Houzz TV: A Son Builds on His Father’s Architectural Legacy
When architect Anthony Belluschi took on the restoration of a mid-century modern house in the West Hills of Portland, Oregon, he had big architectural shoes to fill — his father’s. Internationally known architect Pietro Belluschi had built the native wood and glass home in 1948 for a client. Years later the architect returned from the East Coast, where he’d been dean of MIT’s School of Architecture, to buy the house he designed. He lived in it from 1973 until his death in 1994.
More recently, Anthony — himself a successful architect — rebuilt the teahouse on the property as a small guest studio to live in while his mother’s caregivers used a bedroom in the main house. After his mother died, Belluschi and his brother inherited the house, which had seen few repairs in its six decades. Instead of tearing down the structure, as some suggested, Belluschi moved into the tiny guesthouse and took on a major renovation, enlarging the main residence by more than 65 square metres. The alterations so improved on his father’s original vision that in 2013, Belluschi received a DeMuro Award from the historic preservation organisation Restore Oregon, given for “extraordinary historic rehabilitation projects.”
Although I would never live there, I love the way Portland embraces modernism. This home is exceptionally beautiful. It could make me change my mind. Well done.
architecture is beautiful ! but too much wood , anywhere you look you see yellow wood wall, furniture etc.. Bit depressing if you see this color everywhere. If wood was in much lighter color and not in every room, would be more pleasing to the eye.. In my opinion
The house is beautiful.... every little detail has been attended but I felt it a bit monotonous... same colour scheme for floors, furniture, walls and every where...
I like the modernism of the main house. The guest house is okay EXCEPT for the toilet in the kitchen!!
This is a prime example of history preserved to it's best! I am totally in love with this home.
Perfect!
I'm not a fan of modernisim. my taste are more Edwardian, or art neuvo, or queen ann Victorian. However, this home could easily change my mind about modernisim. There is so much connectivity to nature, and the outdoors. I could easily feel myself comfortable staying in this house a while. It's comforting and soothing, not brass and garish. Lovely, lovely home.
Almost perfect, love the space, use of materials, and kitchen fireplace! Although I am 64, I'd like you to know I am available for adoption and ready to come home to live! SMILE!
Sooo beautiful. Calmness, simplicity, clean lines, you feel comfortable just looking at it. Bravo.! Very good work.
The home is stunning both inside and out. The woven wood ceiling is BEAUTIFUL and truly amazing to look at in person. Luckily, I live in Portland and have been through the home on a mid century house tour for Restore Oregon. The Belluschi's have been so amazing at sharing their beautiful home to the public and they are very nice, gracious people. And...... their art collection is wonderful.
A girl can dream . . .
I love this house! I like the way it flows and also incorporates older and a newer style. Well done!
Nice to be reminded of what a great, sensitive architect Pietro was.
Hi Darwin111, I'm 64, too. I just never got the modern thing. Not then, not now. Too many straight lines, as Hundertwasser used to say. These houses always make me feel like I'd have to sit up straight with my legs crossed at the ankles...Watching Mad Men, yes. On my occasional visits to Japan, yes. Always? uh-uh.
Wonderful restoration and expansion. Kudos to Pietro's son. I toured this house in about 1963, when I worked for Wolff & Zimmer, Architects (Now ZGF Architects). At the time they were collaborating with Piertro Belluschi on the Ben Franklin Saving and Loan building. I was a young draftsman and model builder for the firm and built the models of the Ben Franklin building. Mr. Belluschi needed 1/2" scale models of the cast fenestration to finalize the design and it was delightful, and an honor, working with him. The 1/8th scale model of the entire building was on display for some time in the lobby of the completed building. Many thanks for the fond memories.........
Absolutely my favorite thing I have seen on Houzz to date!!!! Thank you for sharing!
Very special to see the craft of the father bloom in the son.
This is a beautiful house. It would cost a fortune to build one though. I think I could live in the guest house comfortably!
Wow!!! Just love the blend of midcentury modern, Japanese influence, and natural modern. The landscaping and house relate so well, and the gallery room is probably my favorite room on Houzz thus far. You could do a feature article on just that room alone, and another on the landscaping. There are so many great textural things that really make the rooms sing, too, like the woven ceiling and the stonework which also blend well with the rest of the space. Really fabulous!
