Now 97, Robert Rummer, for those that don’t know, is what Frank Lloyd Wright was to Arizona, but is to Oregon as an architect and real estate developer from the ’60’s and on. He made his stamp here in the PNW having built over 1,000 homes bringing one of the largest collections to the area after inspiration from the California Eichler homes. There is a fairly large concentration of Rummer homes within the Oak Hills Neighborhood of the NW Washington County side, along with Lake Oswego.

A tour of the homes happened back in 2016, and I sure hope they do it again soon. What I would give to be able to sell one of these rare homes. However, I think the icing on the cake would be able to have my future mid-century home architectural designed by Mr. Rummer to build on land that I choose.

I must’ve picked up the Mid-Century bug from my late Grandfather, Marlowe. He lived in Arizona and was a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, and I became one as I grew up. My grandparents home in Arizona was oozing with top of the line Mid-Century furniture. The kind that people spend thousands of dollars falling over. (Sadly, I don’t own the collection — family members sold it off thinking it was worth nothing, while I begged to have it. Albeit in my early 20’s at the time, I had nowhere to store it.). I also caught the Eichler bug living in California, and loving Palm Springs.

Having another passion for photography, Julius Shulman, is one of my top architectural photographers I admire. While for me, mid-century is synonymous with Arizona, California and the more desert areas. I’m so in love with mid-century through out the US. And, especially, have found a fondness for it here in the PNW. The concept of blurring the lines of where nature ends and the home begins is well suited for forests and mountains.

Here’s a few other articles if you’d like to learn more about Robert Rummer https://www.oregonlive.com/life-and-culture/g66l-2019/01/7c7a097b4d1258/oregons-coolest-midcentury-mod.html

https://www.dwell.com/article/renovated-1968-robert-rummer-home-beaverton-oregon-real-estate-57928eb

https://rummernetwork.com/Rummer_Resources.html

Photo by Randy Laybourne on Unsplash