Astoria Has Spruced Up Its Past And Opened It To Visitors

ASTORIA, Ore. - There are treasures scattered over the hills of old Astoria.

Treasures that visitors can share: antique Victorian homes converted to cozy bed-and-breakfast inns. The finest mansion of early-day Astoria, open now as a year-round museum. Annual tours of 100-year-old private homes rarely open for peeking.

There may not be any other community of this size (pop. 10,000) in the West with such a collection of vintage homes.

Astoria can count at least 500 houses of historical importance, says Bruce Berney, director of the Astoria Public Library and a member of the Astoria Landmarks Commission.

It used to be that most visitors drove right through Astoria on the way to nearby Oregon and Washington beaches. It would have required barricades - or near-empty gas tanks - to stop vacationers long enough to glance at Chamber of Commerce brochures.

But now Astoria is getting on the map (and into key guidebooks) as part of the Northwest's growing bed-and-breakfast network.

No new blueprints were needed. The historic homes of pioneer ship captains, salmon canners, merchants and politicians were ready-made for Astoria's enterprising innkeepers.

"We're not a secret anymore," says Charleen Maxwell, owner of the Grandview Bed & Breakfast.

So far, there are only about a half-dozen bed-and-breakfast establishments here, but more are on the way. Most of the inns are within walking distance of downtown restaurants; several offer

dramatic views of vessel traffic along the Columbia River.

How did Astoria come to have such a choice array of historic homes?

Accidents of history - in this case, ironically, devastating fires, Berney says.

In 1922, a fast-moving fire destroyed 35 square blocks of run-down downtown Astoria. Businessmen rebuilt - this time a thoroughly modern business district - without having to expand into adjacent neighborhoods.

Not as well remembered, Berney says, was a second fire in 1922 that wiped out the Hammond Lumber Co., the town's largest employer. The mill was not rebuilt. Then came the Great Depression - "so there was no real population growth or new construction here for some time."

Result: Most of the original homes of prominent families were left, like dainty dowagers, to doze through the decades. And now they are Astoria's gems.

If cheery, moderately priced B&Bs were not enough to attract travelers, Astoria could snare its share with some dynamite museums.

The Columbia River Maritime Museum is rated by experts as one of the best (some say the very best) maritime museums on the Pacific Coast.

In the heart of Astoria is Flavel House (441 Eighth St.), a marvelous mansion built in 1855 by Capt. George Flavel, Astoria's first millionaire.

With sharp, almost exaggerated architectural angles and an octagonal tower climbing three stories high like a misplaced lighthouse, Flavel House could be the setting for an Agatha Christie mystery.

But there is no mystery about this old house. And there are, as far as is known, no resident ghosts roaming its 20 rooms.

This was the home of Capt. George Flavel (say "flah-VELL"), first of the Columbia River bar pilots, and his wife, Mary Christina - completed in 1885, considered for demolition a century later.

Now Flavel House is a museum operated by the Clatsop County Historical Society.

Flavel spared no expense to make his mansion the finest in Astoria: He shipped richly grained slabs of lumber to San Francisco to be hand-carved for interior trim. He installed six fireplaces, each faced with tiles from Europe and Asia. Attention to detail included window cabinets to hide fold-away interior shutters. Gas lighting flickered across Astoria in those days, but Flavel House was ready with wiring for soon-to-come electricity. And, of course, there was central heating.

Total cost: about $36,000.

Volunteer guides at Flavel House these days spin one of Astoria's favorite stories from the past.

Flavel ventured to Astoria by way of the California gold fields. Here he found lodging in a boarding house owned by the parents of his future bride, Mary Christina Lydia Boelling. They were married in March 1854, when the captain was 31, and Mary Christina was only 14.

Flavel died in 1893. Mrs. Flavel remained in the mansion until her death in 1928.

Flavel House later was deeded by the family to Clatsop County. It was used for county offices, then as Red Cross headquarters during World War II.

