History of 507 West Main, Walla Walla, WA

Legal Description:

Abbreviated: The west 49 feet of lot 2 and lot 3 in Block 8 of Reese’s Addition to the City of Walla Walla.

Title and Occupant History:

April 26, 1867 –Isham T. Reese and Martha A. Reese, husband and wife, filed Reese’s Addition to the City of Walla Walla, Washington Territory. (Plat Book A, Pages 13 & 14, Office of the Walla Walla County Auditor)

Isham T. Reese was an early pioneer who is first mentioned in Frank T. Gilbert’s Historic Sketches of Walla Walla. Whitman, Columbia and Garfield Counties. Washington Territory (Portland, Oregon: A. G. Walling, 1882) in 1859 when he rented the court house to the new Board of Commissioners for Walla Walla County and was elected Auditor of Walla Walla County. He was elected councilman for the city in 1862 in the first election under the incorporation charter granted by the territorial legislature. In 1866 he built a flour mill and a distillery; in 1868 he was one of the organizers, along with D. S. Baker, of the Walla Walla & Columbia River Railroad Co.

October 25, 1869–Isham T. and Martha A. Reese, husband and wife, sold lots 3 and 8 in Block 8 of Reese’s Addition to A. M. Lovell for the recorded consideration of $1. (Deed Book G, Page 612, hereinafter G/612)

December 24, 1870–Alfred M. and Martha Lovell, husband and wife, sold lots 3 and 8 to James S. Semple for $1400. (G/614)

May 16, 1871–Isham T. and Martha A. Reese sold the west 50 feet of lot 2 in Block 8 of Reese’s Addition to James D. Hayes for $200. (H/272)

August 2, 1871–James S. and Christiana R. Semple sold lots 3 and 8 to A. M. Lovell for $1200. (H/455)

May 1, 1873–A. M. Lovell conveyed his interest in lot 3 to Martha Lovell for the listed consideration of $1. (K/448)

April 16, 1877–A. M. and Martha Lovell sold lot 3 to Mary E. Smails for $700. (0/610)

February 4, 1878–James D. Hayes sold the west 50 feet of lot 2 to George Smails for $250. (P/334)

The 1880 city directory lists George Smails as the operator of a feed stable on the north side of Main between Seventh and Eighth Streets. c (See biographical article attached.)

August 6, 1879–George and Mary E. Smails sold the west 50 feet of lot 2 and lot 3 to Thomas O’Brien for $4600. (R/465)

The 1880 city directory lists Thomas O’Brien as the proprietor of the Exchange. Hotel which was located on the south side of Main between Seventh and Eighth Streets. The 1900-01 city directory lists the address of the Exchange Hotel as 507 W. Main. (See directory advertisements attached.)

Construction of the Building: the fact that the Smails had $950 invested in the properties they purchased in 1877 and 1878, and that they sold these properties in 1879 for $4600, suggests that the building was constructed in 1878 or 1879 on lot 2. The Panoramic View of the City of Walla Walla on pp. 127-128 in R. A. Bennett’s Walla Walla: Portrait of a Western Town. 1804-1899 and the larger version in the Whitman College Archives shows the building in 1884.

March 4, 1881–Thomas O’Brien sold the west 50 feet of lot 2 and lot 3 to Thomas J. Fletcher for $1000. (V/254)

Thomas J. Fletcher is not listed in the 1880 directory; the 1881-2 directory lists him as residing at 216 8th Street.

June 8, 1885–a Sheriff’s Deed was filed by Archer S. Bowles, Sheriff of Walla Walla County, describing the sale by public auction of lot 3 and the west 50 feet of lot 2 to William O’Donnell for $6600. The sale on June 7, 1881, was ordered by the District Court of Washington Territory for the First Judicial District as the judgment in favor of John Dooley and William Kirkman, plaintiffs, versus Thomas O’Brien, Thomas Fletcher, et. al. (34/430)

William O’Donnell is listed in the city directories for 1880-1892 as a dealer in hardware, stoves and tin ware with a store at 22 Main Street.

