The Peony Building began its life around 1907 as a grand single-family home in Portland’s upscale Nob Hill neighborhood. This stately house likely featured Craftsman and Colonial Revival influences, with a broad front porch, gabled roof dormers, and generous bay windows typical of the era (as seen in its preserved façade). In 1946, amid post-World War II housing shortages, the beautiful home was thoughtfully subdivided into 7 apartment. This wartime conversion – reflecting city-wide efforts to create more housing – transformed the structure while retaining its elegant character. By the late 1940s and 1950s, it was known as the LaBelle Apartments, a nod perhaps to its stylish appeal (“la belle” meaning “the beautiful”). Each unit was carved out to maximize light and space, and the building’s residential pedigree lent each apartment unique layouts and a home-like atmosphere. Over the decades, The Peony Building has remained a coveted address for those seeking historic charm. Its cultural significance lies in its dual identity: a reminder of Portland’s early 20th-century aristocratic homes and an example of mid-century adaptation, when large homes were converted to meet urban housing needs. Today, it stands as a fusion of past and present – an intimate community within a former mansion, still exuding the warmth and detail of its original construction.