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'''Bitar Mansion''', also known as '''Harry A. Green House''', is a [[mansion]] in the [[Laurelhurst, Portland, Oregon|Laurelhurst neighborhood]] of [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], [[Oregon]], United States. The {{convert|12000|sqft|sqm|adj=on}} and 17 room structure was designed by architect [[Herman Brookman]] and built in 1927 for $410,000, equivalent to ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|410000|1927|r=-3}}}} today.{{Inflation-fn|US}} The Mediterranean-style house contains a grand ballroom and many elaborate details. The mansion has views of the [[Tualatin Mountains]] and adjacent [[Laurelhurst Park]]. |
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==Features== |
==Features== |
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==History== |
==History== |
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Robert and Mable Bitar purchased the house in 1951.<ref name=Walks/> Robert recalled that as a young boy he vowed to one day own the house. A grocery store owner and [[real estate]] investor, Robert later became an honorary [[Consul (representative)|consulate]] to [[Lebanon]] and lived in the mansion until his death in 2000. While owned by the Bitar family, the home hosted First Lady [[Eleanor Roosevelt]], pianist [[Van Cliburn]], and many [[Governor of Oregon|state governors]] and [[United States Senate|U.S. senators]].<ref name=Jaquiss/> |
Robert and Mable Bitar purchased the house in 1951.<ref name=Walks/> Robert recalled that as a young boy he vowed to one day own the house. A grocery store owner and [[real estate]] investor, Robert later became an honorary [[Consul (representative)|consulate]] to [[Lebanon]] and lived in the mansion until his death in 2000. While owned by the Bitar family, the home hosted First Lady [[Eleanor Roosevelt]], pianist [[Van Cliburn]], and many [[Governor of Oregon|state governors]] and [[United States Senate|U.S. senators]].<ref name=Jaquiss/> |
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{{Double image|right|Bitar Mansion.jpg|200|Bitar Mansion, 2011.jpg|200|The reportedly plaster-patched Bitar Mansion surrounded by "waist-high grass" in June 2011 following [[foreclosure]]}} |
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The house went on the real estate market for the first time in 55 years in 2006.<ref name=Walks/> Peter and Kirstie Fournier purchased the home in December 2006 for $1.825 million. Peter had hoped to restore the mansion to its original condition, spending nearly $150,000 on home renovations and searching for Doernbecher furniture. However, the owners were involved in several financial disputes and altercations with nearby residents and park visitors. In May 2007 Fournier hired Metro Sidewalk Repair but refused to pay his $1,400 bill. In 2009, Peter used a stun gun on a juvenile in Laurelhurst Park and attacked a local news anchor in front of his house eight months later.<ref name=Jaquiss/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.katu.com/news/local/64320707.html |title=Man arrested after tussle with KATU photographer |first=Dan |last=Tilkin |date=October 14, 2009 |accessdate=July 24, 2011 |publisher=[[KATU]] |location=Portland, Oregon}}</ref> In 2010, after years of disputes with next-door neighbors Dick Kroll and Park Bailey, Peter constructed a ten-foot wooden fence along the property boundary and erected six-foot columns for security gates along the front driveway, both of which violated city codes. When [[Portland Parks & Recreation]] informed Fournier that a section of what he thought was his backyard was actually part of Laurelhurst Park, he responded by setting a greenhouse ablaze and cutting down "ancient" rhododendrons. Due to the [[late-2000s financial crisis]], the home was [[Foreclosure|foreclosed]]. According to ''[[Willamette Week]]'' contributor Nigel Jaquiss, the Fournier's had the resources to pay their mortgage but vacated the home before it was foreclosed by Bank of America. Jaquiss also reported that in March 2010 Kristen Fournier wrote in an email to a neighbor that she and Peter would demolish the mansion and sell the land to the highest-bidding apartment developer. By July 2011, the plaster-patched house was reportedly surrounded by "waist-high" grass, "ancient rhododendrons chok[ing] the elegant semicircular brick driveway", and "half-finished" security gates. As of July 2011, the house remains the most expensive home sold in southeast Portland. On August 22, 2011, the house will be auctioned off at the [[Multnomah County Courthouse]].<ref name=Jaquiss/> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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* [[Pittock Mansion]], a 1909 Portland mansion |
* [[Pittock Mansion]], a 1909 Portland mansion |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
Revision as of 05:28, 29 July 2011
Bitar Mansion | |
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Former names | Harry A. Green House |
General information | |
Architectural style | Byzantine-Romanesque, Mediterranean Revival |
Location | Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
Technical details | |
Size | c. 12,000 sq ft (1,100 m2), 17 rooms |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Herman Brookman |
Bitar Mansion, also known as Harry A. Green House, is a mansion in the Laurelhurst neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, United States. The 12,000-square-foot (1,100 m2) and 17 room structure was designed by architect Herman Brookman and built in 1927 for $410,000, equivalent to $7.19 million today.[1] The Mediterranean-style house contains a grand ballroom and many elaborate details. The mansion has views of the Tualatin Mountains and adjacent Laurelhurst Park.
