| Historic Name: |
Brazier Residence |
Common Name: |
50 Spafford Residence |
| Style: |
Vernacular |
Neighborhood: |
Montlake |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1910 |
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| Significance |
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This residence has been altered with an attached garage and new cladding and windows; it lacks integrity of design and materials and is not a contributing resource to the Montlake NRHP Historic District. The earliest known owner, in 1938, was Leslie G. Brazier. It was owned by Ray M. & Edith Murray in 1948 through at least the 1950s. He was an engineer for the Washington State Highway Department.
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:
King County Tax Assessor Records, 1937-2014.
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
Polk directories of Seattle, 1938-1958.
Smith, Eugene. Montlake: An Urban Eden, A History of the Montlake Community in Seattle. La Grande OR: Oak Street Press, 2004.
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| Appearance |
| This vernacular house, which was originally a Craftsman bungalow, has been extensively remodeled. It has a gable-and-wing form with no eaves, with a front gable on the west end of the facade. The entry, near the center, has a deck with a newer metal railing and a flat roof with metal supports. A garage has been added on the front, covering the west half of the facade; its roof has a deck with a metal railing. The garage has been converted to living space and has a front facade of stained wood (which matches the house's front door). The street side of the garage is clad with metal, with brick on the west side. Cladding on the house is clapboard with wood shingles in the front gable end. Windows have newer sash with wide wood surrounds; some have modern leaded glass.The rear of the house has a deck and an addition,stepping down the sloping back yard. The front yard is mostly paved for parking. |
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