A hilltop midcentury house designed by a respected architect near the University of Oregon in Eugene has been exciting design enthusiasts for decades for its glass-encased sunken living room and treehouse-like pavilions.

The Trombley Residence, built in 1965 for a schoolteacher, is also known as the “Love Nest.” Its lofty, forested location offers filtered views of downtown, the Coburg Hills and sunsets over the Coast Range.

After an architecturally thoughtful renovation last year, the two-story house on a 0.21-acre lot at 2635 Cresta De Ruta St. is for sale at $1,095,000.

“All the original integrity is intact, including solid cedar ceilings and floor-to-ceiling picture windows,” said listing broker Koalani Roberts of Windermere Real Estate Lane County.

The residence was designed by award-winning Eugene architect Otto Poticha. He is well known for defending architectural monuments threatened by the wrecking ball, according to the University of Oregon, where he has been a professor of practice in the School of Architecture & Environment.

A 2025 renovation by Craig Wollen and Cari Coyer of Turn Design introduced features that enhanced livability in the house with 1,757 square feet of living space. Improvements include a new membrane roof, electrical panels and heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

Updates to the kitchen and two bathrooms, which included fixtures and finishes, were made while retaining the original aesthetic and natural materials fitting a home “tucked amongst the trees,” said Roberts.

The entrance to the cedar and stucco house is accessed by passing an extended deck to the wide front door. The wood door is situated between two tall glass-walled spaces on the main level: the living and dining room on one side and the primary suite on the other side.

Windows to the lower level, which has a second suite and storage area, can also be viewed from the deck.

Roberts told The Oregonian/OregonLive that potential buyers include:

  • Architecture fans who desire an uncommon property that has been carefully renovated by exacting and creative owners.
  • Appreciators of architect Otto Poticha and his precision of creating unique angles and sight lines.
  • Nature lovers who want to live steps from Eugene’s 12-mile Ridgeline Trail system.
  • Professors, professionals, empty nesters and others who value the Fairmount neighborhood’s location. It is about a mile from the University of Oregon campus and allows for easy access to downtown Eugene, Hendricks Park, the new YMCA, Laurelwood Golf Course and pub, popular South Eugene schools and shopping.
  • Entertainers and dinner party enthusiasts who can extend the gatherings to outdoor spaces.

Architect’s long career

Otto Poticha’s architectural career has spanned six decades, including designing Springfield’s award-winning Richard E. Wildish Community Theater.

In 2020, he received the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Oregon’s President’s Award.

Poticha graduated in 1958 from the University of Cincinnati, where he met his future wife, the late Sharon Scott East Poticha. His classmates included future architects Bob Frasca, who designed Portland’s airport, and Michael Graves, the designer of downtown Portland’s controversial postmodern Portland Building.

Poticha worked at Perkins & Will in Chicago, Lucas & Niemeijer in Amsterdam and Alden Dow in Michigan before moving to Oregon to work for Wilmsen Endicott in Eugene.

He founded his practice in 1963 and designed residential, commercial and clinic buildings. In 1968, the firm, renamed Unthank Seder Poticha Architects, expanded to include notable architects and University of Oregon architecture professors DeNorval Unthank Jr. and Grant Seder.