Port Townsend Real Estate History
In 1792 Captain George Vancouver of England was repairing his vessel, HMS Discovery in nearby discovery bay. While exploring the area, noticed the safety and size of what would become Port Townsend harbor. Vancouver named Port Townsend in honor of the Marquis of Townsend, a British soldier and son of prominent English politician's.
The location of Port Townsend is at the opening of Puget Sound and a superior harbor with enough depth for anchoring seemed to insure Port Townsend's prominence in the expanding Northwest. Port Townsend's earliest government offices included a post office, customs house and county seat for Jefferson County.
In the 1870's the trans-continental railroad reached Portland. A fierce competition was generated between Seattle, Olympia and Port Townsend to become the prominent city of the region. As Port Townsend began to prosper new construction of residential and commercial buildings arose at an aggressive pace. For a brief period (the boom years) Port Townsend's Port was second in volume to only New York City!
In 1887, a number of Port Townsend's leading citizens formed the Port Townsend Southern Railroad to meet the Union Pacific lines from Portland. In 1889 speculation on Port Townsend's success seemed to be panning out as the Union Pacific Railroad declared it's intentions of having it's train system end in Port Townsend. Real Estate speculation was sparked by this announcement and the building boom went "rampant".
With the onset of a national depression, Port Townsend's locally funded railroad went bankrupt in 1893 and the boom period ended. Banks and businesses collapsed, foreclosures were prevalent and many of the more prominent citizens were financially ruined and moved away. This 1880's boom town had gone bust.
Port Townsend remained in this depression through the turn of the century. Many abandoned houses burnt to the ground, while others including the Starrett, DeLion and James houses were converted into tiny apartments and began to deteriorate.
The renewed interest in Victorian architecture in the 1960's prompted real estate purchasers to obtain these grand houses and commercial buildings downtown. In 1976, downtown Port Townsend and the uptown area were designated as National Historic Districts and National Landmarks. Today many of the finest of the Victorian homes serve as restored inns and can be seen on the annual Port Townsend Victorian Home Tour.
What, exactly, is a Victorian? Many people use the term to describe an architectural style. However, Victorian is not really a style but a period in history. The Victorian era dates from about 1840 to 1900. During this time, industrialization brought many innovations in architecture. There are a variety of Victorian styles, each with its own distinctive features.
The most popular Victorian styles spread quickly through widely published pattern books. Builders often borrowed characteristics from several different styles, creating unique, and sometimes quirky, mixes. Buildings constructed during the Victorian times usually have characteristics of one or more these styles:
Victorian Stick Architecture: Trusses and stickwork suggest medieval building techniques on these relatively plain Victorian buildings.
Folk Victorian:
Just plain folk could afford these no-fuss homes, using trimwork made possible by
mass production.
Shingle Style Architecture: Often built in costal areas, these shingle-sided homes are rambling and austere. But, the simplicity of the style is deceptive. The Shingle Style was adopted by the wealthy for grand estates.
Richardsonian Romanesque: Architect Henry Hobson Richardson is often credited with popularizing these romantic buildings. Constructed of stone, they resemble small castles. Romanesque was used more often for large public buildings, but some private homes were also built in the imposing Romanesque style.
Victorian Queen Anne Architecture: Queen Anne is the most elaborate of the Victorian styles. Buildings are ornamented with towers, turrets, wrap around porches, and other fanciful details.