be seen in the beach house’s raised panel cabinetry and scrolled woodwork for the valances over the windows in the living and dining room area.

For the beach house, Hemenway called for exposed spruce beams and hemlock ceiling boards. Good said the beach home’s ceiling contributed ideas to the ceiling he designed for

Fairsing Vineyard’s tasting room

in Yamhill.

The use of natural wood on the home’s ceiling, paneling, flooring, built-in cabinetry and shelving as well as the open-plan dining and living area are expressions of Hemenway’s transition from historic revival designs to midcentury modern architecture, Good said.

The beach house at 5215 Grandview St. in Neskowin is on the market for sale by owner.

Nathan Good Architects

Integrating the environment is another hallmark of modern indoor-outdoor living. Here, there is a deck off of the dining area granting 180-degree ocean views, a deck off of the south end of the home for sunbathing and views, an open-to-the-sky entry courtyard and a sheltered outdoor room.

The house with a masonry wood-burning fireplace was one of the first residences constructed in the Neskowin Crest neighborhood overlooking the

Neskowin Beach Golf Course

to the southwest and the nature preserve to the northwest.

Good,

who has received awards for his high-performance buildings

, enhanced the beach house’s energy-saving and comfort by installing robust roof insulation, double-pane windows, LED lighting and an ultra-efficient ductless-heat pump system for the upper floor.

The sale of the property is not included in a multiple listing service or online marketplaces like Zillow. Information is only available by calling Nathan Good Architects at 503-507-4116 or emailing nathan@ngapc.com.

Oregon real estate

• Fabled Rogue River resort is for sale. See what you get for $3.4M

• Average mortgage rate falls for first time in a month

• This Oregon garden was too beautiful to bulldoze. Who will continue its legacy?

• Washington state announces this year’s cap on rent hikes under new law

• This 1937 Portland home is an Art Moderne wonder, for sale at $949K. See inside

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


jeastman@oregonian.com


and follow her on X


@janeteastman


.

About The Author