The historic Allen House is now ready for overnight visitors and brunch eaters near ilani Casino as Bianca and Michael Benson cut the ribbon surrounded by the Blue Crew, the mayor of Ridgefield and family and friends on Friday, Jan. 2.
The Allen House is a wonderful Queen Anne-style Victorian home built in 1896, nestled on 10 acres of pasture with a magnificent historic barn. The quaint setting happens to be a stone's throw away from the entertainment capital of Clark County and barely over 4 miles outside of downtown Ridgefield.
The historic house operated as a bed and breakfast from 1995 to 2000 under previous owners. Now, at the turn of a new year and the home’s 130th trip around the sun, the Benson’s bring the creme de la creme of experience, as the namesake offering of French food from a vintage school bus in Portland was their claim to fame for many years.
“We’ve had our eyes on this place for many, many years,” Bianca Benson said. “My dad owns the 10 acres that’s adjacent and he actually bought that from the family that had the house in the 70s and 80s.”
Bianca Benson said, when the opportunity arose, they already wanted to be close to her dad.
“We just kind of jumped on it and had in mind the whole time that this is exactly what we would be doing,” she said. “So our family lives on the property. We have two guest suites and a library that takes up the third room.”
The official first open day will be Jan. 20, she said, as bookings officially begin. The experience includes a full-service bed and breakfast, but will also pack vintage and literary reenactment photo shoots with Victorian wardrobes for people to try, Bianca Benson said.
As Ridgefield is really an outdoor scene at heart, she added that truffle excursions will be offered right on the property for visitors.
“People can go out with specially trained dogs and bring back truffles for their brunch experience,” Bianca Benson said.
The house was built by Nathaniel and Elizabeth Allen, along with their family. The history and details of pioneering pasts of Ridgefield and the Allen family can be viewed throughout the house. Historic images of the home, the early settlers of the area, and Ridgefield dot the walls among the time-period furnishings.
Rooms for guests include queen beds, sitting rooms, and a refrigerator with coffee and tea service. One room overlooks the pasture while the other offers a look at the orchard.
While being so close to the ilani Casino and Resort, the location is also a quick jaunt from the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge.
“I’m hoping that people that are coming here for arts and culture are really kind of our main bookers with the wildlife refuge being only seven minutes away,” Bianca Benson said. “We would love it if those folks would come and stay with us. We’re actually right on the flyway between the La Center bottoms and the refuge. So, this time of year, we’ll have sandhill cranes flying over and the geese and swans and such, besides just the regular birds that call this area home. We do have a barn owl.”
Recently, the barn owl’s home was added on the Washington Historical Barn Registry, Bianca Benson added. The barn is mainly used for hay storage for the animals the Benson’s own. But the property has some fruit production with pear trees and east coast fruit producer: the pawpaw tree.
She also detailed plans to rehabilitate the front pasture with native wild flowers, including an already planted Camas lily meadow.
For more information on The Allen House Bed and Brunch, located at 4509 NW 324th St. in Ridgefield, visit theallenhousebnb.com.
