The Whidden–Kerr House and Garden, also known as High Hatch Estate, is a historic property located in the

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

communities of Riverwood and Dunthorpe in

Multnomah County Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland–Vancouver– Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Thou ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, south of

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

and north of

Lake Oswego, Oregon Lake Oswego () is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon, primarily in Clackamas County, with small portions extending into neighboring Multnomah and Washington counties. Located about south of Portland and surrounding the Oswego Lake, the town was ...

William M. Whidden William Marcy Whidden (February 10, 1857 – July 27, 1929) was a founding member of Whidden & Lewis, a prominent architectural firm in Portland, Oregon, United States. Early life William Whidden was born on February 10, 1857, in Boston, Massachu ...

Whidden & Lewis Whidden & Lewis was an architectural firm based in Portland, Oregon, in the United States, around the beginning of the 20th century, formed by William M. Whidden and Ion Lewis. The partnership was established in 1889. Their residential building ...

designed the house in 1901, to be his own residence, and it was built the same year. Whidden and his family lived in the house until 1911, when he sold it to businessman Thomas Kerr, Sr. (1896–1925). It later passed to Kerr's son, Thomas Kerr, Jr., and ultimately remained with the Kerr family until 1987.. The house is the "best expression" of

Prairie School architecture Prairie School is a late 19th- and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in ...

by Whidden & Lewis, one of Portland's most prominent architectural firms of the period. A separate carriage house, now in use as a garage, is included as a contributing feature in the historic designation. The property includes a formal garden, which was "further developed by Kerr and his wife, the former Mabel Macleay", after Kerr acquired the estate in 1911. The site overlooks the

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...

. The property was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1988.

References

1901 establishments in Oregon Houses completed in 1901 Houses in Multnomah County, Oregon Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon National Register of Historic Places in Multnomah County, Oregon Prairie School architecture in Oregon Portland Historic Landmarks {{Oregon-NRHP-stub

See also

References