Retsil and the Washington Veterans’ Home, established in 1910 on a thirty-one acre bluff overlooking Puget Sound. The plant consists of a modern hospital, a large auditorium, a number of frame and stucco-finished dormitories, and several cottages.

Weeping willows, dark green holly trees, red-trunked madronas, and dogwood trees frame a superb view of Sinclair Inlet and the jagged Olympics beyond. In this institution about 500 veterans live with their families.

It was named by state officials when a veteran’s home and hospital were established. The name is that of Gov. Ernest Lister, spelled backwards.

Today, the Veterans Home is a state-of-the-art facility, consisting of mostly contemporary buildings, providing resources and care for residents. The most notable extant historic building is the Tudor Revival style chapel, originally built in 1914 as an assembly hall.