A Visit with Robert Oshatz

I remember that day, staring at the The Fennell Residence (shown below) which sits on the Willamette River as opposed to by the river. The project is focused on the poetry of the ripples and contours of the river, it’s never ending flow, the view, and the interrelationship concerning the play of the sun and moon as it courses through the days of the year. Curved glue laminated beams are used to capture the timeless sense of flowing water and time passing to imbue the space within and its relationship with the river creating a spiritual and poetic sense of space. Turning to my friend at the time—an architect—we marveled aloud at the boldness and poetry of Robert’s designs. We wondered what it must feel like to create such visionary architecture, to bring something that striking and singular into the world for a client.

Robert comes from a lineage of creativity—his brother is a painter, his sister a writer, and his mother, a talented dancer who brought vibrancy and inspiration into their home. As we talked, we discovered parallels in our childhoods. Both of us were raised by moms who were talented artists and drew in remarkable people, weren’t shy to conflict and spoke up for what they believed. We both knew the ache of growing up with parents who didn’t love each other but poured their love into their children.

I noticed the sound, the softness of it, when I first stepped into the living room of Robert’s home—The Elk Rock Residence. The acoustics of the space felt so quiet.

“Most people don’t mention that,” said Robert, “but it was a carefully considered element. I wanted to make the space ideal for music.”

As we stepped onto his deck overlooking the trees and water below, I listened as Robert shared his wisdom, as someone who’s lived deeply and listens carefully.

Architecture had been his singular passion since his early teens. A teacher once told him he was good at drafting, and that compliment defined the trajectory of his life. He approached a local architecture firm and asked if he could work there as a janitor—just to be near the work. Instead, the firm hired him to assist at the drafting desk and he spent his days learning the craft and his evenings cleaning the offices.

“In any creative career, a little bit of luck is essential,” said Robert—and that job, was his.

Later, when an insurance issue prevented the firm from taking on a particular project, the principal asked Robert to take the client and handle the job himself. It was the beginning of what would become a remarkable career. From there, one client turned into another, and his body of work grew into the incredible, Frank Lloyd Wright-level masterpiece that it is today.

As a mother of two teen boys, one of the most touching details for me about Robert and this home, was that he built the home with the help of a first-time builder whom he mentored, and teens in a drug rehabilitation program.

I left this home feeling incredibly inspired, and what's more Robert, kindly gave my 17-year old son a tour of his home and talked architecture with him two days later! Above are some snaps I took from that day. Thank you, Robert!

Are you in need of an architect?

Don't miss an incredible opportunity to work with Robert Oshatz. He's currently looking for a remodel project in which the owners are looking for a major reworking of the image of their structure. Please contact me or Robert directly here if so!