355 Northshore Road
{Featured in the Oswego Lake Architectural Boat Tour}
McMillan Home (official name): 1930 -1946
McAlpine-Stevens Home: 1946-1978
Palmer Home: 1978-1988
Kerchavel-Sohlstrom Home: 1988-Current
The yard in front of our lake house was the true center of our summers, a lively crossroads where friends, boat days and impromptu parties blurred together. On any given afternoon, the grass was dotted with coolers, lawn chairs and discarded flip flops. The landscape filling with the laughter of people arriving or coming ashore.
The rhythm of the day was dictated by the boat tied to the dock. We spent hours out on the water, baking in the sun, before pulling back up to the yard when the shadows started to lengthen. The transition from a boat day to the backyard party was seamless. Someone would turn up the music, the grill would get fired up, and the kitchen door would swing open and shut as drinks and platters of food were carried out to the picnic table. We enjoyed waterskiing, had many parties by the water, enjoyed our boat and gave our daughter a wonderful childhood there.
The house had yellow shutters when we bought it. We painted them blue. The interior had the original bead board fir panels. The interior was so dark, so I decided later to paint the boards white, but kept the rest natural. When we bought the house, the interior was unchanged from when it was built. The Stevens, from whom we bought the house that was being built and the depression happened, so the upstairs walls were made of wallboard.
The McMillans, who built the house, owned the McMillan Resort (also known as the McMillan Boat House) at the east end of the Lake from 1924 to 1937. They sold the house to Richard and Eveleen McAlpine Stevens in 1946. They were both Mazamas who climbed to the top of Mt. Hood and skied down, before there were chairlifts. We bought the house from the Steven’s in 1978. It was my dream house. We had 10 wonderful years there. I lovingly restored it.
I had the original blueprints made by architect Richard Sundeleaf. The home was built with board + batten siding, one of the Sundeleaf signature styles. I called Mr. Sundeleaf to see if he would discuss the blueprints with me. To my surprise he wanted to see the house, so he came over for a tour, as well as to look at the blueprints. He then offered to take me for a ride in his iconic 1956 Black Thunderbird convertible to show me every house that he designed in Lake Oswego. Then we went to his personal home on Phantom Bluff, which he beautifully designed including a hand carved bird staircase newel. What a wonderful experience. I learned so much. He loved playing handball at the MAC, he and my husband even had MAClub lockers next to each other for many years, he was such a nice man.
We eventually sold the house to Nancy Kerchavel and Hans Sohlstrom in 1988. We are so grateful to them because they put a beautiful, seamless addition unto the house that honored its historical integrity. They graciously invited us over to see the improvements.
~Judi Palmer, She loves the water and now lives on the Willamette River in Dunthorpe