By Gwyneth Gibby
For the Democrat-Herald | Posted: Tuesday, August 21, 2007 12:00 am
Retired Albany teacher says research helped him get to know the home
When Doug Eaton decided he wanted his Corvallis home to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, he didn't realize it would involve almost 10 months of research and writing and rewriting.
"It's like a master's thesis to do all this work," Eaton said.
Eaton owns the Charles and Ibby Whiteside House on the corner of Southwest Adams Avenue and Seventh Street. The classic bungalow was added to the national register this month and Eaton said Monday he is glad he put forth the effort.
Built in 1922 by Charles Whiteside for his wife, Ibby, the house cost $6,000 to construct. It was featured on the front page of the Corvallis Gazette-Times on New Year's Day in 1923 as part of a story about a local building boom.
Charles and his brother George were the moving picture kings of Corvallis, operating the Palace, Crystal, Majestic and Whiteside theaters early in the 20th century.
To get onto the national register, a historic building or place has to meet one of four criteria. It has to be associated with historic events or a historically significant person; have relics from prehistory, such as an archaeological site might have; or embody a distinct type of architecture.
Eaton initially wanted to use the association with the Whiteside family as the main qualifying criterion. But the Oregon State Advisory Commission recommended that he focus on the home's distinctive architecture.
Eaton's house is the only California-style aeroplane bungalow in Corvallis. The name comes from a second story "pop-up" room that was called the cockpit and, according to Eaton, sometimes was referred to as an aeroplane room. The wide gables and wing-like projections made the house resemble the two-winged aircraft of the post-World War I period, he said.
Eaton, who bought the property in 1989, has done a great deal of work to the house. He replaced the stone pillars to be earthquake-proof, reroofed so rain no longer pours into the breakfast room and restored the kitchen with period cupboards and appliances.
Eaton, a retired teacher, taught science for 30 years at West Albany High School. Some of the furniture and paintings in the home were purchased from former students.
Eaton hopes that having the house placed on the national register will help ensure that it survives beyond his ownership as a piece of local history.
But the real benefit of getting his house registered and doing all the research involved in the application, was personal.
"I got to know the house," he said. "I got to know its history."