After the war, some suggested tearing down the gloomy old place. But the late Mae Miller, leader of the fledgling Clatsop County Historical Society, decided Flavel House should be saved as a museum.

Her successful campaign preserved what now is considered one of the Pacific Coast's best examples of Queen Anne-style Victorian architecture. The restoration of Flavel House was completed in 1951.

Travelers can sample vintage Astoria in historic bed-and-breakfast accommodations. Examples:

-- Franklin House B&B (1681 Franklin Ave.), a gracious Victorian dating to 1870, was built for Brenham Van Dusen, an early-day insurance man.

-- Franklin St. Station B&B (1140 Franklin Ave.), built in 1900, was the home of Earl Fisher, a wealthy ship chandler. The Fisher family, incidentally, owned the first automobile in Astoria.

-- Grandview B&B (1574 Grand Ave.), built in 1895, was the residence of Ebenezer Tallant, co-owner of a major salmon cannery.

-- KC's Mansion by the Sea B&B (3652 Duane Ave.), built in 1888, was the home of Benjamin Young, a pioneer salmon packer.

-- Astoria Inn B&B (3391 Irving Ave.) was an 1890s Victorian farmhouse.

The new owners of these jewels say they are custodians of history.

Renee Caldwell and her husband, Jim, formerly of Portland, Ore., moved here in 1976 to operate a mortuary. Across the street, they noticed, was a classy old Victorian that had been given loving care by a series of former owners.

"One day (in 1986) the house came for sale, and we decided there and then that it would be a lovely place for a B-and-B," says Renee Caldwell. "It's a piece of history."

Guests tune in to Astoria's oldtime charm, too.

"They feel as if they are back in time a bit.". ------------------------------------------------------------ IF YOU GO:

-- Getting there: Astoria is at the mouth of the Columbia River, about 185 miles southwest of Seattle, a drive of about four hours.

-- Lodging: Almost all of Astoria's bed-and-breakfast inns are open year round. Summer rates for two persons range from about $63 to $75 a night. Winter rates range from about $53 to $75. Some of the inns offer two-bedroom suites for families or couples traveling together. A list of bed-and-breakfast inns and motels, with addresses and prices, is available from Astoria Area Chamber of Commerce, phone 1-503-325-6311.

-- Home tours: Several of Astoria's historic private homes are open briefly for tours each summer - Aug. 10-11 this year.

-- Museums: Flavel House, the mansion built for Capt. and Mrs. George Flavel in 1885, is a year-round attraction. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May through September; open every other day from noon to 4 p.m. from October through April. Fees are $3 for adults, $2.50 for seniors (age 62 or more), $1 for children (age 6 or older). A ticket to Flavel House also includes admission to the Heritage Museum (Astoria's former city hall), at 16th and Exchange streets. The Clatsop County Historical Society operates Flavel House, the Heritage Museum and the Uppertown Fire Fighters Museum, at 30th Street and Marine Drive. The top-rated Columbia River Maritime Museum (at the foot of 17th Street, on the Astoria waterfront) is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily throughout the year. Fees are $3 for adults, $2 for seniors (age 65 or more), $1.50 for students (under 18).

-- Recommended reading: "Walking Tour of Astoria, Oregon" and "A Brief History of Astoria, Oregon, 1811-1900," both by Vera Whitney Gault. The pocket-size booklets are available for $2 each from the Chamber of Commerce.

-- More information: Astoria Area Chamber of Commerce, 111 W. Marine Drive, P.O. Box 176, Astoria, OR 97103; phone 1-503-325-6311. Clatsop County Historical Society, 1618 Exchange St., Astoria, OR 97103; phone 1-503-325-2203. Columbia River Maritime Museum, 1792 Marine Drive, Astoria, OR 97103; phone 1-503-325-2323.

Stanton H. Patty, a resident of Vancouver, Wash., retired in 1988 as assistant travel editor of The Seattle Times.