Vancouver Office

Vancouver Office Attorneys

Vancouver Office

Stahancyk, Kent and Hook have been providing legal services in Vancouver, Washington for nearly two decades focusing on family and estate law.

The Vancouver office of Stahancyk, Kent & Hook is located within the historic Charles Brown house, conveniently situated in the revitalized downtown area and just minutes from the heart of Vancouver. We’ve worked hard to renovate the building and preserve the period’s style while providing modern accommodations. There’s even a garden with chickens out back for visitors to enjoy.

Ample street parking surrounds the office.

History

For the last 140 years, the house at 400 West 11th Street in Vancouver, Washington, has played a central role in the life of the city. One of its earliest and best-known owners was Charles Brown. Brown was born in Knoxville, Illinois, on July 15, 1850. He moved to Vancouver in 1861 when Abraham Lincoln appointed his father to the position of “Receiver of Public Moneys” for the United States Land Office of Vancouver. The family traveled west by ship via the Isthmus of Panama.

Charles attended school in Vancouver and supplemented his education with travel and independent study. In 1874, he married Rebecca Slocum. The ceremony took place in the house at 400 West 11th Street, where they lived the duration of their lives together.

The town of Vancouver and Charles Brown grew together. Involved in city politics for years, he represented the city by serving on the city council and holding the office of County Auditor for four successive terms. In 1891, he was elected President of the First National Bank of Vancouver. He served in that position until his death in 1901.

The house remained a private residence until 1946, when the law firm of Bates and Burnett moved in and started a trend of using older homes for professional buildings. It became the first decentralized law office in Vancouver. Since then, it has passed from lawyer to lawyer and is now in the hands of Stahancyk, Kent & Hook, one of the leading Family Law and Estate Planning law firms in the region.

Because of our firm’s passion for historical preservation, we have retained and enhanced the charm and beauty of the original house. The house is of the French Second Empire style, which was popular from 1855-1885, during the reign of Napoleon III. The Brown House, built in 1866, features a square, two-story wood frame residence with shiplap siding, and is situated on a corner lot. The mansard roof has Victorian hooded dormers with flat, scroll saw-cut trim.

The shape of the roof is unique to this architectural style. The steep sides of the roof were designed to increase living space in the attic. When Napoleon III was rebuilding Paris, there was a tax on homes based on the number of floors, but there was no tax on attics. The steep sides of the roof added another entire story, tax-free.

SK&H looks forward to a long and prosperous residency in this wonderful, historic home.