11: Judge Seymour White House - 1904, 120 Northwest Pacific Avenue

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The three-story Victorian home was built in 1904 for Judge Seymour White who was the justice of the peace, city clerk and police judge for Chehalis. Ella Simmons purchased the home and lived there until the early 1970s (the house is often referred to as the Ella Simmons House or the “house of ill repute”). After being frightened by an intruder, Simmons moved from the home for over a decade and the vacated house deteriorated. In 1986, the house was declared a public nuisance and after going back and forth with the owner for three years about making the necessary repairs, city officials reluctantly authorized the demolition of the house. About the time the demolition crew had removed the attic and roof structure, friends of Ella Simmons contacted a local contractor, Frank Mason, who not only saved the home from the wrecking ball, but restored it to its original grandeur. In 1989, Ms. Simmons was able to reside in the house rent-free, and she occupied the home with her many cats until her health required nursing home care in 1996. The home was once again restored and stands proudly on Pacific Avenue.