Features
The Mediterranean-style mansion is on a property "the equivalent of seven standard city lots" adjacent to Laurelhurst Park and offers views of the Tualatin Mountains.[2][3] The house contains a marble-floored ballroom, heated pool, servants wing, and elaborate woodwork, tile, metalwork, and sculpture.[2] The living and dining rooms contain large bay windows.[4] Surrounding the French doors leading outside from the entrance hall are columns supporting paired peacocks cast in stone.[4]
The architect, Herman Brookman, also designed the Congregation Beth Israel and Fir Acres, the M. Lloyd Frank Estate that became Lewis & Clark College, both in Portland.[2][5]
History
Robert and Mable Bitar purchased the house in 1951.[5] Robert recalled that as a young boy he vowed to one day own the house. A grocery store owner and real estate investor, Robert later became an honorary consulate to Lebanon and lived in the mansion until his death in 2000. While owned by the Bitar family, the home hosted First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, pianist Van Cliburn, and many state governors and U.S. senators.[2]
The house went on the real estate market for the first time in 55 years in 2006.[5] Peter and Kirstie Fournier purchased the home in December 2006 for $1.825 million. Peter had hoped to restore the mansion to its original condition, spending nearly $150,000 on home renovations and searching for Doernbecher furniture. However, the owners were involved in several financial disputes and altercations with nearby residents and park visitors. In May 2007 Fournier hired Metro Sidewalk Repair but refused to pay his $1,400 bill. In 2009, Peter used a stun gun on a juvenile in Laurelhurst Park and attacked a local news anchor in front of his house eight months later.[2][6] In 2010, after years of disputes with next-door neighbors Dick Kroll and Park Bailey, Peter constructed a ten-foot wooden fence along the property boundary and erected six-foot columns for security gates along the front driveway, both of which violated city codes. When Portland Parks & Recreation informed Fournier that a section of what he thought was his backyard was actually part of Laurelhurst Park, he responded by setting a greenhouse ablaze and cutting down "ancient" rhododendrons. Due to the late-2000s financial crisis, the home was foreclosed. According to Willamette Week contributor Nigel Jaquiss, the Fournier's had the resources to pay their mortgage but vacated the home before it was foreclosed by Bank of America. Jaquiss also reported that in March 2010 Kristen Fournier wrote in an email to a neighbor that she and Peter would demolish the mansion and sell the land to the highest-bidding apartment developer. By July 2011, the plaster-patched house was reportedly surrounded by "waist-high" grass, "ancient rhododendrons chok[ing] the elegant semicircular brick driveway", and "half-finished" security gates. As of July 2011, the house remains the most expensive home sold in southeast Portland. On August 22, 2011, the house will be auctioned off at the Multnomah County Courthouse.[2]
See also
- Pittock Mansion, a 1909 Portland mansion
References
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Jaquiss, Nigel (July 20, 2011). "Bad Neighbor". Willamette Week. Portland, Oregon: City of Roses Newspapers. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
- ^ Otto, Bridget A. (July 29, 2010). "The Heritage Home Tour opens the door to a range of Portland architecture". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon: Advance Publications. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
- ^ a b Hawkins, William John; Willingham, William F. (1999). Classic Houses of Portland, Oregon: 1850–1950. Timber Press. pp. 343–345. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
- ^ a b c Foster, Laura O. (2008). Portland City Walks: Twenty Explorations in and Around Town. Timber Press. p. 108. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
- ^ Tilkin, Dan (October 14, 2009). "Man arrested after tussle with KATU photographer". Portland, Oregon: KATU. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
External links
- BitarMansion.com
- "Exploring the Fabulous Bitar Mansion: Portland's Former Lebanese Consulate" by Dan Volkmer, Windermere Real Estate (PDF)
- Images of the Harry A. Green House from author Bart King via Flickr
- Historic images of the Harry A. Green House from the University of Oregon digital collections