View full sizeThe Edwin Rayworth houseCasey Parks/The Oregonian
The century-old house Edwin Rayworth House on North Albina Avenue will
avoid a planned spring demolition after the owner reached an agreement
with a North Portland woman who plans to move it.

Boise and Eliot residents have worked since January to save the
Victorian bungalow that owner Andre Koshuba said was too expensive to
repair. In response to those concerns, he said he would give the house
to anyone willing to move it.

Koshuba last week confirmed that he handed over ownership to Carla
Shetzline, with a contract stipulating she must move the house before
its scheduled mid-July demolition. Shetzline, who has lived in the Boise
neighborhood for 20 years, plans to move the house
to her lot at 3808 N.E. Rodney Ave., where it will sit behind an 1885
cottage she restored.

Shetzline said she fell in love with the house the first time she toured it.

“I was really excited about it, but it seemed like a longshot,” said
Shetzline, a single mother who works at Finnegan’s toy store. “I just
didn’t know if I could afford to do it. It’s a complicated, big
project.”

But she said she has arranged financing and hope to engage community volunteers to help her restore the house.

The home has never been listed on a historical registry, and there is
some debate over its provenance. According to Roy E. Roos, author of The
History of Albina, the house was built in 1890 by Edwin Rayworth, a
painter and wallpaper hanger. City records suggest
the house wasn’t built until 1904 then was transferred to Rayworth in
1908. The north end of the home has add-ons, including a kitchen.

Koshuba’s development company, Koshuba’s Exceptional Homes by Andre,
paid $186,900 in cash for the property in October. Density zoning in the
area requires a developer put two houses on the lot, he said, and he
said the price of restoring the foundation was
too high so he planned a demolition.

Koshuba had originally said he would wait until March 15 before tearing
it down. He extended his timeline, though, and in late April gave the
home to Shetzline.

“He’s a lovely person, and he has been really helpful,” Shetzline said.

Shetzline plans to slice off the add-ons, making it an 850-square-foot
accessory dwelling unit that she can legally put on her lot. She must
replace the plumbing and the foundation, rewire the building and
re-insulate it. She plans a website where community
members can volunteer to help restore it

When finished, she wants to use it as a public space that could display artwork or host events.

Shetzline leases her lot’s cottage, which she spent four years
restoring, to the Montessori preschool Giving Tree. The Giving Tree‘s
lease ends in August and will need to find a new location, Shetzline
said. That school uses the spacious backyard, so Shetzline
said she is trying to balance Giving Tree’s and Koshuba’s needs in
determining her timeline.

Koshuba said he is happy now that he extended his earlier deadline and that the house will be saved.

“I’m glad it all worked out,” Koshuba said. “It’s a happy ending for all of us.”