Albert Hugh Irwin 1893-1980
Albert Hugh Irwin was born in Cheboygan, Michigan on March 26, 1893 and came west as a youngster, settling in as a helper on a farm near Vanora, an unincorporated rural area northwest of Madras in Jefferson County.
He attended Oregon State College (now OSU) from 1913-1915 studying topics ranging from agriculture to architecture. Irwin enlisted and served in the military during World War I. Arriving in Portland in the early 1920s on the crest of a building boom, Irwin took to designing and building fine homes in northeast Portland and in the West Hills, many of them clustered in Beaumont and Alameda, several near NE Merges and 38th.
In addition to designing and building homes, Irwin built a Buddhist temple in 1931 on North Benton Street, which no longer exists, cleared in the 1960s to make room for construction of Memorial Coliseum (Benton Street no longer appears on Portland maps). In 1938 he built the Helen Bernhardt Bakery building at 1717 NE Broadway.
In all, Irwin is known to have built 31 homes, several of them of significant size. His designs from the late 1920s and early 1930s utilize similar materials: rough stone around a rounded wooden door; steeply peaked roofs; ornate front windows. These earlier designs tend toward Tudor and Norman influences. His later homes utilize brick and tend toward Colonial influences. A complete listing of houses he built, is as follows:
Houses Built By Albert H. Irwin
NORTH
2515 Willamette Blvd 1938
2939 Willamette Blvd 1940
6136 N. Wilbur 1922
NORTHEAST
2807 NE Brazee 1925
2826 NE Brazee 1925
2905 NE Brazee 1925
2925 NE Brazee 1925
3015 NE Brazee 1925
3025 NE Brazee 1925
1717 NE Broadway 1938
635 NE Hazelfern 1929
3236 NE Hoyt 1921
3621 NE Klickitat 1940
3715 NE Klickitat 1940
3630 NE Merges 1929
3633 NE Merges 1927
3645 NE Merges 1929
3650 NE Merges 1929
3655 NE Merges 1929
3660 NE Merges 1929
3046 NE 10th 1925
NE 18th and Fremont 1921 John Irwin House (Brother, no specific address listed)
2321 NE 28th 1928
2415 NE 30th 1925
2425 NE 30th 1925
2507 NE 30th 1925
2508 NE 30th 1925
2805 NE 32nd Place 1938
2815 NE 32nd Place 1938
3045 NE 32nd Place 1937
3117 NE 32nd Place 1939
3126 NE 32nd Place 1940
3120 NE 37th Ave 1928
3124 NE 37th 1928
1546 NE 51st 1922
SOUTHEAST
1193 SE Garfield (old address not yet converted) 1931
2233 SE Grant 1925
7110 SE Lafayette 1923
2304 SE Lincoln 1925
2314 SE Lincoln 1925
2612 SE Lincoln 1923 A.H. Irwin Residence
2622 SE Lincoln 1923
7535 Reed College Place 1931
3448 SE Sherman 1922
1940 SE 27th 1923
1928 SE 27th 1923
3105 NE 60th 1923
3519 SE 71st 1923
1328 SE 86th Ave. 1923
SOUTHWEST
2661 SW Buena Vista Drive 1931
2667 SW Buena Vista Drive 1931
9420 SW Capitol Highway 1937
4405 SW Condor 1925
2656 SW Georgian Drive 1929
2515 S.W. Timberline 1963 Built for son-in-law Jack Crocker
2323 S.W. 19th 1941
NORTHWEST
3087 NW Greenbrier Place 1936
Irwin’s interest in developing fine homes led to a career in real estate. In 1938, with his wife Ruth Marie Irwin (1899-2006), he opened the A.H. Irwin Company, later renamed the Irwin Realty Company, based at NE 27th and Broadway. Albert and Ruth raised two daughters-Patricia Crocker and Susan Mosely-in their home on Northeast Clackamas in Laurelhurst. Irwin was active in business until his death at age 87 on August 21, 1980.
-Doug Decker
This is so great! Thanks for doing all of this research. I own one of the homes listed above as built by Mr. Irwin.
Thank you so much for this – We own 3650 NE Merges. Thrilling
Thank you so much for this wonderful history.
Mr. & Mrs. Irwin were my grandparents; the best grandparents a child could hope for.
I’m so pleased you enjoyed this piece on Mr. Irwin. He was a master builder and developer. Please give my best to Paul.
-Doug
Susan, I am delighted to discover this page. My husband and I are building a house and we would like to recreate an Irwin house. His style is so beautiful and classic! Does your family have copies of his blueprints? If not, do you know where I might find them? Sincerely, Laura Dieter
I pass by 3650 NE Merges Drive house often. It’s always been one of my favorite houses in our neigborhood. Thanks for the background info!
The Irwin houses in this neighborhood are quite nice and in very good shape 80 years on. I think he’d be pleased to see them today…
I live at 2612 SE Lincoln, I would love to see earlier pictures of the house if any exist.
I enjoyed this so much especially the picture. Nancy
We live at 3633 NE Merges Drive and Mr. Irwin built our house as well but it is not listed on this page.
Thanks Dennis. Right you are. Plumbing permit filed May 13, 1927. I’ve sent you a copy of the original plumbing permit, and will add the address to the list.
-Doug
3650 NE Merges Drive just listed for sale today $700,000.
Hey Doug,
I have found another property that is not on the list 3155 NE 36th Ave. Thought you would like to know…
I’m pretty sure this was the builder of my house at 4228 N.E. Siskiyou in Beaumont. Thanks for all your research and enjoyable website! I had fun at your recent talk at the Mission as well.
Brett
Hi Brett. Thanks for the kind words. I pulled up the original plumbing permit for your house and it suggests the builder was W.C. Wright, and that the house was completed in April of 1926. Could possibly be an Irwin, but best bet would be to check with the city to see if they have the original building permit on file. Usually, the plumbing permit is a very good indication.
Thanks Doug. I was basing my guess on the description of his Norman style house construction, but you’e the expert! I’ll have to do some more research on W.C. Wright and check the city records. Thanks again!
Brett
Me. And Mrs. Irwin were my grandparents. I have many memories of visiting them over the years as our family lived in other states. They were such great grandparents!
Thanks for the history – much appreciated.
Thank you, Diane. Would be glad to visit for any additional information you’d like to share. The houses your grandfather built have stood the test of time, that’s for sure.
We live next door at 3660 NE Merges – another charming Irwin house. The wonderful book you did for our house was given to us by the previous owners. Chock full of history, including the photo of our house on front page of the Oregon Journal paper – a week before the 1929 stock market crash.
Thanks Doug!
Kevin Reedy
Hi Kevin. I really enjoyed researching that house and learning about Albert Irwin. His homes were all so well thought out and attractive. It was quite a find to be able to locate his son who had the photo collection, a treat to be able to see it so soon after construction. Irwin was busy in that entire block and his houses have all passed the test of time. Thanks for writing.