From the Oregon Journal, July 10, 1910

Our research into Portland’s early homebuilders continues, with three more profiles which illustrate the range and type of people and companies who built our homes in the early years of the 20th century. These three join more than 40 other builder profiles on The Builders page, including mom-and-pop builders and large scale operators who shaped the neighborhoods we know today. Be sure to have a look and see if you find your address or neighborhood in these lists.

George A. Ross (1877-1958) was one of the prolific builders whose company would be working on multiple homes at the same time. He did it all: builder, designer (but not a registered architect), financier, marketer. Like many of our builders, he was an immigrant who started out by building a home for himself, sold it, and went on to build (and live in) many others.

George E. Weller (1870-1942) had been a dry goods merchant in Raymond, Nebraska before coming to Portland after the Lewis and Clark Exposition to capitalize on the early homebuilding boom. He was 40 years old when he began his Portland house construction business, and like George Ross, built his first bungalow for his own family. Weller later operated the Pacific Building Co. before leaving the homebuilding business and going into real estate. In his early years his motto was Builder of Good Homes ~ Weller-Built is Well-Built.

George Weller – “Builder of Good Homes”

William M. Umbdenstock (1869-1937) came to the business from family money and from fire insurance underwriting in Chicago. Arriving in Portland in 1911, he kept his Chicago company name “W.M. Umbdenstock & Co.” and produced more than 300 homes between 1911-1923, from humble bungalows to much larger colonial-style showpieces. Umdenstock likely did not wield a hammer: his business was business and his company built homes, managed and rented out existing properties and sold vacant lots for others to build. He left Portland for Los Angeles in 1923 to work as an importer-exporter, inventor, and entrepreneur.

Insights about an early Portland builder? We’d like to hear from you.

Happy Holidays,

-Doug