William B. Donahue built at least five Northeast Portland Arts and Crafts bungalows between 1911-1915. The son of Irish immigrants to California, Donahue was listed as a Portland carpenter and home builder in the 1910 federal census, but in 1921 traded his tools for the insurance business. While the origin of his house designs have yet to be established as clearly his own, each of the homes has distinctive features that unify them as being built by Donahue, ranging from the selection of hardware and construction materials, to decorative patterns used in exterior finishes and detailed interior woodwork.

In the process of researching my own home, built by Donahue in 1912, I have found four others he built. I am actively seeking information on other homes built by Donahue and am researching leads to his descendents to seek personal information about his life and times. There are very likely other homes in the city built by Donahue.

A Donahue Chronology

William Bernard Donahue was born in California on April 17, 1888 to parents James Donahue and Sarah Lavell Donahue[i]. The family moved to Oregon in 1895. Polk directories from 1904-1906 list a Wm. Donahue in various positions at the Oregon Railway and Navigation company (laborer, machinist, helper). Though not conclusive, this could be our subject.

On August 1, 1909, Donahue married[ii] Bessie R. Lucky in a home at 1005 East 21^st Street North (currently 4733 NE 21^st Ave.[iii]). The 1910 census shows the newlyweds living in a home they own at 1027 E. 23^rd Street North (4837 NE 23rd[iv]). Bessie’s mother was living with them at the time.

Construction Begins

A flurry of homebuilding followed in the next several years. According to building and plumbing permits, Donahue built the following homes. The original pre-1930 addresses are shown first, with current addresses shown in parenthese. The dates are final inspection dates by city inspectors.

11-9-1911         833 Mason (2706 NE Mason)

1-22-1912        991 E 24^th Street N. (4705 NE 24^th)               Plumber: A.W. Thornton

7-29-1912        869 E. 30^th Street N (4053 NE 30^th)               Plumber J.F. Shea

9-25-1912        734 E 42^nd Street N (3404 NE 42^nd)               Plumber J.P Arnold

9-25-1912        736 E 42^nd Street N (3414 NE 42^nd)               Plumber J.P. Arnold

No plumbing or building permits exist for 836 E. Skidmore (2606 NE Skidmore), but it is certainly a Donahue, likely built from the same plans used to build 3404 NE 42^nd Ave. Until the summer of 2004 this home had a concrete brick chimney with the exact distinctive exterior design as the one at 3404 NE 42^nd.

It is possible that the home at 740 E. 42^nd St. N. (3424 NE 42^nd) is a Donahue. The house was constructed at the same time (1912) and the appearance of similar-but not exact-materials and construction styles bolster this hypothesis. No original plumbing or construction permits exist for this home.

An interesting commonality among these properties was their proximity to streetcar service to these neighborhoods: All are within a two-block walk of streetcar stops. This appears to be a deliberate and prudent business decision made by Donahue.

The 1912 Polk Directory shows W.B. and Bessie living at 410 ½ Wasco (a duplex). Mutlnomah County records list both Donahues as owners of 869 East 30^th Street North (4053 NE 30^th). It’s hard to know exactly where the couple lived at that time. What is clear is that the first of their two children, William Bernard Donahue, Jr., was born on May 20, 1912.

The teens show a constantly changing string of addresses for the Donahues, and what appears to be a break-up of their marriage. In 1913, they are together in the home at 734 E 42^nd Street N (3404 NE 42^nd). In 1914, they are at 869 E. 30^th Street N (4053 NE 30^th). The 1915 entry shows them at 250 Dixon, a duplex, which is currently a vacant lot at 401 N. Dixon.

The 1916-17 entries show both Donahues at 564 Glisan, which no longer exists (between NE 13^th and 14^th, mid-block, south side of the street). In 1918, Bessie is living on her own at the Glisan address, and W.B. disappears from the Polk directories. When he does return to the Polk Directory in 1924, Donahue is listed as a solicitor for MetLife Insurance, with a residence at 996 E. 20^th Street (4702 NE 20^th). Curiously, though Bessie shows up alone in residence at various Northwest Portland addresses during these years, the 1924 entry for W.B. still indicates they are married. His location during these years is as yet unsubstantiated. Portland home construction did slow in 1918-1920 due to high inflation after the war years, which could strained Donahue’s business. My hunch is that he was here in Portland, but was simply missed by the directory.

For whatever reason, Donahue made his career move in 1921[v] and stuck with it. In the 1920s he worked for MetLife Insurance and then for Mutual Trust Life Insurance of Illinois. In 1929 Donahue wed Eva Lee Dwyer and the couple moved among several addresses in Northeast Portland before settling into 2627 NE 19^th Ave. in 1938. Sometime in the early 1930s Eva and W.B. had a daughter, Jean Mary Donahue Reeves.[vi] Shortly after moving into the home in NE 19^th Avenue, W.B. switched to the American United Life Insurance Company, where he stayed as a general agent until his death in 1946. In addition to his insurance career, Donahue also served as supply sergeant for the Veterans’ Guard and Patrol during World War II.

During the early 1930s, Donahue’s son- in his 20s-is listed as an agent for Mutual Trust, and then working as an ink mixer, all the while living at home with his father and stepmother. The junior Donahue switched back to insurance for good in 1938 and opened his own insurance agency where he worked for the rest of his career, except during service with the Navy during the mid 1940s. He died on December 29, 1989, aged 77.[vii]

Not much more is currently known about Donahue. The Morrison family, which bought the 30^th Avenue house in 1918, often referred to their home as the “Irishman’s shanty,” a possible friendly reference to Donahue. Before their purchase, the Morrisons rented a home on Northeast 42^nd Avenue just down the block from the other Donahue houses. Did they meet there? Continued genealogy may reveal more about Donahue. The houses, however, speak for themselves.

-Doug Decker

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[i] State of Oregon Death Certificate No. 2764, dated September 10, 1946.

[ii] State of Oregon / Multnomah County Marriage Certificate No. 13213, recorded August 7, 1909.

[iii] According to the original plumbing permit, the home at 4733 NE 21^st was built in 1909 by Frank Warner. Master Plumber was J.A. Shoemaker.

[iv] A request has been made to get the building permit on this house, 11-29-04

[v] Date supplied by family members for his 1946 obituary.

[vi] From obituary information associated with the death of Eva Lee Donahue, died December 8, 1995.

[vii] State of Oregon / Multnomah County Death Certificate 89-25039.