A bungalow, two massive homes and an ice cream plant turned office space were all recognized by the Chehalis Historic Preservation Commission this year.
The seven-member commission, formed in the 1980s by the Chehalis City Council, identifies a number of homes each year to be awarded a plaque, which mentions the home and the year of recognition, giving all visitors a quick insight into the home's history.
"We go out and look for them, specifically," said Wayne Galvin, a member of the commission since 1993. "We look for homes where the person has done something to enhance the historicity of the home, or fix it up in a historic mood, but it definitely has to be a historic house to begin with."
The selected commission members search Chehalis for historic, improved homes, bringing photos back to the rest of the members to see if everyone is in agreement. And, of course, the home owner has to be willing to accept the plaque.
"Generally, they're pretty interested," he said. "We give them a nice plaque that specifically references the house, not person."
HERE ARE THE HOMES honored this year by the Chehalis Historic Preservation Commission:
n The single-story bungalow home at 168 W. Main St. was built in 1915 by Charles and Ollie Hays, who sold the house to current owners Frank and Barbara Mason in 1968. In 2003, the Masons restored the home, adding fresh paint from a pallet of colors that were available to builders around 90 years ago. The new exterior features sand, mustard and rust tones, and the original front door was restored with a mahogany stain. Vaulted ceilings and the original fir floors accent the interior, and professional landscaping and a paved parking lot balance the outdoor aesthetics.
n The former Forget-Me-Not Products, and later L & E Bottling, building on Northwest State Avenue in Chehalis been renovated, divided and given several new addresses to house a handful of local businesses. The building's current owner, Stuart Simon of Seattle, purchased the building in June of 2005.
The original facility began its life in 1929 as an ice cream plant, but was destroyed by a fire that also took out neighboring Palmer Lumber in 1939. Within a year, however, partners Raymond DeMoise and Ray Hagerman rebuilt the plant and were back in business at 901 State Ave. In 1954, Darigold bought out Forget-Me-Not, and L & E Bottling, opened in a back section of the building in 1950, took over the facility.
In 1976, the address was changed to 391 N.W. State Ave., and, in 1989, L & E Bottling expanded, building a larger facility in Tumwater. The building was eventually sold in the 1990s, finally being restored and improved to its current state of bold colors and offices in 2005 and 2006.
The O.K. Palmer house, located at 671 N.W. Pennsylvania Ave., was built in 1910 by Omar Palmer. The olive drab, 2½-story American Foursquare home features a pyramidal roof with hipped dormers, wide overhanging eaves and matching bay windows. The home is constructed on a nearly square floor plan with a sandstone foundation and a full basement, and with four wide pillars holding up a covered entry corner of the full-width porch.
The house was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986; in 1999, current owners Rick and Anna Alexander purchased the home and undertook a complete, and now finished, renovation.
The Gingrich house, looming over North Market Street across from Brown Mortuary Service, was built in 1900 by businessman and banker Christian O. Gingrich. The home was remodeled several times, and survived two earthquakes, over the years. Mark Tolomei purchased the massive Victorian home in November of 1999 and started a major restoration, replacing three-quarters of the foundation and all of the windows, fixing the original siding and totally gutting the interior.
Tolomei is currently wrapping up the final stage of his project by landscaping the grounds, and has added a gazebo, walking paths and a waterfall.
Aaron VanTuyl covers education, economic affairs and religion for The Chronicle. He may be reached at 807-8237 or by e-mail at avantuyl@chronline.com. His blog, "VanTuyl's Views," is on line at www.chronline.com.
