Hidden away in a far corner of Southwest Washington, the small resort town of Seaview became a vacation getaway for the Portland elite in the early 1900's. Wealthy entertainer and entrepreneur Thomas C. Bloomer was one of those who came and stayed.
Bloomer's Mansion, with 18 rooms and over 5,000 square feet, was known as "King of the Ridge" at one time It began life as a much smaller home, having originally been built in 1890. In 1936, Thomas C. Bloomer expanded and renovated the small house into the beautiful mansion that is seen today.
The walls are still covered with the original wallpaper and much of the present furniture was shipped here from Europe by the Bloomers during their extensive travels.
They also filled the house with expensive Oriental rugs and tapestries, several of which remain today.
The Baldwin Grand piano that sits so prominently in the living room captured a first place prize at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. At nine feet in length, it was the largest piano that Baldwin had made up to that time. It has been tuned regularly over the years, and is a favorite for our visiting pianists, both professionals and amateurs.
The gray marble in the master bathroom came from the Bloomer quarry in Alaska. The unique black marble used in the construction of the fireplace was shipped here from Italy and had never before been seen on the West Coast.
The Bloomers employed a butler (probably the first and last butler ever employed on the peninsula) and a maid. The small bedroom just off the kitchen area was the servants' quarters. The narrow stairway leading from the kitchen hallway to the upstairs bedrooms was for the servants' use.
Plates and platters of fine food, prepared in the beautiful country kitchen, found their way into the "butler's pantry" through the small sliding door just behind the counter. From there they were carried into the elegant dining room.
The dining room buffet set, dating from the 1880's, has never been refinished. All three pieces are waxed every month to keep them looking like they did 120 years ago.
Thomas C. Bloomer and Recent History
Born in Michigan in 1884, Bloomer seemed to relish his eminent status in Pacific County. He was prominent in the lumber industry, had extensive cranberry holdings in the Seaview area, owned and operated a hotel in Raymond, and inherited a marble quarry in Alaska.
Gertrude, Thomas' wife, was also an entertainer. She was a ballerina while Thomas had been a singer and dancer, having toured with the theatrical group known as "The Chautauqua".
State Senator
Bloomer was active in politics while living in the area. Pacific County was a Republican stronghold until 1932. In that year, with the election of Franklin Roosevelt and the beginning of his New Deal policies, the county switched and became a bastion for the Democratic Party.
Bloomer ran for state senator as a Republican in 1924 and lost. He ran again in 1936 as a Democrat and won. He served in that capacity for four years and was defeated for re-election by a small margin in 1940.
The senator died in 1948. He had a heart attack while working in the Frederick Room here in the house. He was taken to a hospital in Seattle and died a short time later.
Gertrude continued to live in the house after the Senator's death. She was joined here eventually by her sister who remained in the house after Gertrude passed away.
The sister was a bit eccentric. Walling herself off from the rest of the house, she lived exclusively in the kitchen and servants' quarters. When she died, the house was passed on to Ron Spahman and Darlene Hendrix, a nephew and niece of the Senator.
Recent History
The house was sold to Pax Greenway in 1985 for $140,000. She named it the Enchanted Blue Wave and ran it as a bed and breakfast for nearly twenty years. Pax sold the house to home-grown Robbie Wright in 2004 who turned it into the vacation home you see today.
Robbie, a business man and his wife Heidi, an opera singer, lived and worked for several years in Munich, London, and Hong Kong. They currently reside with their two young children in the Seattle area. Like the Bloomers, they have enjoyed traveling around the world, finding furniture and other items for the house. You will find in Bloomer Mansion hand-painted antique cabinets from India and China, paintings from Hanoi and Vienna, and an 1880’s mahogany wardrobe from Bath, England.
David and Patsy Bryant moved to the Peninsula from Tacoma in the summer of 2004 to become the Bloomer Mansion's Innkeepers and Business Managers. They enjoy taking care of the house and finding ways to make your vacation experience the best that it can be.
Information Wanted
This short history is based on the best information available at this time. If you have any corrections or additions or know of anyone who could give more detailed information, please contact the innkeepers.
