A house at the gateway to the Laurelhurst neighborhood — one of the neighborhood's first — has been sold, and architectural preservationists fear it could be headed for demolition.

A post on the Portland-based Architectural Heritage Center's preservation blog first noted that the house at 3206 N.E. Glisan, built in 1906, might be threatened. It cites a request for a meeting with city development officials, which notes the existing structure could be demolished.

Peter Kusyk, whose Firenz Development Co. bought the house for $467,148 in a deal that closed Monday, said he hasn't applied for a demolition permit and is still weighing his options for the house, which could include a rehabilitation.

But he said it has been vacant and that the interior has suffered damage that would make a rehabilitation project difficult. An earlier attempt to rehabilitate the home was left unfinished.

"Anybody who looks at the house right now and sees the condition it's in would be thrilled that somebody's doing something with it," Kusyk said.

The house was one of nearly 5,000 properties included in a city historic resource inventory, but it's been removed from the inventory. It has not been recognized as a local landmark, nor does it appear on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Laurelhurst Gate, a landmark that extends onto the property, is protected by a deed restriction, Kusyk said.

"I don't want to lose what's there, as far as the entry into one of the nicest neighborhoods in Portland," he said.

The house was one of the first in the Laurelhurst neighborhood, built on farmland once owned by Portland's Ladd family, the Architectural Heritage Center wrote. It originally served as home and office to the real estate agent for the development.

A residential construction boom in Portland has developers scouting for land in Portland's most desirable neighborhoods, and an existing home can be a prime opportunity for demolition and redevelopment.

Meanwhile, in North Portland's Kenton neighborhood, a developer has applied to demolish a two-bedroom cottage at 7608 N. Omaha Ave. The house, built in 1919, is listed as a contributing resource in the Kenton conservation district, so the demolition is on a mandatory hold until Oct. 1.

The delay is designed to allow for considering alternatives to demolition.

-- Elliot Njus