Tribute to Robert Rummer - Page 2

Interestingly, many years ago the Eichler Network received an email from a Rummer homeowner who was ecstatic to discover her own home's plan on the Eichler Network's now-defunct online Blueprint Depot of Eichler architectural plans. After studying a presentation drawing of Claude Oakland plan MC-674, designed in the early 1960s for Eichler's Lucas Valley tract (and modified for other tracts), the homeowner exclaimed, "That Eichler not only looks like my house, that is my house!"

That said, and in spite of—or because of—similarities, Rummer homeowners are justifiably proud of their homes and recognize Eichler Homes in the spirit of mid-century modern kinship, and as the primary source for Rummer's inspiration.

Rummer's architectural homes were created for middle-class families in the Portland metro area, and built between 1959 and 1975. Rummer's company built a total of 750 homes there, with approximately 300 designed in the modern style.

In the Oak Hills district, 29 of the 650 homes there were built by Rummer and are listed in the National Historic Register of Historic Places. Rummer enclaves can be found in Lake Oswego, Gresham, and Garden Home, where Bob and Phyllis built their own home in the Bohmann Park neighborhood in 1966.

In June 2024, Bob, along with 800 attendees, celebrated his 97th birthday. At the soiree, it was announced that he and business partner Terry Gilson would be welcoming a new CEO to Rummer Development, Aubrey McCormick, a residential design-builder and sustainability expert. Building new Rummers is their plan.

"We're not doing custom [homes]—we're staying very true to Bob's legacy," McCormick said at the time. "The homes will be a revival of Bob's, keeping the main core of his original design."

The plan is to build a variety of homes, she said, beginning with a spec home "that has all the bells and whistles from a sustainability perspective; then two other homes ranging from 1,800 square feet to 3,200 square feet.

"Our goal is that in 40, 50, 60 years from now, the mid-century will be the mid-century of our generation."

On the same day as Rummer's birthday celebration, homeowners and VIP guests gathered at the home that Bob and Phyllis built, as part of the 2024 'Portland Modern Home Tour.' There, they enthusiastically celebrated the builder who created a niche for himself in the days before 'mid-century modern' was even a trend.

Upon hearing the news of his passing, Rummer Development announced that "Bob's mentorship to our building approach is why our team will make sure we are keeping the mid-century modern principles intact. Bob lived a beautiful life and loved the homes he built, but more importantly the people…His memory will live on in everything we do."

Though Bob Rummer is no longer with us, we at the Eichler Network, like so many others, hope to see that new generation of restyled 'Rummers' springing up in the Pacific Northwest environs. They would be a fitting tribute to the architectural legacy that Bob built along the way.

• Click here to read the Eichler Network's archived in-depth Rummer feature by Joe Barthlow: 'Meet Builder Bob Rummer.'