Chehalis Downtown Historic District

Chehalis Downtown Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Hotel Washington Building and nearby buildings, Chehalis, Washington.
Location	Roughly bounded by Park, and Front Sts., Washington and Cascade Aves., Chehalis, Washington
Area	10 acres (4.0 ha)
Built	1891 (1891)
Architectural style	Early Commercial, Colonial Revival
MPS	Chehalis MPS
NRHP reference No.	97001407[1]
Added to NRHP	November 21, 1997

The Chehalis Downtown Historic District is located in Chehalis, Washington and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One of three NRHP districts in the city, including the Hillside Historic District and Pennsylvania Avenue-West Side Historic District, the district represents three separate development periods. The community was an important timber hub and freight exchange stop between south Puget Sound and Portland, Oregon.

The historic district is home to the St. Helens Hotel and is located in the northeastern part of the city and includes North Market Boulevard, Northwest Pacific Avenue, Northeast Cascade Avenue, Northeast Boistfort, Front Way, and Northeast Division. ^[2]

The current downtown is a third civic center of the city. It was originally at West Main Street close to the railroads tracks. Elizabeth (Eliza) Barrett Saunders had platted three blocks from her Donation Land Claim of three hundred twenty acres. Three blocks of development were the start of a town. Buildings were constructed around 1870 including the first Lewis County Courthouse.^[2]

The second downtown began down West Main Street at the comer of Chehalis Avenue and West Main Street. Barrett platted five parcels between 1881 and 1883. By 1891 this center included the city's first opera house (Tynan Opera House), and the Barrett Block housing a bank and hotel. In 1892 two fires destroyed the second city center. The majority of the buildings were wood; arson was suspected.^[2] The district was known for the Chehalis Fountain^[3]: 37 which was replicated at the Vernetta Smith Timberland Library.^[4]

The third center grew up on Market Boulevard. Buildings had been completed a couple of years before the fires. In 1889 the First National Bank. In 1891 the Chehalis Improvement Company constructed the first of two buildings, the Improvement Block. In 1892 the Columbus Block was completed in celebration of Christopher Columbus landing in the Americas four hundred years earlier. Soon after, construction of a fourth retail office structure, the Commercial Block, established an impressive modern building. Only the original bank building is gone, razed in 1949. Between 1890 and 1894, the Chehalis Land and Timber Company constructed the St. Helens Hotel.^[2] The district was also home to the East Side School, located in what was known as the "School Block" before moving out of the downtown area by 1912.^[3]: 74

A large fire occurred during the morning hours of August 2, 1912 beginning in the Bush Block at the Staeger Bros. book and stationary store. Over $14,000 in damages were reported, including at the Chehalis Bee-Nugget newspaper and the post office, both located in the block.^[5]

The growth of the downtown business core led to the first parking law within the district in 1927. Limiting all automobiles to two hours during the day, the law was made necessary by a lack of parking due to local citizens and business people anchoring their vehicles in spaces for the entirety of the day. These actions prevented customers and farmers from stopping, leading to a loss of business.^[6] Along with a rise in minor automobile and pedestrian accidents at the intersection of Market and Boistfort streets during the 1930s, the first stoplight in the district was placed at the junction in September 1936. The traffic signal was not publicly announced before its installation but was immediately well-received.^[7] Despite changes, accidents were still common, noted most by the death of long-serving Chehalis postmaster Lloyd Sullivan, who was struck by a truck while crossing Market in late-August 1953.^[8]

During the 1949 Olympia earthquake, damages occurred to several buildings in the downtown core, including the Security State Bank building which lost a 3.5 foot (1.1 metres) section of decorative railing. The quake, which lasted between 35 and 40 seconds during the late morning of April 13, 1949, also shattered windows and caused bricks to fall away from façades.^[9]

Market Street, beginning at the St. Helens Hotel, was converted into a northbound one-way thoroughfare in 1960.^[10] The district underwent major renovations in the mid-1970s with the build of curbed landscaped islands in the crosswalk areas. Although mostly appreciated by businesses in the downtown core, noticing that customers had easier access to both sides of Market Street, the improvements were derided by citizens soon after. Given the nickname, "Melhart's Maze", after Mayor Roy Melhart who helped to initiate the change, the islands were considered difficult to navigate for larger vehicles.^[11][12] Additional improvements in 1977 included the build of concrete parking strips and a new layer of asphalt.^[13]

The 1970s revitalization included a full conversion of the St. Helens Hotel into apartments, with the revival of the inn's retail spaces and the construction of a new coffee shop and restaurant on the ground floor. Remodeling took place at the Virgil R. Lee Insurance building, the George Sears Drug Store, and the St. Helens Theater. Businesses removed neon signs for less intrusive handmade advertising and economic conditions were noticeably improved.^[11]

On the afternoon of July 11, 1997, a large fire swept through parts of the historic district, partially destroying the Hotel Washington.^[3]: 124 Starting at a Red Cross office building, the flames spread to the hotel, which at the time was being used as a furniture store. The fire was contained by the evening after the combined use of 1,000,000 US gallons (3,800,000 L; 830,000 imp gal) of foam retardant and water. Within a year, both buildings were rebuilt and reopened.^[14]

