The once-humble midcentury modern dwellings built by Robert Rummer in Oregon are more popular than ever and rarely on the market. Many owners stay put for decades, refusing to give up a glass-enclosed central atrium, towering transparent walls and skylights that deliver a sense of the outdoors, even on wet, gray days.
Modeled after developer Joseph Eichler’s Case Study-like tract homes in California, a Rummer house with four bedrooms in Beaverton area’s Garden Home neighborhood first sold in 1968 for around $30,000.
In 1993, buyers paid $135,000 for the property and sold it two months ago for $1,165,000, according to listing agent Marisa Swenson of Dwell Realty. The appreciation over 29 years: $1,030,000.
Another Rummer home, built in 1966 on Southwest Cecilia Terrace in the same neighborhood, sold for $1.2 million — $205,000 over the $995,000 asking price — on June 28.
Listing agent Troy Slonecker of Summit Realty accepted an offer after two days on the market. The property had sold for $750,000 in October 2019, according to public records.
The trend for “Mad Men”-era midcentury modern is strong in décor, represented by a spare, “clean” look, and the aesthetic really reigns in real estate, where buyers want adaptable, open floor plans introduced to middle-income buyers by developers like Eichler and Rummer.
“There is a large buyer pool for a Rummer house,” says Swenson, who specializes in midcentury modern and contemporary modern houses in the Portland area.
This 1968 Rummer-built house has no porch or picture window that allows someone on the sidewalk to see inside. Clerestory windows draw natural light into the central atrium.Dwell Realty
The one-level Rummer dwellings, with privacy in the front — there is no porch or picture window — and the living room oriented to the backyard, appeal to someone living alone, retirees who don’t want stairs and a family needing three, four or five bedrooms, says Swenson.
People may first fall for the look: Glass walls rise to vaulted ceilings covered in wood planks. Most Rummer-built homes have interior atriums, either open to the sky or capped by a see-through ceiling. Natural light easily filters into rooms stripped of unneeded solid interior walls.
Occupants also appreciate the livability factors. Some of the original galley kitchens have been renovated — walls removed, appliances relocated — to connect seamlessly to the dining and living rooms or overlook the atrium.
As with all real estate, location is a factor in the market value. Rummer built on larger lots, mostly adjacent to wooded area. The largest concentrations of Rummer houses are in Garden Home’s Bohmann Park tract adjacent to Fanno Creek or Beaverton area’s Oak Hills Historic District.
“The neighborhoods are nicely established,” says Swenson.
From the 1960s through the 1980s, architectural historians estimate Rummer built 700 to 750 housing units in Portland, Beaverton, Lake Oswego, Clackamas, Gresham and other places, including traditional-style houses.
About 200 are in the Eichler style, as designed by architect A. Quincy Jones.
Each of the modern Rummer homes, which are about 1,850 square feet or a little larger, was carefully located, typically on a quarter-acre lot, to maximize indoor-outdoor living.
Rummer prices have risen along with the Portland metro area, but buyers are devoted to the Rummer “brand,” says Swenson. “I can get five or more offers, and a lot of the people writing offers come back and write on other Rummers, which is an indication that they’re waiting patiently for their Rummer.”
In 2018, Rummer-built homes on the market sold, often quickly, for around $600,000 to $700,000, depending on the location, condition and size.
In 2019, prices rose to the $850,000 range. “I remember thinking, ‘Wow, that’s getting up there,’” says Swenson. “Then at the end of 2021, a few went for more than $1 million.”
Swenson sold a restored and renovated Rummer-built home on a wooded lot in Beaverton’s Highland Park area for $1,004,508 in September 2021.
Marisa Swenson, a Portland-based broker with Dwell Realty, sold a restored and renovated Rummer-built home on a wooden lot in Beaverton’s Highland Park area for $1,004,508 in September 2021.Marisa Swenson
— Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072
jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman
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