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Coast River Business Journal
so they never had to see the help while they were
entertaining,” Erica Vossler said. Wilcox, a for-
mer prominent Portland businessman, is described
as a “captain of industry and magnate of the China
fl our trade” in Oregon historical biographies. Wil-
cox lived from 1884 to 1918, only enough to enjoy
his Seaview home approximately 12 years after
construction.
“This was defi nitely his beach cottage,” Erica
Vossler said, adding that his former estates in Port-
land rivaled the size of hospitals, including some
now on the National Register of Historic Places.
“His other homes in Portland are really over the
top, like mansions that are now hospitals. He was
one of the top businessmen while Portland was
booming. He started getting wheat from the Gorge
and milling it in Portland, starting the largest Port-
land fl our mills, then ultimately trading with China.”
Bankrolled by his successful businesses, Wilcox
built sprawling estates. His mansion in Seaview still
has the solid bones and some special quirks evident
of the period it was built.
“They didn’t have indoor plumbing when they
built it. Somewhere along the line they put in bath-
rooms. It’s not like modern bathrooms with a toi-
let, shower and a sink. They’re broken up. So you
can have fewer bathrooms but more people can use
them. It’s smart,” Erica Vossler said.
Fortunately, some of the most intensive remodel
work had been started by some of the three previous
owners, and the Vosslers relied on friends and fam-
ily to help address any immediate issues.
“When we bought it the electrical, plumbing and
insulation had been updated. There was a lot done.
The main thing we had to do was just restore the
historical character and not mess it up,” Erica Voss-
ler said.
Any boarded up or broken windows were
replaced with exact-era replicas installed by fam-
ily members. The family involvement has been
the Vosslers’ favorite part of the process, they said,
whether it was patching holes in the walls or pull-
ing carpet.
“So many people have come out and helped. My
sister caulked all the boards before we painted. It
was days and days of caulking and sanding with our
loved ones coming to help. When everything was
shutdown for COVID-19, we had family come and
help,” Erica Vossler said. “It was just a lot of elbow
grease. It really just needed to be polished.”
Even with free labor, the material for resto-
rations came with a signifi cant price, rivaling the
cost of a new home.
“To fund a restoration isn’t cheap. A normal pane
of glass is $50 but ours is $500. How many people
out there are going to want to do that rather than tear-
ing an old house down and building a brand new
one? It’s a lot cheaper to build a brand new house,”
Erica Vossler said.
“Not counting the mortgage, we invested
$250,000 at least.”
To help offset the cost, the Vosslers had been
counting on renting out the mansion over the sum-
mer months but were met with rental moratoriums
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Mega-sized doors and windows adorn the Seaview Manor. Nearly 50 windows bathe the nearly
8,000-square-feet space in natural light. The custom windows and doors were designed by
Theodore B. Wilcox, a wealthy Portland businessman who constructed the home in 1906.
and COVID-related restrictions.
“As soon as we put money down, we found out
about the moratorium meaning no short-term rent-
als in Pacifi c County, basically. It was kind of a hard
pill to swallow, but we thought it was only tempo-
rary until they fi gured out how to tax it. Then COVID
hit and that moratorium stayed for a long time. We
were ready to rent July 4th, but we couldn’t. That
hurt. Eventually the county opened it up after Labor
Day weekend,” Erica Vossler said.
Sparing the home from falling into disrepair or
further development has been a driving force for the
Vosslers, who are hopeful more will come to expe-
rience the special setting that Seaview Manor has to
offer.
“Should it fall into a developer, it’s zoned for
fourplexes and fi veplexes and I couldn’t imagine that
happening,” Erica said. “It would just be devastating.
Most of the community hasn’t seen this house. But
those who have know it has to stay.”
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