1911 F.A. Martin home under construction. Courtesy Pat and Andy Dignan. See post.

F.A. Martin home on Hunt Club Lane. Courtesy Pat and Andy Dignan. See post.

Stan Houseman affixing the Century Home plaque to the Dignan house.

1911 Dignan Century Home in Hunt Club area.

Pat Dignan beside Century Home plaque

Address: SW Hunt Club Lane
Originally Built: 1911
Original Owners: F.A. Martin

Built in 1911, the Craftsman style house was one of four original homes built in what is now known as the Hunt Club area. Once a center of Portland’s riding community, over time the home stood close to the Portland Riding Academy, Nicol’s Riding Academy and the Portland Hunt Club. The home was purchased by the Dignans in 1966.

After 37 years with Northwest Natural Gas, Pat Dignan retired as vice-president, having joined the company after leaving the Air Force in 1956. Andy’s most memorable moments of her early life are the years she spent as a child living in the Yukon Territories.

Since then life in their home has been filled with more wonderful memories. Consider the winter they received a call from the owner of the local stable where their daughter’s horse, Chico, was being stabled. He was sorry but the record snowfall had kept others from picking up their horses and he had no room for Laurie’s horse. “Could they come get him?” They could and they did, stabling him in their front hall for the weekend until the storm passed over.

By Virginia Vanture, 2016