Beginning in the early 2000s under a program known as the Chehalis Historic Preservation Commission, the city began to honor older homes, including those in the downtown district, that are connected to the history and heritage of Chehalis. Houses accepted into the designation receive a brass plaque that includes the year the structure was built and the name of either the architect or original owner.^[15]

In 2009, the Chehalis Community Renaissance Team (CCRT)^[a] initiated the Historic Downtown Chehalis Walking Tour, publishing a free booklet to guide visitors to notable buildings in the downtown core. Two years later, the CCRT, in coordination with businesses in the districts, as well as donors, began installing cast iron plaques to denote structures on the tour. In the following weeks, forty buildings received the tour markers.^[17]

The city, in coordination with Experience Chehalis, launched a multi-year downtown revitalization program, known as the Imagine Downtown Chehalis project, in 2024. The plans include the restructuring of main streets in the city's historic core, including Market and Boistfort, with attention to traffic flow. Additional upgrades to enhance community participation, economic opportunities, and safety are included with betterments in street lighting and sidewalks.^[18]

The majority of the buildings are in the nineteenth-century commercial, many with metal awnings or canopies of a non-historic character. In the 20th century, the architect Jacque “Jack” DeForest Griffin was responsible for the creation of several buildings constructed in the 1920s, including the Renaissance Revival-style Elks Building in 1920, the Italian Renaissance inspired St. Helens Theater in 1924, the home of the Lewis County Public Utility District on Prindle Street, the Advocate Building, and several other extinct structures in the downtown core.^[19]

553-555 N. Market Boulevard, ca. 1900, Little Gem Lunch – 1915^[20]

• Shakespeare & Co/American Legion

A single story, nineteenth-century commercial building that appears to have been altered circa 1910s. The building is faced with raked brick having tiles set into a diamond design forming a horizontal row of nine diamonds just above the awning and beneath the cornice. The flat roof line has a shed, standing seam, metal roof at the front with a plain cornice framed by piers. Between the decorative row of tiles and the awning is two window sections. The entrance off Northwest Pacific is intact with a plain facade of window. The entrance consists of recessed doors framed by windows.^[21]

551 N. Market Boulevard, 1894, Murphy & Johnson Saloon^[20]

• Diversified Games

This nineteenth-century commercial building is two stories. The second story has a plain facade with four windows. The original brick has been covered with stucco, but the roof line and window are intact. A fire on July 11, 1997, caused damage to the windows; however, the building remains a contributing resource.^[21]

545 N. Market Boulevard, 1889, Hotel Washington^[20]

Hotel Washington is a four-story, nineteenth century building. In 1889 it was operated by Mr. Berry and Mr. Loomis. Four piers split the facade into three sections. The windows on the upper level are semi-elliptical, with rock-faced sills. The upper story on the Northwest Pacific Avenue side is clad with pressed metal in a brick pattern. The entrance, on Market Boulevard, is a glass door with the lettering, "Washington Hotel." On the north side there remain remnants of an advertisement. There was a fire on July 11, 1997, which caused minor damage.^[21]

539 N. Market Boulevard, 1900, Cupid's Helper; 1920, Foster Bakery^[20]

• Mint City

The two-story building uses a common bond brick with a flat parapet roofline. A decorated cornice has five paired brackets. The upper story has windows four across. The Northwest Pacific side has a row of four windows in the upper story. The lower story has a row of three windows. The southwest end of the building has a gabled dormer in wood and no window.^[21]

535 N. Market Boulevard, 1918, Fechtner's Jewelry Shop^[20] Having a related style to 539 N. Market, this a single-story structure is of a common bond brick and a flat parapet roofline. Fechtner's Jewelry has been in operation, in Chehalis, since 1903.^[21]

531 N. Market Boulevard, 1918, Claude Day Fruits/Howard's Meats^[20]

• Sweet Inspirations

Related in style to 539 N. Market next door, it is a single-story building with common bond brick and a flat parapet roofline.^[21]

525 N. Market Boulevard, 1900, Northern Brewery Company^[20]

• Brunswig's Shoe Shop

This building is single-story with a plain facade faced in stucco over common bond brick. This is one of the few district buildings retaining its transom windows, a row of eleven. Its roofline is flat.^[21]

455 N. Market Boulevard, 1920, Elks Building

The Elks Building was constructed in 1920 at an estimated cost of $100,000. The 50 foot (15 metres) lot was purchased by the Chehalis lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the structure is three-stories in height.^[22]

The district is home to several murals,^[23] many sponsored by the city and community organizations, some of which partner with the Washington State Main Street Program.^[24] The largest in the downtown district is a painting of a steam train, titled #15 at Sunset, on the Elks Building. In an alley on the north side of Market Street are a variety of wall paintings focusing on the eclectic, such as aliens and Bigfoot.^[25][26]