November 17, 1892–Grace O’Donnell quit claimed and conveyed her interest in lot 3 and the west 50 feet of lot 2 to William O’Donnell for $1 “and other valuable consideration.” (53n2 and 53/50)

July 13. 1893–William O’Donnell quit claimed and conveyed his interest in lot 3 and the west 50 feet of lot 2 to John Dooley.

John Dooley’ was in the cattle business with his partner William Kirkman. They grazed their cattle in the Palouse country and also e operated a fresh meat store. the Pioneer Market, located near the Baker� Boyer Bank. (Walla Walla: Portrait of a Western Town. 1804-1899 by R. A. Bennett, 97.)

March 3, 1903–Frances Dooley. widow and devisee of John Dooley, deceased, quit claimed an undivided one-fourth interest in lot 3 and the west 50 feet of lot 2 to the executors of William Kirkman, deceased, for the recorded consideration of $1. (86/527)

July 30, 1903–Frances B. Dooley, for herself and as executrix of the will of John Dooley, deceased, quit claimed an undivided one-half interest in lot 3 and the west 50 feet of lot 2 to William O’Donnell. (98/135)

March 8. 1904–The executors and heirs of William Kirkman, deceased, quit claimed their interests in several properties, including the one- fourth interest in lot 3 and the west 50 feet of lot 2, to the Kirkman Investment Co., a corporation, for $1 “and for other valuable considerations and for the purpose of execute trust imposed by the will of William Kirkman.” (91/410)

April 10, 1905–William O’Donnell, a single man, quit. claimed and conveyed his interest in lot 3 and the west 50 feet of lot 2 to J. G. Thomas.

The 1898 city directory lists J. G. Thomas as a lawyer with offices in the Stencel building.

December 31, 1909–Joseph G. Thomas, a single man (and executor of the will of William O’Donnell) quit claimed his’ interest in lot 3 and the west 50 feet of lot 2 to Catharine Lux for the recorded consideration of $10. (125/21 )

March 21, 1916–The Kirkman Investment Co., a corporation, and the stockholders of the company transferred various properties, including an undivided one-fourth interest in lot 3 and the west 50 feet of lot 2, to the Kirkman Co. for $1 “and the agreement on the part of the grantee to assume the debts, liabilities and obligations of the Grantor.� (140/123)

February 17, 1920–Mrs. Frances B. Allen and R. E. Allen, wife and husband, and the Kirkman Co., a corporation of Walla Walla, sold an undivided ‘one �half interest in the west 49 feet of lot 2 to George A. Van Alstine for $1 “and other valuable considerations.” (Deed #105832)

February 17, 1920–Nicholas Lux, as executor of the will of Catharine Lux, deceased, sold an undivided one-half interest in the west 49 feet of lot 2 to George A. Van Alstine for $1 “and other valuable considerations. II (#105833)

April 24, 1926–Nicholas Lux, as executor of Catharine Lux, deceased, Frances B. Allen and R. E. Allen, and the Kirkman Co. sold lot 3 to George A. Van Alstine for $1200. (#158440)

July 16, 1938–Cleopatra Van Alstine Johnston and Arleigh Johnston, wife and husband, quit claimed and conveyed their interest in lots 2 and 3 to Nettie Van Alstine for the recorded consideration of $10. (#236196)

October 18, 1938–Nettie Van. Alstine, a widow (of George A. Van Alstine), sold lot 3 and the west 49 feet of lot 2 to Joseph E. Maher for the recorded consideration of $10. (#237584)

February 24, 1942–Joseph’ E. and Dorothy E. Maher, husband and wife. quit claimed and conveyed all their interests in lots 2 and 3 to Nettie Van Alstine, a widow, for the recorded consideration of $10. (#267589)

