Charles Arthur Patnude was a pioneer builder and mason who worked on some of Olympia's finest early buildings, including the Chambers Block and the Old Capitol. He arrived in Olympia from Wisconsin in 1883 and soon succeeded in establishing his own brickyard. By 1886 he was advertising himself in the local newspaper as a "Contractor and Builder…Prepared to do everything in the various branches of Brick and Stone Work, Plasters." All seven of Patnude's sons followed him into the brick-and-stone laying trade, though all but one of them eventually left Olympia.

Patnude built this delightful frame house (on a foundation of Patnude bricks) for himself and his large family in 1893. It cheerfully mixes features from a number of popular residence styles: Carpenter Gothic gables and dormers; Queen Anne scrollwork and lathe-turned posts; Italianate brackets and arched upper windows with prominent hoods. An elaborate molded plaster ceiling survives in the formal front parlor.

The Patnude House is located east of downtown on Eighth Avenue SE, between Boundary and Central Avenues. It is listed on both the National and Washington State Registers of Historic Places, as well as on the Olympic Heritage Register. The house is a private residence and is not open to the public.

Patnude House. Olympia Heritage Commission photo.

Charles and Delia (LaMonde) Patnude Family, Back Row: Joe, Rosa, Frank, George, May, Elsie, Charles Jr. Front Row: Edna, Father Charles, Philip, Lydia, Ella, Carl and Mother Delia. Photograph courtesy of the Patnude Family.