Early American west pioneers created fruit and vegetable gardens to supply their homes with fresh foods in a foreign land. Years later, during the World Wars, such gardens were known as “Victory Gardens”. Victory Gardens were built to reduce the pressure on the public food supply brought on by the war effort. In today’s economy these are increasing in popularity. The Brown family, American west pioneers, had such a garden, as did their neighbors. It was a necessity of life. We at the Brown House have recreated the Brown family’s garden, most likely in its original location. Watch as we restore the garden to its authentic beauty while providing fresh produce for all to enjoy.

The Charles Brown House was mentioned in an article that appeared in last weeks Columbian. The article talks about the history of Vancouver and different architectural styles throughout the city. The unique architectural style of the Brown House is what got us noticed. We are mentioned on the second page in the left hand column.

[click on the thumbnail images to read the article]

Two photographs of the living room of the Brown House were given to us by descendants of Charles Brown. According to the relatives, they believe the photographs were taken sometime around the turn of the century. The room is almost exactly the same as it was one hundred years ago. As you can see in the newer photos, the heaters are still there as well as the same doors, fireplace, windows and trim. Click on the images to get better detail.

Thursday, June 1, 2006
Three great-granddaughters of pioneer Vancouver banker Charles E. Brown on Thursday walked through the restored house he owned for 27 years around the turn of the 20th century.

The women, Nancy Brunquist of Portland, Deborah Reis of Union, and Liz Carpenter of Linwood, had never before been in the 140-year-old house at 11th and Daniels streets. They said they were amazed at the renovation, which has brought the house back to the shape it was in when their great-grandparents lived in it from 1874 to 1901. The house was built in 1866 by a pioneer attorney, Alonzo Cook.

Jody Stahancyk, of the Portland-based law firm Stahancyk, Kent, Johnson & Hook, purchased the sagging, two-story house in 2004 for $400,000 from attorney James L. Gregg. Gregg, 78, maintains an office in the house where he has practiced since 1960.

The house was stripped to the studs and rebuilt over the past two years. Layers of paint were burned off the outside wood walls, and the stone-gray exterior was repainted the original shade of tan. Rooms that originally were for billiards, dining, sleeping, cooking and food storage were converted to law offices and conference rooms.
Portland preservation architect William Hawkins worked to renovate the house in antique style and retain such details as 12-foot ceilings, a door with an original doorbell, an ingenious revolving-wall panel room vent, windows with porcelain-knobbed latches and an almost impossibly steep, winding stairway.

The house is a rare example of Second Empire-style architecture with a flat roof, a tower, decorative brackets, molded cornices and detail on windows and doors. Such homes were built primarily from 1860 to 1880. The term Second Empire is derived from the reign of Napoleon III, who loved architecture.

“Jody just loves history and old things,” said Jade L. Bunker, the firm’s public relations representative.

The house is freshly painted, furnished and filled with portraits of Abraham Lincoln and cartoons by the pioneer French cartoonist Honore Daumier, who lived from 1808 to 1880.

Lincoln figures indirectly in the history of the house. He appointed Charles Brown’s father, Samuel W. Brown, to be the first receiver of the U.S. Land Office of Vancouver in 1861. Lincoln’s appointment brought the 11-year-old Charles Brown to Vancouver.

Charles Brown grew up here and lived here for the rest of his life, except for an excursion to San Francisco in the 1870s to work in the printing trade. He returned to Vancouver in 1874 and served on the city council and was a community leader.

He became president of the First National Bank of Vancouver in 1891. But scandal and tragedy arrived.

On April 19, 1901, Brown committed suicide along with bank cashier Edmund Canby after the bank’s records failed to reconcile.

The restored house now will be the offices of attorneys Teresa L. Foster and Shantel P. Bray, representing the Stahancyk firm, which concentrates on divorces and estate planning and has offices in Astoria, Bend and Prineville as well as in Portland.

Attorney Alonzo Cook, who built the house, represented W. Bryon Daniels, for whom the street by the house was named. In 1874, Cook and his wife, Isabella, sold the house to Charles Brown and his new wife, Rebecca Slocum Brown. After Brown’s death in 1901, his widow lived in the house. They had three daughters.

In 1925, the Browns’ heirs sold the house to Alice Hubbard. Some time after 1930, ownership passed to Mary H. Pringle and her husband. In 1940, Mrs. Pringle sold it to William E. Frost and his wife, Julie. In 1946, Mrs. Frost sold the house to the law firm of Bates and Burnett, and they sold it to Gregg and his wife, Barbara, in 1960.

The Greggs owned it until 2004, when Stahancyk entered the picture. She loved the place.

“A lot of people just wanted to tear it down,” said Barbara Gregg. “But not Jody Stahancyk. Just look at what she’s done. Isn’t it wonderful?”

Stahancyk, who was in court Thursday and wasn’t able to lead the great-granddaughters on the tour, said earlier she was delighted with the house. “It was a way for people to see that the same way we take care of our clients, we take care of restoring this house,” she said.

Our Charles Brown House is featured on the Home Sweet Home, Residential Architecture in Washington State poster celebrating National Historic Preservation Month-May 2006. Our Charles Brown House is the oldest house featured on the poster and the only addition from the Vancouver area. The picture of the house is on the far right-hand side five photographs down from the top and highlights the house’s Second Empire style architecture.

Stahancyk, Kent, Johnson & Hook, P.C., the current owners of Charles Brown House, just finished phase one of the restoration of the Charles Brown House, carefully restoring the original paint color and restoring the first section of the house down to every last detail with period light fixtures, wallpaper, and furniture.

SKJ&H is a family law and estate planning law firm. Visit www.washington-divorce.com for more information.

These are a few more pictures of the newly remodeled section of the Charles Brown House. The top picture is a view of attorney Shantel Bray’s office from another angle.

The new bathroom on the first floor is ADA approved.

A view of Vince Roman’s office on the second floor.

Now that the back section of the house is pretty much finished, here are a few pictures of what the inside now looks like.

This is our new break room

Jody’s office upstairs

Another view of the break room

An antique couch in Shantel Bray’s office

Another view of Jody’s office

The gutters have been cut and installed. We painted the top gutters before installation. Next week we will paint the rest of the gutters red to match the trim.

I have added a pull down attic access. You can also see the resurfacing of the ceiling.

We will put the heating unit in the attic above the back house and the new floor will give us extra storage space.