March 23, 1950–Nettie Van Alstine took a mortgage on lots 2 and 3 for the amount of $14,609.36 from Enterprise Lodge No.2, International Order of the Odd Fellows, a corporation. (#331196)

August 29, 1957–the State of Washington filed a claim and lien against the Western Sheet Metal Works and its owner Nettie Van Alstine and all her property, including lot 3 and the west 49 feet of lot 2. (#397491)

February 17, 1958–William ~ Roach, guardian of the estate of Nettie M. Van Alstine, an incompetent person, took out a second mortgage on lots 2 and 3 for $251.10 from Enterprise Lodge No.2, 1.0.0.F., a corporation. (#401158)

January 24, 1964–a Sheriff’s Deed was filed March 24, 1965 recording the sale at public auction, January 24, 1964, of the property to Enterprise Lodge NO.2 for #14,974.96. The sale arose out of Superior Court case #46036, Enterprise Lodge No.2, plaintiff, v. D. E. Allen and Jane Doe Allen, et. al. (#465561, see also #453640)

December 10, 1964–a real estate contract was made for the sale of the property by Enterprise Lodge No. 2 to Ted U. Hart for $15,000. (#9209828 and Walla Walla County Assessor records)

July 28, 1982–Ted U. Hart quit claimed and conveyed an undivided one �half interest in the property to Janis D. Krika Hart, wife of grantor, in consideration of “Love and Affection.� (#8205561)

October 29, 1992–Enterprise Lodge No.2, 1.0.0.F., a corporation filed a warranty deed to record the sale of lot 3 and the west 49 feet of lot 2 to Ted U. Hart for $10 and other valuable consideration in fulfillment of the real estate contract of December 10, 1964. (#9209828)

July 22, 1994–Ted U. Hart and Janis K. Hart, trustees of the T/J Trust, to transfer the property from a wholly owned family entity to a wholly owned family limited partnership, quit claimed and conveyed their interests in lot 3 and the west 49 feet of lot 2 to the 507-517 1/2 W. Main Street Limited Partnership. (#9408766)

Occupation of 507 W. Main (compiled from the city directories):

1880-1901: the Exchange Hotel, Thomas O’Brien is the listed proprietor in 1880, Tefft & Co. in 1883-4, and Thomas C. Reid in 1889. (See advertisements attached.)

1902: not found.

1903: no directory.

1904-1913: the Walla Walla Brick & Stone Co. IIWalla Walla is particularly distinguished for having well-organizedbusiness firms. and conspicuous among these is the above-mentioned firm. They are manufacturers of hollow basement blocks; concrete building blocks, stone-faced work, ornamental brick, fire places, cemetery inclosures and concrete fence posts. They have the contract to furnish the material for the Ferndale School, as they also did for the Berney School and such well-known residences as Flather’s on Boyer Avenue and the Thonney home on Lincoln Street. Mr. E. 1: Bowers. the President and Manager of the company, is a practical mechanic along the line of cement block manufacture, and this establishment is one incalculable value to the community.” (page 9. “Walla Walla: The Garden City.” pamphlet circa 1910 in the Whitman College Archives.)

1914: Mrs. Emma Randall. furnished rooms. listed at 507 1/2 W. Main. (In 1915-1917, Mrs. Randall is listed at 505 W. Main.) 1916-1918: Albert S. Craber, tailor, also listed as his home. 1919: no directory.

1920: not found.

1921-1957: Western Sheet Metal. manufacturing and repairing radiators. fenders, metal bodies, tanks, etc. Home of George A. Van Alstine until 1930; then listed as home of Nettie Van Alstine. widow of George A. Van Alstine, until 1956.

1958-1960: vacant.

1961: Dick Sky Heating & Sheet Metal. 1962-1964: vacant.

1965-present: Any& All Printers, Ted Hart Advertising. City Directory.

 

prepared by Michael W. Smith, 11/95