The following description comes from the event organizer.

In the first half of the 1950s, Portland witnessed explosive growth in new house construction. New neighborhoods popped up across the metropolitan area, particularly on the edges of town and often beyond the city limits. With financing secured through the Federal Housing Administration or the GI Bill, many white working-class families found that for the first time they had the opportunity to own their own homes. At the same time, however, African Americans were all but excluded from this system.

Mid-Century Modest gives a glimpse at some of these new houses constructed in Southeast Portland during this boom period. Each of the twelve featured houses had a different builder and they represent eleven different subdivision developments. These new houses were distinctively modern and featured some of the latest amenities, like built-in dishwashers and attached garages. However, most were otherwise modest in appearance, size, and affordability.

The house photos are from a collection of more than 400 photographs taken between 1952 and 1955, by or on behalf of Robert Johnstone, who was a realtor in Portland from the 1940s until his death in 1986. Johnstone worked with two major Portland real estate firms during this period, Henry F. English and the City Realty Co. Both companies regularly advertised homes for sale in local newspapers, including several featured in this exhibit.

The collection was donated to the Architectural Heritage Center by Ken Hawkins in 2022.