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Summary for 2511 25TH AVE / Parcel ID 880590-0905 / Inv # 0

Historic Name: Common Name: Kehl Residence
Style: Vernacular, Tudor - Cottage Neighborhood: Montlake
Built By: Year Built: 1924
 
Significance
This 1-1/2 story residence has been altered with new cladding over the original stucco cladding and false timbering in the gables and new window sash that have significantly altered the building's original character. It is not a contributing resource to the Montlake Historic District.

Montlake is generally described as extending from the Washington Park Arboretum west to Portage Bay/15th Avenue E., and from the Montlake Cut on the north to Interlaken Park. The area is a significant and cohesive collection of residential architecture typical of early 20th century Seattle and is eligible as a NRHP historic district under Criterion C.  Construction occurred primarily between 1910 and 1940, with a variety of Craftsman and  revival styles ranging from modest cottages and builder's houses to high-style architect-designed residences, impressive institutional buildings, and notable parks and natural features.  There are few intrusions of newer buildings.  In the early 1960s, construction of SR 520 and the unfinished R.H. Thomson Expressway bisected Montlake, but the neighborhood retains its basic integrity as a pre-World War II Seattle neighborhood.  

Montlake was incorporated into the City of Seattle in 1891.  Although the first  plats (Union City 1st and 2nd additions) were filed by Harvey Pike in 1869-1871, development did not really begin until plats were filed by John Boyer (Interlaken, 1905) and H. S. Turner (1907). Montlake Park (north of SR 520) was platted in 1909 by the developers James Corner and Calvin and William Hagan.  With the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition came a streetcar line on 24th Avenue E. and an impetus for development. In 1916, the Lake Washington Ship Canal was completed and the Montlake Bridge linked the neighborhood to the university area in 1925. A small commercial district grew along the car line.

The 1903 Olmsted Parks and Boulevards Plan of 1903 surrounded Montlake with parks.  Montlake Boulevard (then call University Boulevard) connected Lake Washington Boulevard to the A-Y-P grounds.  Washington Park, the eastern boundary, was acquired by the City in 1900 and developed as an arboretum in 1936-41. At the southern edge is steep, forested Interlaken Park and boulevard.

By 1915, the neighborhood had developed enough to require a temporary school building; the permanent structure opened in 1924.Soon afterwards came a playfield and shelter house (1933-36) and a library (1944, replaced 2006). Other noteworthy structures include the Seattle Yacht Club (1920), the NOAA Northwest Fisheries Center (1931), the Museum of History and Industry (1952) and St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church (1962).

Major Bibliographic References:

Becker, Paula.  Seattle Neighborhoods: Montlake--Thumbnail History.  HistoryLink File # 10170, accessed 12/2/2013.

Gould, James W. Montlake History. http://www.scn.org/neighbors/montlake/mcc_history.Jim_Gould.html

Smith, Eugene. Montlake: An Urban Eden, A History of the Montlake Community in Seattle. La Grande OR: Oak Street Press, 2004.



 
Appearance
This 1-1/2 story rectangular house has a gable front and wing form and aluminum cladding.The simple wood porch with metal railings and balustrade is sheltered under a gabled hood with bracket supports. Windows are all vinyl sash with false muntins, including  paired and single sash windows on the façade and paired sash in a first floor hanging box bay and in the upper gable. Enclosed eaves have braces and pointed bargeboards and a brick chimney pierces the eaves on the north side. The lot is small and flat with foundation shrubs and raised planters. A concrete driveway on the north side leads to a shared double garage (1938) with newer doors and a flat roof with parapet and vinyl siding.

Detail for 2511 25TH AVE / Parcel ID 880590-0905 / Inv # 0

Status:
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Metal - Aluminum Siding Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Gable Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition
Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Rectangular
Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: one & ½
Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture
Integrity
Changes to Plan: Intact
Changes to Interior: Unknown
Changes to Original Cladding: Extensive
Changes to Windows: Extensive
Major Bibliographic References
King County Tax Assessment Rolls, Washington State Archives.
King County Assessor Property Characteristics Report, database at http://www5.metrokc.gov/ --parcel locator

Photo collection for 2511 25TH AVE / Parcel ID 880590-0905 / Inv # 0


Photo taken Jan 31, 2014
App v2.0.1.0