Beauty, Function Combined in Bollinger Home Design
By EDNA RAMP
Of Ibe ReiUUr-Gnir
The far places of the world
hold a special charm for the
Thomas O. Ballinger family,
who've circled the globe once
and now are preparing to go
abroad again to live for a year.
But as they empty their pock
ets on their return to Eugene,
the precious reminders of their
travels all are completely "at
home" at the same address:
3715 Donald Street.
Crude primitives as well as
objects of the finest craftsman
ship have a "sense of belong
ing" here. So do the Balling
ers Tom and Joy and their
children, Liz, 11 and Tom, 14.
It offers at the same time a
place for family togetherness
and a haven to pursue individu
al differences.
"We built in 1955 and I've
never walked through the door
when I didn't say: 'Isn't this
nice; it's so good to be home',"
is Joy Ballinger's feeling about
the house.
Friendly Farewell
This week, as the family pre
pared to take off for another
12 months this time, in Greece,
for Mr. Ballinger's sabbatical
from University of Oregon du
ties as associate professor of art
education the house again
proved its adaptability:
It was the setting for a
unique farewell party when the
Balllngers invited their friends
to a "delightful session and
scheme to make MONEY."
The invitation gave further in
formation on the plan to help
provide "dough for my family
to accompany me to the Isles of
Homer." It offered for "sale,
auction or put-your-bid-in-a-bot-tle"
many of the interesting and
beautiful articles the Balling
ers had collected in previous
travels.
Dozens of friends turned out,
happy for the opportunity to
share these treasures from
round-the-world and to share,
too, one more visit with the Bal
lingers. Our Own House
Displayed on the deck, which
surrounds two sides of the
house, were several Nepalese
rugs, paintings and art objects,
a Danish coffee table, a Sherpa
jacket (small size for the wom
an who hopes to look like
models in the New Yorker ads)
contemporary drawings and
paintings by Tom Ballinger.
During the coming year, the
TJO professor hopes to photo
graph interiors of the Byzan
tine churches, particularly the
ceremonial ecclesiastical ob
jects, many of which were hid-
Art
Finds
Professor and Mrs. Thomas O. Ballinger hold art objects collected
during their travels. Musician figurine, stone carving from India,
is replica of life-size figures on Black Pagoda of Konarak. Pueblo
pottery is by Southwest American Indians in New Mexico.
den underground during the
war and never have been re
corded. He plans to make slides
which will be added to the uni
versity's collection for instruc
tional purposes.
But wherever they travel, the
Ballingers all agree the house
at 3715 Donald BELONGS to
them and they to it. It will
be with them in the happily pos
sessive manner houses adopt
and waiting for them with open
shelves and welcoming hearth
when they return.
Perhaps part of the secret Is
that the house BELONGS where
it finds itself. Let the world
and the sun and the stars move
in their chosen paths, the Bal
linger home has found its orbit
and its reason for being.
Generally considered "con
temporary," the house more
properly embodies "the spirit
of the barns of the olden days"
and is "completely indigenous
to Oregon," Tom believes.
Constructed entirely of native
materials tongue and groove
cedar, vertical-grained fir,
basalt from the Armitage
lies it is perfectly oriented
on its gentle slope, looking
on a dense stand of small
Of modified post-and-beam
struction, it has a ridgepole
which runs the entire length of
the house, extending through to
the deep overhangs to give a
feeling of continuity.
"It's definitely 'Jim Morton
ish'," says Tom BlJlinger, giving
credit to the young U of O
architect graduate who designed
this home as well as several
others here in Eugene.
Born In California and adopt
ing Oregon as her home only 10
years ago, Joy Ballinger wanted
a "house where every ray of sun
in Eugene will be in every cor
ner of the rooms."
The Morton designed home
provides that in abundance,
with most of the walls on two
sides of the house made of
glass. The same two sides are
surrounded by decks, on separ
ate levels to give privacy to
each but connected by broad
gentle steps.
