Greg and Jeff Newenhof in 2015.

Talk about a roller coaster of emotions!

When it was announced in 2015 that after more than three decades of very frustrating and sometimes comedic family soap opera, the Flavel properties were going to be sold, most Astorians were delighted.

Many held their breaths, though. Of course, it seemed good news. But would the buyers be local — or from out of town? And what would happen to the 117-year-old, four-story, Colonial Revival-style mansion at 15th Street and Franklin Avenue, one of the most prominent historical landmarks in Clatsop County?

The home was built in 1901 for Capt. George Conrad Flavel, a bar pilot and son of the famed Capt. George Flavel, one of the first licensed bar pilots here. The 5,000-square-foot property had fallen into dangerous disrepair, but there was an overwhelming consensus that it was worth saving.

Surely, surely, surely a buyer would not knock it down?

When the news broke that local businessman Greg Newenhof had bought the property — and planned to restore it — you could almost hear the cheering all the way to the county line.

The Daily Astorian dutifully reported all this and waited for the day Newenhof would announce he was done and invite our photographer up the hill to record the transformation.

It was getting very close. Reports were that he was about a month away, having spent thousands of hours reshaping things. He had already replaced much of the home’s siding, broken windows and doors, had the roof, chimney and flooring repaired, rewired the inside and built new steps.

So it was with immense sadness that Newenhof died earlier this year. As well as a great loss for his family, it was a loss for our community.

As his family grieved, up stepped his younger brother, Jeff Newenhof. Despite taking on extra responsibilities at the family company, City Lumber, he saw it as a mission to allocate the time to complete Greg’s vision.

It’s not quite finished, but this week a celebration will be held to mark some significant progress. The mansion will open Saturday for self-guided tours of upper floors, thanks to a collaboration between City Lumber and the Clatsop County Historical Society. The basement will remain closed — it’s still filled with items left behind from the Flavels’ estate.

Other activities include a Thursday lecture by local historian John Goodenberger and a showing of family home videos at the Columbian Theater. On Friday, attendees can sample cocktails at the home, view the videos, and bid on a chance to attend a dinner at the rather more lavish Flavel House Museum on Eighth Street.

The proceeds will go toward the historical society’s plans to publish a book about the Flavel family. Sporadic ink has been spilled telling the Flavel saga over the years, but despite Calvin Trillin’s terrific 1993 New Yorker article, there still is no definitive biography. This will be it, and there is no doubt that Goodenberger is the history writer to do it justice.

The Flavel name is one of the most storied in Astoria’s history. Both Newenhofs have earned their place in the latest chapter of the saga. They have transformed an interest in their town’s history into a practical and very welcome way to preserve its colorful past and share with others.

As well as being a must-read for residents and visitors, the book will honor Greg Newenhof’s memory in a tangible way.

And when the restoration is complete, the home will go back on the market and another new chapter will begin.