Figo House, Queen Anne style house near Portland State University, United States
Figo House is a residential building in Queen Anne style near Portland State University in Portland. It features characteristic Victorian elements including ornate wooden details, steep roof lines, and multiple decorative window arrangements across its facade.
Figo House was built in 1894 in Queen Anne style at the southern edge of downtown Portland, near what is now Portland State University. In 2006 TriMet, the city's transit authority, tried to condemn the house and sell the land to the university for high-rise student housing. The plan was dropped in 2008 after owner Randal Acker argued that eminent domain power is limited.
Randal Acker bought the house in 2005 for his small legal practice and named it after his dog Figo, itself named after the Portuguese footballer Luís Figo. In 2011 he compared his stand against TriMet to the Disney film Up, and that year hosted a Portland screening of the documentary Battle for Brooklyn, about residents fighting developers.
The building now serves as a law office, demonstrating adaptive reuse of historic residential structures in urban areas. Visitors should be aware this is an active workplace with limited public access.
In 2011, owner Randal Acker compared his situation to the Disney film Up, with his house surrounded by Portland State University property. That year he also arranged a Portland screening of Battle for Brooklyn, a documentary about Brooklyn residents fighting developers.
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