Where can I fine the beautiful river rock wall tile..
I would have put the guest house toilet in the extra little storage closet. But I love this little house.
love
The main house is just beautiful. What a wonderful restoration/renovation/enhancement of the original home.
WONDERFUL….we had to sell my parent's mid-century last year to settle the estate…I remember the wonderful, feet-friendly cork floors that were original to the 1953 design. I still miss the vast ceilings, original mahogany solid paneling and closets…plus a 180 degree view of the Olympic Mountains! They don't make houses like that anymore!
Brilliant renovation, Anthony.
I love these videos
Wow, I absolutely love this house. It is so welcoming and connects so well to the outdoor setting.
This is truly a beautiful house, made even more beautiful by the story. How very fortunate and blessed we are that the family/owners are so willing to open their home and their hearts to all of us. THANK YOU to both!
Finally!
A house that isn't white, white, white!! So tired of those.
This is warm and friendly and open and just GORGEOUS.
This is the kind of modern that I can get behind. More, please!
Thanks for sharing your home with us, Mr. and Mrs. Belluschi. It is a beautiful home and the changes/additions that have been made are more than not detectable, they've added character to the home. I love the idea of that tiny guest house being able to convert into whatever suits the moment. But the private yard! Wow! Just Wow!
I love this house and the woods used are magnificent. The cork floors are beautiful. One thing that bothers me a lot, though, is having the toilet in the guesthouse in the same room as what is considered the kitchen. Germs get airborne and you shouldn't even store your toothbrush within five feet of the toilet.
I love this house! What a beautiful home!! I loved watching the video and learning of what is ultimately a moving and brilliant design. Anthony honored his father in making this home his own but in keeping with the spirit of the design. Gorgeous....I would live there in a heart-beat. The only thing I would have configured differently is the tea house but that is minor and does not take away from my appreciation for the main house.
What a place to call "home." Lovely!
While I am not normally a fan of mid-century modern style, I found this home and it's story to be absolutely stunning both in looks and love. Well done!!
Amazing home! Great find and great article Julie Sheer! I loved that the original architect was his father and that he honored his father's work by keeping the original structure and making it even better. The tea house is a wonderful place of retreat and it was so tender to learn that it was originally created so he could be close to his mother during her last days/years. Anthony Belluschi appears to be not only a great architect, but a great human being. It was so fun to get a story that has family interwoven into the walls of this home.
Love, love, LOVE!!!!! Bravo! Well done! A timeless master piece!
Beautiful!
I could watch this all day..thoughtful, beautiful, timeless, calming...
Beautiful. Except the toilet in the kitchen! At least put a screen around the toilet!!! I really couldn't handle people pooping in my kitchen. :-)
A truly wonderful way of connecting with nature. I would live there in a heartbeat. I live in the prairie, which has its own beauty, I would like to see more of this type of architecture on the plains.
The kind of home you take into your very pores. Wonderful.
What a story. What a treasure. Thank you for sharing.
I so enjoyed listening to the story of carrying on the legacy of his father Pietro Belluschi. The home is a refuge for his children and grandchildren. I love bringing in the indoors with the outdoors. The natural woods are a beautiful way of letting nature flow inside. The home seems like a work of love!!!
I love how this modern architecture uses large expanses of glass to bring the outdoors in. Very serene. As for the realtor who said it's a tear down, they need to find new employment.
Beautiful!
Love the entirety of the home - that woven wooden ceiling - a masterpiece
I love it and wish more MCM style homes were built.
This house is stunning and exactly what I would like for myself except for the guest house.
What unbelievable talent, both father and son.
Stunning home and great story!
Be still my heart. Such tranquility and peace just sooths the soul.
I love the view and the patio/yard, but I wouldn't like to be cooking for my guests while they're on the pot and visa versa. Portland must have a lax building code? I would have stolen some space from somewhere or at least put up a screen or wall. I would love to see view this house the next time I'm in Portland.
Fabulously revived to be inviting and livable. -- Two elements so rarely achieved with mid century modern architecture. -- Thank you for sharing this wonderful family story.
Amit Dubey
You're right, Tony. This house does embody timelessness. Beautifully done.
