Property Watch: A Jewel of an English Cottage in Eastmoreland

In the mid-1920s, fast-growing Portland neighborhoods were treated like competitive sports teams in the pages of The Oregonian. Advertisements touted spec homes of all sizes, and real estate articles breathlessly recounted how much money was flowing and where it was going. By May of 1926, the booming Eastmoreland neighborhood was a solid contender, generating headlines like “Eastmoreland Tracts in Demand,” and appealing to well-to-do Portlanders who wanted proximity to a golf course and wide streets that were perfect for a Sunday drive.

One such Portlander, local lumberman Frank Boutin, was sold on the promise, purchasing a 14,900-square-foot corner lot at SE 29th Avenue and Tolman Street within blocks of the golf course. He hired architect Walter E. Kelly to design a breathtaking English Cottage–style house, all for $50,000. “This beautiful home is one of the most attractive in the entire Eastmoreland district,” wrote The Oregonian upon the house’s 1927 completion, declaring it a “crown jewel.”

Today, the house still has its fairy-tale of a front facade, thanks to the stone, stucco, and brick cladding, massive stone chimney, exposed half-timbering, and leaded glass windows. Even better, you have to walk through a stone arch capped with a lovely rolled roof eave to get to the front door.

Inside, the foyer is encased in gumwood paneling, complete with an intricately carved stair banister, a glimpse up the stairs to three stained and leaded glass windows, and two wide-cased arches, one leading to the living room and one to the dining room. With such a greeting, it’s hard to believe the home underwent a top-to-bottom, studs-out restoration starting in 2007.

Not only did that recent project include seismic and mechanical upgrades, it added usable square footage by finishing both the attic and basement into comfortable living spaces. The uppermost floor is now a 980-square-foot loft, while downstairs there’s a variety of amenities, including a wine cellar and dog bath, as well as a one-bedroom/one-bathroom apartment with a separate entrance.

As is fitting to the exterior, there’s an air of whimsy to be found throughout, starting with the sculptural stone fireplace in the living room and moving to the breakfast room in its windowed turret. The serene library has paneled walls and vaulted ceilings, built-in shelves and curio cabinets, a fireplace, and a small circular stained-glass window.    

Upstairs, modern function and fancy are further combined in the four en-suite bedrooms. Each has a bathroom wrapped in handmade Pratt & Larson tile in a different hue—creams and blues in the primary suite, and purple, black, gold, and green elsewhere—proving this home is still as bejeweled as it’s always been.

• Address: 6633 SE 29th Ave, Portland, OR 97202
• Size: 7,461 square feet/5 bedroom/6.5 bath 
• List Date: 4/17/2025 
• List Price: $2,950,000 
• Listing Agent: Joan-Marie Rogers, Windermere Realty Trust

Melissa Dalton is a freelance writer who has focused on Pacific Northwest design and lifestyle since 2008. Contact Dalton here. 

Editor’s Note: Portland Monthly’s “Property Watch” column takes a weekly look at an interesting home in Portland’s real estate market (with periodic ventures to the burbs and points beyond, for good measure). Got a home you think would work for this column? Get in touch at [email protected].