End of an ownership era for Astoria’s Cavalier Court

Published 5:00 pm Saturday, June 30, 2007

This spring, Ralph Wirfs sold the Cavalier Court apartment complex in Astoria, as he’s fond of saying, “After 26 years, two months and three days” of owning and managing the property.

The sale marked the end of an era.

What makes Cavalier Court special?

Cavalier Court consists of 40 modest duplex and fourplex apartment units, located on Hwy 202 on the outskirts of Astoria.

The vintage apartments are notable in Astoria culture and history for several reasons. The first has to do with landlord Ralph Wirfs.

Wirfs has a tendency these days to sound a bit curmudgeonly as he describes his years on the property, but don’t be fooled. His heart was always in the right place, and that can be a rarity in the rental realm.

Over his more than two decades of ownership, Wirfs earned a reputation as a kind and conscientious property owner.

Soon after buying Cavalier Court, he rejuvenated the rundown complex and made it into a decent place to live for families who didn’t have a lot to spend.

Even today, the remodeled 1940s era apartments he worked hard to refurbish are among the last holdouts in a rapidly shrinking inventory of affordable housing units in the county.

Apartments echo Astoria’s naval history

Long before Wirfs owned it, Cavalier Court had a fascinating history dating back to WWII and the U.S. military. It shares that legacy with the one other affordable housing complex in Astoria: Emerald Heights on the east end of town. The two rental properties are among the last traces of a bygone era.

Astoria’s prime location near the mouth of a major waterway, a quality which makes it attractive to tourists today, also made it strategically appealing to the military during WWII.

During that era, the U.S. Navy maintained a significant presence in and around the city, influencing local culture even more than the ubiquitous Coast Guard does today.

Tongue Point, now the site of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Job Corps center, was part of a Navy base that hosted ships and seaplanes.

The Astoria-Warrenton airport was a naval air station, and what’s now the Riverpoint residential development on Hwy 202 was the site of a Navy hospital.

“Cavalier Court is one of several housing neighborhoods all built by the U.S. Navy in WWII,” Wirfs said. “Hospital staff lived there.”

Emerald Heights was also Navy housing for Tongue Point personnel, as was the now largely abandoned and condemned (*see correction below) Blue Ridge neighborhood in east Astoria.

The Port of Astoria was also under Navy jurisdiction, and military ships were outfitted for duty at the port’s Pier 2 facility.

Where the Astoria Yacht Club is now was a Coast Guard Reserve base. The Coast Guard Reserve then patrolled the Columbia River, which was mined to deter enemy vessels.

Wirfs becomes landlord

When Wirfs bought Cavalier Court in 1981, the former military housing was in sad shape.

“It was the fixer upper’s fixer upper,” he said. “The place had woodstoves for heat, and many of the apartments had junk abandoned in them.”

Wirfs described the complex as utilitarian living space built to “wartime construction” standards. That meant buildings were framed with 2×3-inch lumber instead of 2x4s, to conserve materials. Sheetrock was 3/8 of an inch thick, instead of 1/2 inch.

“It was simple 1940s construction and décor,” he said, “with linoleum countertops.”

Wirfs began a major overhaul. He installed electric heat, rebuilt porches, and installed wraparound decks.

Soon the complex was a livable, thriving community. By 1987, Cavalier Court was one of the larger residential rental properties in the area.

Over the years, Wirfs continued upgrading – he replaced water lines and installed a new sewer system. He put in thermalpane windows and insulated doors.

These days all the countertops are Formica, and hot water heaters are now situated outside, instead of squeezed inside small apartment kitchens, as they were originally.

In May, after 26 years, he sold the property to California resident Allan Jones. That’s when all that hard work finally paid off.

“He hired an inspector to inspect the complex,” Wirfs said. “It’s a sound, excellent property.”

The complex sold for $1.5 million; now Wirfs is retired.

On a recent visit to Cavalier Court, he said he doesn’t miss being landlord one bit

“What a relief it is to sit here and see a thousand things to do and realize I don’t have to do them,” he said.

What’s next for Cavalier Court?

New owner Allan Jones and his wife, Carlene, live near Santa Barbara. He said the two have ties to the Northwest.

“We like the Astoria area and have visited there quite a bit over the last five years,” he said. “My wife has family in Portland.”

Jones said they plan to keep Cavalier Court pretty much the way it is.

“We want to provide good housing, a clean place to live for people in the area,” he said, adding that while the market might ultimately increase housing costs long term, the rental units will stay in the affordable range.

While Wirfs no longer owns the property, connections to Cavalier Court remain in his family. His daughter Shellie Wirfs is the manager and lives on site. She stayed on in that role after the sale, since new owner Jones will continue to live out of state.

Wirfs said with pride that his daughter is an exceptional property manager.

“Shellie governs this community. It’s a family community,” he said. “We’ve never lost any money or had an eviction since she’s been manager.”

Shellie said the complex has about 100 current residents, and no vacancies.

“They’re really good people,” she said. ‘They’re hardworking – they just can’t afford to buy a house.”

Rents at Cavalier Court now range from $525 a month for a one-bedroom apartment to $750 for a three-bedroom unit.

Advice for landlords

Looking back on his tenure as landlord, Wirfs said it was a hard road, and he made only a modest living during more than two decades of keeping up the place.

“Being an owner and operator is a tightrope act,” he said. “A kid breaks a leg on your stairs, you could lose everything. You name a risk and the landlord is on the front line.”

He offered some curmudgeonly advice to others who might be tempted to buy a “fixer upper” property like Cavalier Court was when he first arrived on the scene.

“If you feel the urge to buy any rental property, just run away,” he said wryly. “It’s a very hard way to make a living. It’s a business, like having a store. The hard part is – you’re dealing with people.”

Fall conference seeks affordable housing solutions

The Clatsop Housing Solutions Conference will be held Sept. 27 in Seaside to call attention to the problem of affordable housing, and to foster solutions. Representatives from private businesses, government and the nonprofit sector will provide practical approaches to increase the availability of