19: St. Helens Hotel - 1917-1920, 440-448 North Market Boulevard

City of Chehalis Washington Official Website

Map It - Get Directions for Stop 19

The original hotel opened on this site on May 12, 1891, as part of the general strategy of civic promotion to shift the downtown from Main Street to Market Boulevard. The first remodeling occurred in 1914, when the first section was removed and moved to the corner of Washington Avenue and Division Street to become the Sticklin Apartments. The apartments were destroyed by fire in the late 1970s and is now a city parking lot. Many elegant people stayed at the hotel, but the most famous was former President, Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, who was a guest at the hotel on May 23, 1914. The present hotel was constructed by William Francis West, son of pioneer booster William West in 1917-1920. William F. West was a local philanthropist. He is most remembered for donating the land where W.F. West High School is located. The hotel is listed on The National Register of Historic Places.