History

This modest home for newlyweds built in 1951 in the small community of Lake Oswego, Oregon. now has a new life 59 years later as a teaching tool on the Marylhurst University campus. Pietro Belluschi, F.A.I.A. then about to become the new dean of the Architecture Department at MIT received a letter from a young woman asking him to design a 'suitable' home for her and her new husband in 1950. His innovative and progressive designs for churches, homes and commercial buildings in Portland had caught her eye. He accepted the challenge of creating a 900 square foot home for Mr. and Mrs. Griffith while completing other major buildings in Portland and preparing to move to Massachusettes.  This house became a personal statement of his design philosophy reduced to its subtle, understated and thoughtful essence.

The Griffiths lived in their home without any major changes to Belluschi's design until 2006, when Arthur Griffith sold the house to developer George Hale.  Mr. Hale realized the signifigance of the Griffith house and Mr. Belluschi's work.  He searched without success to find it a new home. It was slated for demolition when Tim Mather, owner of MCM Construction, and community volunteer Tia Ross heard about it through their work with the Historic Resources Advisory Board for the City of Lake Oswego. But to save it they had to get it off the site. They decided to deconstruct and store it. Tia and Tim formed the "Friends of Belluschi," recruiting architects, historians and construction professionals from throughout the local community to volunteer their time and skills to painstakingly dismantle the home piece by piece. This community effort received local and national coverage.

After two years searching for a compatible site, the "Friends of Belluschi" found the perfect partner - Marylhurst University, a private, liberal arts universty located one mile south of downtown Lake Oswego.  Known for its innovation and academic excellence, as a supporter of local art and design, this project allows the university to preserve a piece of history and to give it new life as an educational tool for their students, as well as for the local community, honoring the original intent of the "Friends of Belluschi."