Quirk of the Week: A brief sweep of unique chimneys and other unusual building features in Mac

Kirby Neumann-Rea/News-Register##Garage bisected by two colors is one of at least two such examples in McMinnville

Kirby Neumann-Rea/News-Register##Original barn that inspired imitators, located at Highway 18 and Cumulus Avenue.

Kirby Neumann-Rea/News-Register##Stratus Village structures are modeled on the historic barn a mile to the east.

Kirby Neumann-Rea/News-Register##Outsized ladder adorns a home on Evans Street near 14th, north of downtown.

Kirby Neumann-Rea/News-Register##Olive & Vine Guesthouse on Irvine Street boasts a distinctive central chimney.

Kirby Neumann-Rea/News-Register##Abundant Life crew repositions lighthouse structure atop remodeled church building on Southwest Baker Street.

Kirby Neumann-Rea/News-Register##Evans Street home features an unusual rock-embedded brick construction.

Kirby Neumann-Rea/News-Register##A kind of twin garage was moved a few feet north as part of the Hoffs Homestead redevelopment.

A pair of unique chimneys highlight this week’s Quirk tour of unusual McMinnville building features.

For a couple weeks, we’ll visit some unique aspects of McMinnville, then take a couple of turns around the county, from “flying disc” signs in Carlton to the sprocket fence of Amity.

The architectural or decorative elements in McMinnville certainly deserve celebrating. They range from the permanent to removable — the latter end of the spectrum exemplified by the oversized ladder affixed to the side of a house on Southeast Evans Street. One of a kind.

On the permanent end of the spectrum: On Southwest Baker Street, a home features an unusual exterior stairwell, made all the more distinctive by its narrow width. The home was likely built as multiple living spaces, with the stairs leading to a separate entrance; tough to get much more than a dresser up the incline.

Also on Evans, a home is dominated by a 25-foot brick chimney that’s a bit of masonry magic. The symmetry of the rectangular bricks is interrupted by protruding stones — some jagged, some square, some curved. Staggered a few feet apart, the rocks rise the full height of the chimney, resembling hand- and footholds on a climbing wall.

Another century-old home near downtown also bears a unique feature. On Northeast Irving, Olive & Vine Guesthouse is a renovated Victorian with slices of gingerbread adorning its porch and gables. Other McMinnville homes feature similar touches. But what sets Olive and Vine apart is its steeple-like chimney.

What distinguishes this masonry is that, unlike most chimneys that are built into an exterior wall, this one emerges from the center of the house. It’s a building style common in New England, and this example appears to be the only one in McMinnville.

Not far away, on First Street, two small garages used to stand two feet apart, quirkily enough given they were on neighboring properties. Then the eastern shed was recently moved as part of the developing Hoffs Homestead project (“vacation homes, gardens and event spaces” — opening 2026). The Hoffs garage was also expanded and fitted with a bright purple door.

McMinnville continues to blend history and modernity; witness the outline of the housing development known as Stratus Village, off Highway 18. The structures employ peaked roofs evidently designed to resemble the historic metal barn a mile east across from Evergreen Space & Aviation Museum.

Just east of the original barn, its shape can also be seen in the roofline of The Springs Living facility.

Which means now three structures on that side of the highway carry forth the historic theme. Commercial development and many more changes will be coming to the area on the south side of Highway 18 between Stratus Avenue and McMinnville Airport, but the triumvirate barn-scape will give some visual continuity along that stretch.

Midpoint on the spectrum are the dual-color paint jobs on at least two garages, one on Northeast Fifth Street, the other on Southeast Holly Street. In both cases, they are cleanly divided with one side painted blue and the other white or brown. (The Holly Street garage is just a block away from another odd-featured garage, mentioned in Calendar of Quirk last year: Washington Street narrows from two lanes to one, a block east of Davis, one lane abutting the garage front.)

Holly, meanwhile, is a mapping quirk: the one-block dead-end has an apartment building and three residences on it, and a standard green street sign, but it does not appear on Google maps.

Finally, you might have seen along Southwest Baker last weekend what looked like the removal of a local iconic building feature, the lighthouse atop the church building now owned by Abundant Life Fellowship. Pastor Matt Davies and crew spent Wednesday evening replacing the six-foot fixture after the much-needed roof replacement.

It’s all part of a general remodel of the sanctuary, meeting rooms and fellowship hall. It also happens that Abundant Life celebrates its 50th Jubilee with a banquet on Aug. 24 at The Grand ballroom.