Walter W. McMonies, Jr. – 50th Reunion Essay

Walter W. McMonies, Jr.

601 SW 2nd Ave., Suite 2100

Portland, OR 97204

mcmoniesw@lanepowell.com

503-778-2157

Spouse(s): (1st) Nancy (18 years); (2nd) Caroline (20 years)

Child(ren): Elinor (1986); Madeleine (1990); and Robert (2000)

Grandchild(ren): Lillian (2014); Simon (2016) (both children of Elinor)

Education: Yale University, BA, 1969; Yale Law, JD, 1972

Career: Attorney in San Francisco, CA for four years; attorney in Portland, OR for 40+ years

Avocations: Historic preservation, seismic preparedness, skiing

College: Calhoun (Hopper)

I returned to New Haven to attend the Law School. I was a bit out of sync as a business-oriented student in a somewhat radical law school environment. I focused on Payne Whitney and studying.

On graduating I headed to San Francisco to work at the Pillsbury firm. I worked on a large antitrust case for two years and left to become deputy regional counsel at the FEA, this during the Arab Oil Embargo. I lived in a large flat in the Marina with other Yale Law alums and enjoyed the scene and sunshine.

Indelible scenes: (i) water skiing under the Golden Gate when my roommate’s antique Chris Craft stalls and I am left treading water, waiting for a shark to strike; (ii) walking through a boxwood maze at an estate in Atherton, seeing the heads of guests, only to round the last corner and be confronted by 40 nude people.

I resettled in Portland in 1976 and hung out a shingle. I developed a real estate practice representing developers rehabilitating Victorian houses into chic retail. I joined Heller Ehrman. I co-founded the Cascade Run Off, a competitive 15K road race.

I moved my practice to Bogle & Gates and went on a one-year sabbatical in Europe.

On my return, I started acquiring underappreciated apartment buildings, fixing them up, refinancing, and selling or keeping them. IRC Sec 1031 and the 20 percent Federal Historic Rehabilitation tax credit facilitated this.

Bogle imploded and I took my practice to Foster Pepper & Shefelman, then to Lane Powell. On the side, I got very involved in historic preservation and more recently seismic preparedness, working to ensure that unreinforced masonry apartment buildings and their occupants survive the predicted M 9.0 Cascadia subduction quake. I serve on several state and Portland seismic commissions and have had several seismic articles published.