One of my favorite homes I've ever seen, I'm SO thankful they didn't even entertain for a minute the possibility of tearing it down. What a work of art. Although... I question the kitchen bathroom. Thaaaaat's just something I don't think should ever be placed together. Call me crazy?
I live in Portland, and enjoy all the beautiful mid century houses that dot our city. This one is an outstanding example of how architects of that period designed in order to blend nature with the dwelling. When you've got that kind of landscape out site, why not draw it in? The house is sited to perfection.
It is unthinkable that this house could have been torn down. It is beautiful and the siting is spectacular. I wonder if Pietro would have approved of the kitchbath.
Hello Lauren Elyse Art I agree. Everything is beautiful and timeless except the kitchen/toilet/bath combo. great heritage: interesting choice.
Do not listen to Realtors who suggest to tear an architecturally significant home down just because it's "old"! That kind of ignorance is inexcusable.
Love view homes, love mid century. This is the whole package. What more could you want?
You blended the old and new so seamlessly It is truly a magnificent home!
This house is living history. A real marriage between the house inside with the yard and view outside with Mt. Hood. It definitely has an Asian feel. It needs chimes. Beautiful.
This house makes my heart sing!
What a beautiful renovation! Could you please tell me where the cork floors were purchased and which color was used. I have a mid century modern house that we are renovating with a similar color palette and I think the floors would go well in our house. Thanks:)
Wonderful story and lovely simple home.
This home is spectacular! I felt a sense of peace at the first picture. I made my own rice paper sliding doors in my last house. I used them as a window covering for an arcadia door in our bedroom. The wood working in this home is so beautiful. What's up with the toilet thing? Thanks for sharing this home with us.
Wonderful house and story!
Great views and concept, but kitchen and toilet together? Sorry, not for me.
I love everything about this house, including the wonderful people that live there. Thank you for this article, Houzz!
I'm with Wendy Wilson; this house makes my heart sing! It is entirely evident that Mr. Belluschi accomplished this renovation with love. Beautifully, beautifully done.
What can I say that has not been said - A W E S O M E ! ! !
This home is perfection, and what a wonderful tribute to his father. So much talent in one family!
Everything about this home is marvelous. I love the attention to detail that went into the renovation and the way they were able to preserve the home's history.
I want a woven wood ceiling now. ;)
I love that they made the most of those amazing views and courtyard. They were very successful at unifying the indoor and outdoor spaces.
I may have to watch this video on a loop. The beauty is just too much to take in with one viewing.
How generous of this lovely family to offer tours to people in the architecture community. There is so much to learn from this fabulous home.
Thank you for sharing your lovely home. Bless you!
This house is so peaceful and beautiful.
I am an MCM fan...most especially 1040s design. It is warm and inviting. The place is beautiful. For myself, I would never have opened up the kitchen or changed it in any way, except to repair whatever needed repairing. I don't understand the need to have to 'open it up', and I don't agree with the host that you can't tell what is new, or that it blends in completely. Overall, it is a beautiful place to live.
I can't believe the toilet in the kitchen passed the building inspection and I can't believe more people on this forum are not worried about it!!! Every time you flush the toilet, germs spread all over the kitchen, gross, just gross!
What a wonderful story! I think it is amazing the homeowner contacted the father first to sell the home he designed, and how lucky he was to be able to purchase it. I appreciate the son keeping the legacy of the home in the family. The changes and additions they made to the house seamlessly flow. He is right, that is exactly what you want people to see and say anytime you add an addition to your home. The tea room is brilliantly designed and executed. The space planning is smart. Who wouldn't want to have their own private guest quarters when they come to visit. I love a home with a story. I believe, all our homes should tell a story about who lives there and how they live.
My husband and I just purchased a 69-70's brick and glass, flat roof modern home which hasn't been updated since she was born. It is my deep desire to make her beautiful once again blending the new with the old in a timeless fashion like these people did with theirs. I would appreciate any and all input to the redesign of this home.
We would not change a thing and feel blessed to live there!
Well done!
What a wonderful thoughtfully designed home! I am currently working on a midcentury modern home in Atlanta and this video inspires me!
outstanding work
Incredibly well done!