Location: 726 Percival St SW
Local, state and national registers; Women’s History
Westhillsyde 1939, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives |
Westhillsyde today, photograph by Deb Ross |
The West Olympia home known as Westhillsyde is one of the most distinguished in Olympia. It was designed by architects Elizabeth Ayer and Edwin Ivey. Ayer, from a pioneer Olympia family, was the first woman to graduate from the University of Washington Architecture school. She is responsible for the design of several homes in Olympia. This home was built in 1923 in what’s described as a French eclectic style, with many decorative features.
The home was first owned by the Allen family and later on by the Beals family. Walter Beals was a lawyer and Supreme Court judge. He was a member of the tribunals at the Nuremberg trials after World War I. His wife, Othilia Carroll Beals, was a member of the pioneer Carroll family (see Carroll House site). She was also an attorney and the first woman justice of the peace in Seattle. The home is on the local, state and national registers, as well as being featured in the National Women’s History in Olympia MPS.
Olympia Women’s History Walking Tour
For more on Othilia Carroll Beals and Walter Beals, see the Residents (C and B) section of this database.
Copyright © 2022 Deborah Ross