Chris Ennis Carves a Suburb Out of 73 Acres East of Town
The old Aeils tract is platted into acre lots and put on the market, as Walla Walla's edge pushes outward toward Mill Creek.
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The old Aeils property lying east of the city, purchased by Chris Ennis a year ago, has been platted and will soon be placed on the market as the Ennis Annex to the city of Walla Walla. The entire tract, which consists of 73 acres, has been platted and will be sold off in acre tracts to suit the purchaser. The new district is expected to become popular for those who desire suburban homes, and already numerous inquiries regarding the property and prices have been made by prospective purchasers.
Access to the interior of the property is being provided for in the shape of a wide roadway, which is expected to be opened up and dedicated by the first of the year. Other thoroughfares connecting with Alder street, bridging Mill creek and also Isaacs avenue, will be opened up as the occasion demands.
"The Ennis Annex is intended for people who desire a suburban home," Mr. Ennis said this morning. "It has been platted exclusively into acre tracts and, being situated so close to the heart of the city, it offers great advantages to the suburbanite who desires an acre or two of ground for a home."
“The Ennis Annex is intended for people who desire a suburban home.”
In 1903 Chris Ennis was selling Walla Walla its own version of the suburbs — acre lots a short carriage ride from downtown, pitched as the cure for city living. A century later the same ground, and the same arguments about how far a town should stretch and who gets to build there, are still live as Walla Walla debates growth, annexation and housing supply. Then as now, a developer's optimism set the terms of the conversation.
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