W.W. Calkins House, A Real Survivor

The W.W. Calkins house at 588 East 11th (Southwest corner of 11th and Patterson) is a survivor of the highest merit. Built in 1902 in the Queen Anne style the house was never remodeled or hacked into student housing. It still retains all its exterior decoration and its beautiful oak interiors. It has been office space for many years but always respected by its tenants. Mr. Calkins was originally from Minnesota and came to Eugene to run the Merchants Bank, which later became U.S. Bank. He was also a prominent Eugene attorney and served in both the Oregon House and Senate.

Dr. Patterson's "Animal House".

We can't leave the East 11th Avenue area with out touching on the two Patterson houses that stood at 751 E. 11th. The first house, built in 1863 was a simple, "L" shaped side gabled Gothic, with little ornamentation, other than two classically styled porches. The house was used at times as an early hospital by Dr. Patterson, who was not only an early Eugene physician but a school teacher, text book author and the surveyor of the original Eugene town site. Dr. Patterson died in 1904 at age 90. Around 1910 the old home was cut in two and moved by horses on log skids (at one point across the Millrace) to Agate St. After the lot was cleared construction was started on a larger more modern home for the widow Patterson and her unmarried daughter. The house in the Colonial revival style, was 2 1/2 stories with a large wrap around front porch, with an additional second floor covered porch over the front entrance. The third floor gable was lighted by a large Palladian window. The house remained in the Patterson family until 1956 when Dr. Patterson's daughter Harriet died. It was sold and became a fraternity house and later student housing. The houses lasting infamy came in 1978 when it was used in the movie Animal House. Developers later purchased the property and razed the house in 1985 to build a small medical complex.

An Other Survivor On East 11th Avenue But Not so Pretty.

This large Prairie Style house was built about 1912 at 437 E. 11th for the Joseph Koke family who had previously lived in a Colonial Revival Style house at 1116 Hilyard Street. Joseph Koke was President of the Koke-Yoran Printing Company. The Koke house while still standing is not a successful survivor like its neighbor, the Heckart House. The porch has been enclosed, the siding changed and windows filled in, along with an large entrance addition to the front. Ironically, an Architecture firm has its offices in the severely maimed building now.

Frank J. Hard House

Moving south on Patterson from the Luckey and Campbell houses, on the east side of the street was the huge Queen Anne style Fank J. Hard Home. Records show that the house was moved sometime prior to 1914 to 613 E. 11th Ave., where it stood until circa 1960 when it was replaced with a very nondescript apartment complex. This was a particularly well designed and attractive Victorian house, with its three story tower, wrap around porch which conformed to the curve of the tower and the charming second floor covered balcony, which was unfortunately removed after the house was moved.