2006 SE Ankeny
Years: 1987-1990 moved and was renamed “Our House”
This is a 1902 Old-PDX 4square in Buckman, basement three story (third story not finished) 6 bedroom/2 bath home.
JUNIPER HOUSE
Per the Oregonian in 1987,"the only residental care facility for AIDS patients in the Northwest.” There were two houses next to each other first the Juniper House then the Assisi House. Late in 1987, Cascade AIDS was operating the Juniper House. No notice of what happened to the Assisi House.
Per Our House website History | Our House December 1 (ourhouseofportland.org) “Juniper House was the first version of Our House which started in 1988 when a small group of concerned Portlanders began to provide housing and care needs of people with AIDS.” That is inaccurate. Per newspaper reports below, Juniper House started on May 6, 1987 with beginning to receive patients on May 12th. [Below Left]. And in the City Week newspaper on September 4, 1987 reported that KGW was going to air a hour long documentary on the work and services of Portland’s Juniper House that opened four months ago…” [Below Right]
citations & references:
ART COMMUNITY WORKS TO HELP AIDS PATIENTS October 9, 1987 | Oregonian, The (Portland, OR) Author/Byline: BARRY JOHNSON [Part of the article] Right now there are about 200 patients with AIDS-related complaints in Oregon, according to Sampson, and the numbers are increasing. One of the problems with their care has come when they have left the hospital, yet have needed some nursing or housekeeping support. There is only one adult foster-care home, Juniper House, in Portland. It has only five beds, and there is a waiting list.
NURSING HOMES NOT TAKING AIDS VICTIMS November 6, 1987 | Oregonian, The (Portland, OR) Author/Byline: PATRICK O'NEILL [Part of the article] Starr finds volunteers or people who will work for minimum wage to take care of AIDS patients in their own homes. When they need a higher level of care, Starr tries to find a place at Juniper House, a five-bed home run by Cascade AIDS Project. If all of the beds are filled, he said, ``We try to get them back into the hospital.''
FOR FIVE PEOPLE DYING OF AIDS, PORTLAND'S November 15, 1987 | Oregonian, The (Portland, OR)
Author/Byline: PATRICK O'NEILL Summary: For five people dying of AIDS, Portland's Juniper House provides love, compassion, care and their only alternative to living out their last days in a lonely hotel room.[Part of the article]The house is the only residential care facility for AIDS patients in the Northwest. It is an anonymous older, two-story structure whose outward appearance gives no clue to what goes on inside. The people who run Juniper House keep the location secret to maintain the privacy of those who live there and to avoid any possibility of a hostile reaction from people whose fear has overridden their compassion. [contined within the article] The house, which opened on May 5, is the idea of Foland and John Trevitts, a Portland housing manager who put up 80 percent of the money to start the project.
Trevitts, in his 50s, speaks with an East Harlem accent that 22 years in Portland haven't been able to erase. Care for people with AIDS ``is an issue that isn't being faced,'' he said, leaning against a counter in the Juniper House dining room. ``It makes you sick. I don't like thugs, and I don't like thuggish issues where nobody's doing anything. How come nobody did this before?'' Trevitts and Foland met when Trevitts was managing the Beaver Hotel in downtown Portland and Foland was working with the poor.[contined within the article] Trevitts and Foland have opened a second house next door. Assisi House, as it is called, is for victims of the virus who are less ill and can do more for themselves. There is thought of acquiring a third house in the neighborhood.
Jan Weyeneth, one of the founders of the house, is a nurse in Providence Medical Center's hospice program. She spends one to three hours a day at the house in addition to her duties at Providence. There aren't enough hours in the day for her. She said that she would like to work full-time at Juniper House.WHAT'S IN A FAMILY? A LOT OF CREATIVE COMMITMENT(1 OF 2 ARTICLES) \ November 22, 1987, | Oregonian, The (Portland, OR) Author/Byline: BARNES C. ELLIS [Part of the article] The Metropolitan Family Service has some encouraging news: In its first-ever Family Recognition Awards program, the non-profit agency discovered at least 37 families in the tri-county area are surviving the daily struggle of intergenerational living. [contined within the article] “Of 37 written nominations received by the family service agency, less than half were for two-parent families whose children were born to them. Five nominees were adoptive families, and seven families had foster children. Five were ``extended'' families -- with a grandparent or other relative living in the home. And one didn't have any relatives at all. The Juniper House, a local home for people with AIDS, was nominated for its family-like atmosphere.”