"There's not a month of the
year that we haven't eaten out
here," Joy said. Benches are
built-in and potted plants pro
vide color. For the most part
the natural landscape has been
left undisturbed; plantings at
the entrance are rhododendron,
azaleas, skimmia, clumps of
moss carefully set by Joy to add
to the naturalness of the set
ting. Walk-way is patterned of
the same basalt used In the fire
place indoors.
Walls are blank of windows
on the north and street side, but
high, angular patterns of glass
fit the arch of roof to add pat
terns of light to the interior.
The large family room opens
off the front entrance, with
kitchen to the right. Dividing
wall between this living area
and the bedroom wing incorpor
ates a bank of cupboards to pro
vide storage for everything from
brooms to overflowing Nepalese
collections.
Cabinets do not extend to the
iro v I "' " ' I
icon- -.' 5 'n . T5sfflL. 1
s
a. - li , ;a . k
ceiling, allowing an open feel
ing throughout the house. Hall
ways, likewise, have "borrowed
a little of the ceiling from each
bedroom" to keep the feeling of
continuity.
Three steps down from the
family room is the "parlor,"
completely set apart from the
rest of the house and looking
out upon its own deck and the
oak woods. The window walls
and high ceiling again offer the
illusion of space without the
fact of space.
"If only 11 by 12 feet," Joy
explained. "It's a cozy place for
four to visit or it can hold 14
if someone is willing to sit on
the steps."
Everything here, ai in the
rest of the house, has special
significance to the Ballingers: a
rug from Mexico; couch from
Denmark; Nepalese, Congolese,
Mexican, Nootka, Chinese and
Tibetan Masks, Mexican pots,
Nepalese figurines.
Liz and young Tom display
their collections in their own
rooms.
Tom's treasures Include a
flag from Nepal; sword from
Spain; Japanese fan; banners
from the Isle of Capri and
Silver Creek Falls, Oregon; an
Aztec calendar from Mexico; an
exhibit of Nepalese coins. He's
working on a collection of Ca
nadian denominations, cent
through dollar, and spends
hours assembling computers
(they work, too) from old pin-
ball machine parts.
Liz collects stamps; stuffed
animals (we traveled all over
Europe with a basket of hedge
hogs); sea-washed glass from
beaches of Italy, Greece, Spain
and Oregon; pieces of fur (in
cluding ermine!)
Setting her own standard of
discrimination known only to
small girls who find a smooth
pebble a treasure to cherish and
dime-store jewelry more preci
ous than diamonds Liz also col
lects rocks and ten-cent ringa
paid for with more than three
dollars of carefully hoarded
weekly allowances.
One room in the house is
available for everyone's use
it's the studio. It was the origin
al carport, which the Ballingers
turned into a room when they
ran out of space. Luckily there
was room to build another car
port. But if their collectors' habit
runs true to form the next year,
they'll have to enclose that when
they return from Greecel
i.:v,;
Desk
Divider
(Rg1ster-Gurd photoi by Mlrko Pltner)
Bookcase and desk unit forms natural division between family
room and passage to "parlor" in the Thomas O. Ballinger home
on 3715 Donald Street. It also provides artistic setting for art
objects collected by Mr. Ballinger and his family during their
two years in Nepal.
USt COUNT ' HOME HEWJPAKH.
SECTION C EUGENE, OREGON, THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 1962
Metal lantern from Japan finds itself "at
home" with simple natural landscaping
at the Ballinger home. Over the front
doorbell is this Gautama Buddha and
two worshippers the Buddha shown in
the position of the "Earth witness and
Meditation mudras." Design is of ham
mered metal, originally gilted with gold.
... V-- -V -
.-
,.
Signatures
Off ' J
Sun
Deck
Deck, opening off family room of Ballinger
horn., provided perfect setting for auction
party this week when friends gathered to say
farewell and bid on treasures collected by Bal
lingers during travels. Family will live for the
next year in Greece, where Mr. Ballinger, as
sociate professor of art education at University
of Oregon, will be spending his sabbatical
EOS
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1