A 1934 Country French-style estate surrounded on three sides by the main Oswego Lake is for sale for the first time in a quarter-century. The asking price: $8,950,000.
The 0.57-acre property at 956 Westpoint Road in Lake Oswego includes 450 feet of private waterfront and European-style walkways and gardens. Creating more of a resort-like feel is a boat dock and storage structure for outdoor sports accessories.
“This captivating lakefront home commands water views from almost every window,” said listing broker Lisa Hanna of Eleete Real Estate.
A potential new owner for the updated, 5,235-square-foot house would be someone seeking “their own slice of paradise,” Hanna told The Oregonian/OregonLive.
“Someone who wants luxury and private living — very private — on a prime peninsula on Lake Oswego” and a home “for entertaining” inside and out, she added.
S.C. Smith was the original owner of the Arts and Crafts-style house he called “El Morya,” according to the City of Lake Oswego Historic Resources Advisory Board. “Morya” is considered one of the masters of the ancient wisdom who inspired the 1875 founding of the Theosophical Society in New York.
The secluded property on a high promontory was later purchased by Richard Sharpe VI, a graduate of Parsons School of Design in New York City and an artist who moved to Lake Oswego in 1938 when he was 33. He was a member of the New York chapter of the Theosophical Society in America.
Ruth Collier Sharpe, who lived in s secluded house in Lake Oswego (seen here), wrote the 1949 book “Tristram of Lyonesse: The story of an immortal love.”Pam R./Find A Grave
In 1940, he married poet Ruth Collier Sharpe, who was 43 and living in Portland’s Irvington neighborhood with her sister and brother-in-law. There, she wrote the long-form poem “The Song of the Paramahamsa,” which received an Olcott Foundation poetry award given to Theosophical Society members. Collier was a member of the Portland lodge.
Sharpe illustrated Collier Sharpe’s 1949 book “Tristram of Lyonesse: The story of an immortal love,” which was reviewed by the New York Times.
The couple also collaborated on “When Falcon from the Wrist, and Other Poems,” also published in 1949. Collier Sharpe died in 1975 at age 77, and Richard Sharpe died in 1986 at age 80.
The property last sold in March 1997, according to public records.
The residence’s main level has hardwood and ceramic tile floors and two of the home’s three fireplaces. The family room has wood-paneled walls and exposed trusses under a vaulted ceiling. French doors in the living and dining rooms open to the landscaped yard.
The primary suite on the second level extends into a view space with three bay windows. There is a den, office, three more bedrooms, three more bathrooms and three powder rooms. The third story has a loft.
Sharing the lot is a second, detached garage and garden building.
“This is certainly one of the most spectacular properties of lake living on Lake Oswego,” said Hanna. “The home boasts character and elegance with its timeless design and luxurious amenities, setting the stage for extraordinary private living or the pinnacle of entertaining.”
— Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072
jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman
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