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Overview

Architect John Storrs designed the Portland Garden Club to have a muted character, its irimoya roofline (and other details) reflecting the members' interest in Japanese design. Its subdued architectural qualities align it with works in San Francisco by William Wurster, John Funk and others. Flowers displayed on the interior and views to exterior spaces were designed to predominate.

Building History

Nineteen women and men established the Portland Garden Club in 1924, becoming an affiliate of the Garden Club of America four years later. From its beginning, the club has focused on the displan and cultivation of plants and community environmental projects. Its website indicated some of its accomplishments: "Throughout the years, we have supported our mission in various ways. In 1925, we funded the curator’s salary for the American Rose Society’s Rose Test Garden in Portland to ensure its certification. In 1926, we acquired nineteen acres of land and donated it to the city for an entrance at Macleay Park into Forest Park. In 1927, we sponsored a bill in the Oregon legislature to protect native lily bulbs in the Cascade foothills from commercial pilfering. In 1936, we created and then donated the Lilac Garden in Duniway Park, to the city of Portland. More recently, in 1976, the club developed the Heritage Gardens in Aurora. In the early eighties, the PGC worked with the GCA to establish the Columbia River Gorge as a National Scenic Area in the National Park Service. In the nineties, the PGC propagated and then planted native wildflowers along the Columbia River Gorge and planted dogwoods along Macadam Avenue to honor the first Earth Day." (See Portland Garden Club.org, "Our History," accessed 07/06/2023.)

The Wood Family gave a parcel of land to the club in 1943. A few years later, the architect John Storrs designed this residentially-scaled, Japanese-influenced design as a clubhouse. The architect also collaborated with another architectural firm, Scott and Payne, as associated architects. The architects worked with the first two women to become registered landscape architects in the State of OR, Edith Schryver and Elizabeth Lord, on the integration of the clubhouse and grounds. Their work was completed in 1954. (See Portland Garden Club.org, "Our History," accessed 07/06/2023.) Its clubhouse has enabled the club to present exhibits and hold workshops for the public since its completion.

Building Notes

Tel. 503.222.2845 (2023).

PCAD id: 24707