Located in the Alameda neighborhood in Northeast Portland, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 2005.

Louis Woerner was vice president of the Western Cooperage Company at the time the house plans were commissioned.

No major renovations to its footprint have been made since it was constructed, the most significant changes were an interior remodel of the kitchen and updates to the bathrooms.

Purcell was active in Oregon from 1919 until 1930, when an advanced case of tuberculosis forced him to seek a warmer, drier climate in California.

During his stay in Oregon, he designed and marketed standardized plans for homes intended for families of modest means.