Location: 111 21st Ave SW
Local register, National Register; South Capitol National Historic District; Wohleb
Henry McCleary House 1939, Thurston County Assessor, Washington State Archives |
Henry McCleary House today (2013), photo by Marisa Merkel |
This imposing mansion on the corner of Capitol Way and 21st Avenue is surpassed in grandeur and formality only by the Governor’s Mansion. It was built by Henry McCleary, one of Washington’s great lumber barons. The town of McCleary was named after him, for he owned and logged the area. McCleary also owned one of the largest door factories, inventing the veneer door and contributing to southeast Washington’s important veneer industry. The mansion was designed by architect Joseph Wohleb in a departure from his signature Mission style, and built between 1923 and 1925. McCleary allegedly specified that the building was to outshine the nearby Lord Mansion, which Wohleb also designed. It has exquisite details both inside and out, and is on the local and national registers and in the South Capitol Neighborhood National Historic District.
South Capitol Neighborhood National Historic District
Copyright © 2022 Deborah Ross