The Levi Hexter House is a historic house located in southwest

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 ...

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 ...

, United States that is 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 ...

. It is located within the

King's Hill Historic District King's Hill Historic District, located in southwest Portland, Oregon, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. See also * Kings Hill / Southwest Salmon - station on the MAX Light Rail system * National Register of Historic Places ...

. The house was built in 1892–1893 by Levi Hexter (1836–1897), a prominent Jewish businessman who founded the Hexter, May & Co. hardware store with Levi May. May helped found the Temple Beth Israel synagogue. Levi and Laura (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' May) Hexter had two sons and three daughters who lived in the house (one son had died previous to the house's construction). After Laura Hexter's death in 1917, the house became a boarding house; and there are also unverified claims that the house was the site of bootlegging during

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

of the 1920s. Starting in the 1960s, it went through a complete restoration by owner Robert Perron, a prominent Portland

landscape architect A landscape architect is a person who is educated in the field of landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes: site analysis, site inventory, site planning, land planning, planting design, grading, storm water manageme ...

responsible for the landscape designs of

Terry Schrunk Plaza Terry Schrunk Plaza is a park located in Downtown Portland, downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Description and history Located across from Portland City Hall (Oregon), City Hall, the park is named after former Portland mayor Terry Schrun ...

, the

Portland Art Museum The Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon, United States, was founded in 1892, making it one of the oldest art museums on the West Coast and seventh oldest in the US. Upon completion of the most recent renovations, the Portland Art Museum becam ...

and

Keller Auditorium Keller Auditorium, formerly known as the Portland Municipal Auditorium, the Portland Public Auditorium, and the Portland Civic Auditorium, is a performing arts center located on Clay Street in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. It is part ...

References

External links

Pictures of the Levi Hexter Home circa 1967
from the University of Oregon Libraries 1892 establishments in Oregon Buildings and structures in Goose Hollow, Portland, Oregon Historic district contributing properties in Oregon Houses completed in 1892 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Oregon Queen Anne architecture in Oregon Portland Historic Landmarks {{Oregon-NRHP-stub