Tokeland Hotel Tokeland, Washington

Text courtesy of the National Register of Historic Places, a program of the National Parks Service. Minor transcription errors or changes in formatting may have occurred; please see the Nomination Form PDF for official text. Some information may have become outdated since the property was nominated for the Register.

The Tokeland Hotel stands on Toke Point, a windswept peninsula off the north shore of Washington's Willapa Bay. Tokeland is a small rural community, its buildings well- separated by trees, shrubs and open spaces. The hotel itself is situated well off Kindred Avenue, the main highway through town. The present-day "front" elevation of the hotel faces west, while the "rear" elevation commands a northeasterly view of the bay, across a landscaped lawn.

To the north of the hotel property is a large frame tavern which is regularly open for business. It once served as the resort's clubhouse. Directly adjacent to the hotel building on the north is a dilapidated barn. A bungalow-period home, much remodeled, borders the property on the southeast.

The present-day Tokeland Hotel is the result of at least three additions to the Kindred family farmhouse, first built in 1885. The original structure was a two-story wood frame building with a gabled roof and a brick fireplace built into the north wall.

It was approximately 40 feet by 65 feet and had a covered porch extending 5 feet from the east elevation facing the bay. This original dwelling was constructed with materials shipped from the Willapa Bay area. Lumber was transported by small craft from a mill in South Bend. The exterior walls were clad with shiplap, 6 inches by 1 inch in dimension. The interior walls were formed of vertical rough-sawn planks, 10 inches by 1 inch, covered with burlap and wallpaper.

In 1899 the Kindreds built a two-story addition which gave the structure an "L" shape. At about this time they formally opened for business as the Kindred Inn. In 1910 a second wing of approximately the same size as the farm house was constructed, leaving the building "C" shaped. Gas lighting was installed and a second large fireplace was built. The roof was covered with split shakes until ca. 1950 when composition shingles were applied over the original material, weathered by years of wind and rain. Currently the shake roof is being replaced by the owners.

Interior remodeling and the addition of a plumbing system were undertaken by Maude Kindred almost continually through the 1920's and 1930's. Gas was replaced by electricity, and the central dining area was extended out to the edge of the porches on the east facade. For all practical purposes the front elevation facing the bay became the rear, leaving the Tokeland Hotel much as it appears today externally. At least two coats of paint preceded the present barn red that was applied in 1974.

The Tokeland Hotel contains some thirty rooms each of which features at least one large window. There are eighteen sleeping rooms on the second floor. Much of the hotel's original furniture remains, including oak bedroom sets, dining tables and chairs. Hand- painted murals in the dining room are set off by large areas of dark-stained woodwork and continuous tongue-in-groove wainscotting.

The current owners of the hotel are rehabilitating the structure to its original use, as their time and finances allow. Guests are served each weekend in the spacious dining room, and a number of sleeping rooms have been made liveable once again. Water leakage has caused the deterioration of much of the building's original fabric. A great deal of original wallpaper has been removed, owing to the severe water damage. Wooden elements have suffered to some extent from rot, but the foundation blocks of aggregate cement remain in sound condition.

The hotel's kitchen facilities have been modernized over the years without effecting the structure itself. On the whole, the architectural integrity of the Tokeland Hotel has remained relatively undisturbed, despite its continual evolution as a functioning seaside resort.