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Summary for 1949 E BLAINE ST E / Parcel ID 8722100850 / Inv # 0

Historic Name: Common Name: 43 Albus Residence
Style: Tudor Neighborhood: Montlake
Built By: Year Built: 1926
 
Significance
The earliest known owners were Alfred E. & Hortense Leach in 1928; he worked as a manager at Frederick & Nelson. IN 1938, the owners were Beverly D. & Marion Dack; he worked at A. K. Marriott Co. It was owned by a brickmason, William H. Rooney, and his wife, Frances, in 1948. The owners in 1958 were Louis (Tamar) Pruzan, an accountant for the City Water Department.
This residence is a good and intact example of the Tudor Revival style. It is associated with 1920s-era development in the Montlake area and is a contributing resource to the Montlake NRHP 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:
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
Smith, Eugene. Montlake: An Urban Eden, A History of the Montlake Community in Seattle. La Grande OR: Oak Street Press, 2004.

 
Appearance
This 1.5 story house is generally square in plan, is clad with stucco veneer and combed shingles, and has a side gabled roof with a front gabled wing and overhanging eaves. The off-center entry vestibule is recessed beneath the side gable eaves.  It is stucco clad with brick accents.  To the left of the entry is the front gable, stucco clad with half-timbering. It has four nine-light metal sash casement windows. Another pair of the same windows is to the right of the entry.  Secondary facades feature similar materials and fenestration. An exterior brick chimney is on the east wall.

Detail for 1949 E BLAINE ST E / Parcel ID 8722100850 / Inv # 0

Status:
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Shingle - Combed, Stucco Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Gable Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition
Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Square
Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: one & ½
Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture
Integrity
Changes to Plan: Intact
Changes to Original Cladding: Intact
Changes to Windows: Slight
Major Bibliographic References
King County Assessor Property Characteristics Report, database at http://www5.metrokc.gov/ --parcel locator

Photo collection for 1949 E BLAINE ST E / Parcel ID 8722100850 / Inv # 0


Photo taken Jan 31, 2015
App v2.0.1.0