The Hayes House Goes Up For Sale
More Than 130 Years of History...
It’s 130 years old, and a survivor of the Victorian Era in town. Now it’s up for sale.
The Hayes House at 404 SW 6th Street isn’t historic only because of its age. The house connects pieces of early history. The Avery-Helm Historic District contains only 15 surviving resources dating from 1880 through 1899.
It’s referred to as the “1894 Hayes House,” but official historic preservation records date its construction to around 1892. It was built for James and Caroline Hayes by Adolph F. Peterson, a prominent local architect and builder.
(Photo via MLS)
Peterson also designed the nearby J.O. Wilson House and was responsible for the design and construction of the Armory at Oregon Agricultural College, the predecessor of Oregon State University. His work also reached other cities in Oregon, including courthouses in Sherman, Gilliam, and Wheeler counties.
The house itself is of the Queen Anne style. Its historic features include intersecting gables, decorative exterior woodwork, a cut-away bay, and a porch wrapping around the northeast corner of the house, according to the listing description.
(Photo via MLS)
The original owner, James Hayes came to Oregon in 1852 and was credited with discovering the “Gold Hill” gold mines in Jackson County in 1859. He sold his mining interests shortly afterward and moved north to Benton County, where he farmed and invested in real estate. He married Caroline Henkle, whose family was among Benton County’s pioneers.
The area that became the Avery-Helm Historic District was originally part of Corvallis founder Joseph C. Avery’s 568-acre land claim, filed in 1845. Avery began laying out town lots a few years later in the settlement that became Marysville and, eventually, Corvallis.
The Hayes House today is considered a historic property within the Avery-Helm Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
The house is currently listed at $540,000 on Zillow. 3 Beds, 2 baths, and 1560 square feet of history. If the walls could talk… but hopefully they don’t.
The Zillow listing can be found here.
(Photo via MLS)
This article was written by Derek S., a contributor to The Corvallis Inquirer. Feel free to send us your stories or articles to publish at: editor@corvallisnow.com
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