Way W. Lee: Community Builder

Way W. Lee (1924 – 2013) was born in Portland, attending Benson High School and then Oregon State University, before launching a career as a building contractor. Beginning in the early 1950s, Lee built hundreds of homes, apartments, duplexes, and several commercial buildings, including the hotel now known as The Jupiter. He was a prolific builder in southeast Portland’s Reedwood neighborhood, a suburban style development near Reed College only minutes from downtown. The civic-minded Lee, served on the Housing Authority of Portland’s board of directors and he was active in the Royal Rosarians. He was also known for his singing voice. As a student at OSU he studied opera and he often performed publicly – including for the Portland Opera.

Please join us as AHC education manager and historian Val Ballestrem presents this short program of his initial research into the life and work of Way W. Lee, an important contributor to the development of Portland in the decades after World War II. This talk is presented in partnership with the Northwest China Council.

Seating is limited at the Architectural Heritage Center. Pre-registration is highly recommended.

Images: Way W. Lee, Oregonian newspaper; Continental Hotel (now Jupiter Hotel), courtesy of the Lee family.