A large welcome mural, focusing on the founder of the city, Elizabeth Barrett Tynan Saunders, as well as the history of airplanes, is located at the north end of downtown. It has a small nod to the city's connection to the Kenneth Arnold sightings in 1947.^[25][27] Three murals decorate the adjoining public bathroom facilities, each containing specifics about the city's railroads and community togetherness, including another UFO themed artwork, the Kenneth Arnold.^[25][28] A mural of a butterfly flying over flowers, known as Garden Delight, is situated at the main crossing of Market and Boistfort and was completed in 2020. The mural, Lifting Up Chehalis, meant to inspire visitors to photograph themselves for social media, is installed on Boistfort Avenue, the location of the city's farmers market.^[29]

Additional artworks include paintings done by local artists on utility boxes, trash can lids, and benches. The effort was based on a Chehalis Community Renaissance Team plan approved by the city council in 2009 that also included long term revitalization projects for downtown Chehalis such as building façade renovations.^[30][31]

Two sites within the downtown historic district are individually listed on the NRHP. The Lewis County Historical Society and Museum, known also as the Burlington Northern Depot, is located in the west portion of the district and has been listed on the NRHP since 1974.^[32] The second site is the St. Helens Hotel, marking the southern edge of the historic area on Market Street, was originally a wood structure that opened in 1894. The hotel was added to the NRHP after major restoration efforts in the mid-1970s.^[33]

The Vintage Motorcycle Museum, once located at the Hotel Washington, is situated at the Marketplace Square building in the center of downtown.^{[3]: 111 [34]} At the north end of Market Street is the Chehalis Theater which was built in 1938 as the Pix Theater.^[35] Next to the theater is a long running arts-and-crafts and book business known the Book 'n' Brush which occupies a space originally used for a retailer known once as "The Big Department Store".^[17]

A street clock, known as "the Big Clock", was situated outside of the Burnett Jewelry Store in downtown. Thought to have been installed in 1901 or 1902, the E. Howard & Co. timepiece was a fixture in the city until January 1970 when it was removed after the jewelry business transferred to a new location in the downtown area. The clock, sold to an antique dealer, was moved to Newport, Oregon.^[36]

A fountain, meant as a watering trough for horses, was erected at the intersections of Boistfort Street and Chehalis and Pacific avenues on February 12, 1907.^[37] The fountain contained a large basin on a decorative pedestal topped with an electric globe light, a modern amenity of the time.^[38] The public spring was the idea of a ten-member all-girl group known as the Flower Club. The organization paid $200 for the fountain, raising a smaller amount from city residents for freight and installation. Confusion over the responsibility of the placement of the fountain waylaid its initial installation for several months and the local Chehalis Bee-Nugget newspaper wrote editorials praising the young women while castigating older, more affluent residents for their lack of efforts and monetary donations.^[39][40][41]

In 1916, a horse carriage ran into the fountain and the damages to the water pipes severe enough that the fountain was often difficult to operate and maintain; it was permanently removed in early-May of that year.^[42] Additional reports note that the fountain was moved as it was becoming a hazard in the right of way due to an increase in automobile and Twin City Railroad street car usage.^[38] The fountain, possibly without the globe light and pedestal, was moved to the Chehalis Civic Center for a time. It was often used as a hazing ritual where freshmen students were dunked in the basin. The basin was transferred to the Chehalis Municipal Rose Garden where it was used as a planter. The remaining piece of the Flower Club's fountain has been considered lost since after the 1949 Olympia earthquake, with speculation that the basin rusted away, was simply removed as garbage, or destroyed in the cleanup after the earthquake.^[38]

The district hosts several buildings recognized by the Chehalis Historic Preservation Commission (CHPC). The commission recognizes historical value and the subsequent preservation of homes and buildings in the city. Buildings honored with the designation receives a brass plaque that denotes the year of construction and the name of either the architect or original owner.^[43]

The Star Tavern building, a row house built in 1901 on Chehalis Avenue, received the CHPC honor in 1993.^[44] In 2003, the CHPC awarded the Chehalis Theater with a listing and plaque recognizing the historical importance, and restoration efforts, of the movie house.^[45]

• History of theaters in Chehalis, Washington
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Lewis County, Washington

• Chehalis Bee-Nugget. The Chehalis Bee-Nugget: The Historical Souvenir Edition. 1915.
• Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana. Be a Building Watcher: On the Street Where You Live. 1986.
• Lewis County Historical Museum: historical photographs, and newspaper clipping files.
• Washington State Historic Preservation Program. Architectural Description Guide. 1978.
• Washington State Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. Historic Property Inventory Forms and Supporting Documents.
• Weyeneth, Robert R. Historic Downtown Chehalis: A Public Guide. Lewis County Printing Department, 1992.
• Weyeneth, Robert R. Multiple Property Nomination: Associated Property Types. Historic Commercial Properties.
• Weyeneth, Robert R. Multiple Property Nomination: Statement of Historic Context the Urban Growth of Chehalis. 1850-1950 & The Development of a Resource Economy in Chehalis. 1850–1950. 1991.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chehalis Downtown Historic District.

• City of Chehalis - Map of Downtown Historic District
• Experience Chehalis
• Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation - Biography of Jacque "Jack" deForest Griffin