Eichler Look-a-likes with Wow

Fans of mid-century modern homes who enjoy 1950s-style road trips, complete with fold-up maps, squalling kids, and quirky roadside attractions, should consider gassing up the Chevy Impala for a quick trip north to Oregon at the start of June.

Bohmann Park, a 1960 Portland neighborhood of very, very Eichler-like homes constructed in the 1960s by builder Robert Rummer, will open its doors Saturday June 2 to benefit the Historic Preservation League of Oregon. The tour features eight Rummer homes within a radius of one mile, ideal for an afternoon stroll.

There will be living history as well. Robert Rummer himself will hold court in his former home, answering questions and reminiscing.

Adding to what the League calls “a great little mid-century weekend getaway,” comedian and author Charles Phoenix will present his popular retro slide show immediately following the tour.

Several hundred ‘Rummers’ were built from 1959 to 1975, inspired, as legend goes, by Eichlers Rummer’s wife Phyllis had visited in Walnut Creek and by others pictured in the press. How Eichler-like are they? When a Portland Rummer owner matched an Eichler floor plan to her home, she exclaimed, "That Eichler not only looks like my house, that is my house!"

The June 2 tour runs 10am-4pm, $40 for non-members. For more info, visit historicpreservationleague.org, or call 503-243-1923.