Local press chronicled Juniper House on Broadcast Date 1988-04-26 Episode Number No. 723 Episode Title: Juniper House: In Search of Comfort
FIRST LESBIAN AND GAY FILM FESTIVAL OFFERS 12 FILMS DURING WEEKJune 10, 1988 | Oregonian, The (Portland, OR) Author/Byline: TED MAHAR The Canadian documentary ``On the Brink: An AIDS Chronicle'' will play at 4:30 p.m. Sunday and 7 p.m. Wednesday. Proceeds go to the Juniper House facility for AIDS patients. It is a vivid, methodical summary of what is known so far.
PROGRAMS TO HELP FAMILIES, FRIENDS OF AIDS PATIENTS August 15, 1988 Oregonian, The (Portland, OR)
PATRICK O'NEILLSummary: Homes operated by two Portland groups allow victims of the fatal disease to avoid long, costly hospital stays Two Portland organizations are developing day-care programs for people with AIDS to help take the pressure off families and friends with whom they live. People who have the acquired immune deficiency syndrome often require continual help, placing heavy demands on families and friends.
AIDS CASES RARE WITHIN OREGON HETEROSEXUALS POPULATION The epidemic in Oregon is centered in the Portland area, which has about 65 percent of the state's cases. The number of cases has generated a need for out-of-hospital care for some of the victims. Several residential care centers have been established, including Juniper House and Assissi House and, most recently, Our House.
Our House, in Southeast Portland, will open soon and will serve five patients with AIDS or other diseases brought on by HIV infection, said Jan Weyeneth, a nurse and an organizer of the non-profit group.Per Front Street Weekly; No. 723; Juniper House: In Search of Comfort - American Archive of Public Broadcasting "'Juniper House' chronicles life and death at a Hospice House in Portland for needy AIDS patients. This documentary, shot over a five-week period, portrays how AIDS patients cope from day-to-day with the inevitability of premature death. It focuses on their hopes, fears, setbacks and victories. As such, it is a compelling story about the personal search for comfort that all AIDS patients face. "The program merits Peabody consideration because it provides an inside look at the lives of those suffering from this well-known, but often misunderstood disease. Demystifying the seriousness and pain of AIDS helps the public realize the pressing need to work for its elimination in our lifetime."--1988 Peabody Awards entry form. The program follows Juniper residents such as Wayne Oro, who has outlived his doctor's predictions but his health continues to decline. Also, Lee Miller, who suffers from dementia but forces himself to take busses downtown to stay active. The documentary also discusses with the Juniper staff their experiences and perspective on the residents and coping with death.”
To watch the episode: https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-526-r20rr1qt1x?start=0&end=1826
Below Left and Middle are from Just Out newspaper, June 1988 - “Reel Proud” was part of Lesbian and Gay Pride; one night of the first Gay and Lesbian Film Festival was a fundraiser for Juniper House. Other information can be found at Organizations/Reel Proud
In the April 7, 1989, Portland Monitor newspaper, Scandals’ (a local gay bar) announced the results of an auction to benefit Juniper/Assi Hospice House and the Names Project.
Quick research in checking with Oregon Secretary of State online there has been no registation for Juniper House in Portland. Below is history of the sale of the house per redfin.com/OR/Portland/2006-SE-Ankeny-St-97214/home/25855178#property-history
check out John Terrill papers, 1980-2009 https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv59530 “John Terrill was involved with a number of gay rights organizations in Portland, Oregon, during the 1980s and 1990s. He worked as a volunteer with the Cascade Aids Project in 1983, shortly after the founding of the organization, and later served as chairman of the board of directors. He later became involved with Juniper House, a group home care facility for people living with AIDS. He went on to work with Our House, which was formed by members of Juniper House and provided residential and hospice care for people with AIDS in Portland. He served on Our House board of directors from around 1988 to 1993.”
NOTE: 6/10 Oral history interview with John Terrill by Cynthia Nagata and Monica Ruiz (transcript only)
2009
Juniper House formally nominated to the National Register [Per the City of Portland]
September 21, 2024, The Juniper House, an HIV/AIDS hospice in SE Portland nomination to be on the National Register of Historic Places was submitted to the State Historic Preservation Office in August 2024, the nomination has been deemed complete and will advance in the listing process!
It will go before the Portland Landmarks Commission and the State Advisory Committee for public testimony in the next two months.
A public copy is available to view.
Portland Historic Landmarks Commission
September 9, 1:30 p.m. (Virtual hearing)
Hearing information and testimony registrationOregon State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation
October 18, 1:30 p.m. (Virtual and in-person hybrid hearing)
Hearing information and testimony registrationIf accepted by the National Park Service, this resource will be the first in the nation designated specifically for HIV/AIDS history.