GENTLE HOUSE
CONSTRUCTION DATES: Gentle House was built circa 1880 and purchased by
the Gentle family in 1914 with 150 acres of land.
REMODEL: The house has had few structural changes since it was first
built in 1880. Thomas and Carrie Gentle did extensive interior remodeling
and added an external apartment to rent to students. In the 1970s, Catharine
and Maurice Gentle started an interior restoration project which was not
finished. The remodel and renovations were finished after the university
acquired the property in 1981. The parlor, living room, dining room, kitchen,
and upstairs bedrooms have all been renovated. A conference room was also
added to the house.
CONSTRUCTION COMPANY: The original construction was most likely completed
by the land owners.
COSTS: Gentle House was donated to the university by Catharine Gentle
in 1981.
ARCHITECTS AND BUILDING STYLE: The house was designed in the Victorian
style of architecture.
CURRENT USES: Gentle House is maintained by Western Oregon University
as a conference and special events center. Gentle House can be leased
for non-university functions.
HISTORY: Gentle House was built in approximately 1880 on land originally
settled by John B. and Emily Smith in 1866. At one time, the land was
owned by members of the Butler family. Thomas and Carrie Gentle bought
about 150 acres of the land in 1914.
OTHER INTERESTING FACTS: Catharine Gentle donated the house to Western
in 1981 for use by the college and community for “genteel entertaining.”
The gift totaled $125,000. The land and house were valued at $100,000,
with an additional $25,000 to start the renovation project. At the time,
it was the largest donation ever made to the college. Thomas Gentle was
a professor at the college and responsible for the creation of the Campus
Elementary School. The Gentle family has been associated with the college
for over seven decades and at least 12 Gentles have graduated from the
school. The second story bedrooms and study are maintained as a museum
of the family’s antiques and are available for tours upon request.
The ghost of Catherine Gentle is reported to wander the house changing
the thermostats.
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