Ladd Estate Company, Nature as the Antidote to Civilization After the demise of the iron industry, the Oregon Iron & Steel Company held extensive acreage in the Oswego, Lake Grove, and Dunthorpe areas. In 1912, they hired Atchison & Allen as their exclusive marketing agents and embarked on real estate venture to sell their land holdings. That same year, a petition … [Read more...] about Ladd Estate Company
Ladd Estate Company
Country Club District
Country Club District, A Dream Come True The concept of creating Country Club Districts near large cities was spreading across the nation in the 1920s. Why waste precious hours of leisure time commuting to the golf links? George F. Cotterill, former Seattle mayor and a well-respected civil engineer, was hired to design the overall plan of the district. Prized Jersey cows … [Read more...] about Country Club District
1932 Forest Hills Acres
Forest Hills Acres, Out of the City, Into the Country When the Ladd Estate Company opened this 100-acre development it was reported, “There are many persons of moderate income who have long desired to own a home of their own, a place where they can have a nice garden, flowers, fruit, and possibly raise some poultry or keep a cow or two.” Cows had already resided in this … [Read more...] about 1932 Forest Hills Acres
1925 Lakewood
Lakewood, Beside the Lake, Beneath the Trees A 1925 advertisement declared “Of all Lake Oswego’s districts Lakewood is the most accessible—the nearest—possessed of modern advantages. There is no more beautiful spot anywhere.” A decade earlier Ward Cotton Smith had come “out to Oswego to look for the lake and we found a mud hole down here on State Street.” The marsh that … [Read more...] about 1925 Lakewood
1925 Forest Hills
Forest Hills, A Restricted Residential District Successive 25-year deed restrictions were used to maintain control over housing that fit the Ladd Estate Company’s ideal of residents and residences. Municipal building codes had not yet been adopted so all of the company’s developments had some restrictions. Use Restrictions: No use, ownership, or occupancy by Chinese, … [Read more...] about 1925 Forest Hills