March 4, 2016
KATU: Historic Laurelhurst home refurbished, but keeping old charm
Originally Published by KATU | By Matt Johnson
The home has stood at the gateway to the Laurelhurst Neighborhood since 1911. In recent years it had fallen into disrepair, and parts of the building were left crumbling.
Developer Peter Kusyk bought the home in 2014 and had wanted to restore it, but decided the home was beyond repair and decided to demolish the house and build two new homes in its place.
When neighbors found out about the plan, they rallied to save the home. Several people contacted John McCulloch, another developer who restores old properties in Portland. He and Kusyk worked out a deal that could save the Markham Home, but neighbors have to come up with some cash first.
To raise the $1 million, McCulloch matched community contributions. For every $1 raised, he put up $98.50. So the community started a GoFundMe account to collect more than $50,000 in a month.
Two years later the home is saved and remodeled using design elements to keep its historic integrity intact.
