This house is somewhat unique for Portland. Every year I get together with four friends to play bridge over a weekend. Our needs were somewhat simple: a house with five beds, 1.5 bathrooms and a table for playing cards.
I spent quite awhile looking for a house that would meet those needs. Many homes have a large rectangular dining table - this one has a round table. The big problem tended to be the bathrooms - a lot of houses in Portland are older and only have one. The Nelson House has two full baths.
Icing on the cake was the proximity to Alberta Street. The house itself was on a quiet road but two blocks away you have pretty much any shop or restaurant you could want. While the parking is "on street" we never had an issue finding a place nearby.
Even though the house is 100 years old, it is well maintained and has updated electricity and plumbing. It is comfortable and clean - you don't feel like you are going to damage anything by using it. There are plenty of supplies: spices in the kitchen, towels and toilet paper in the bath, etc. Note that there is no ice maker so you'll need to either use the provided trays (which make big cubes) or buy a bag which is what we did.
Note also that the upstairs is accessed via a narrow stairway that may cause issues for people with mobility problems. There is a bedroom and a full bath downstairs, however. There is also a full basement with a washer and dryer for those longer stays where you might want to wash some clothes.
Overall, this was a nearly perfect place for us to spend the weekend, and I won't hesitate to book it again if we return to Portland.