| Historic Name: |
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Common Name: |
43 Seidenverg Residence |
| Style: |
French |
Neighborhood: |
Montlake |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1926 |
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| Significance |
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The earliest known owners were Monroe N. & Eleanor Dennis in 1938; they remained at least through 1948. The home was owned by Peter D. & Betty Spera in 1958; he worked as a buyer for Boeing.
This residence is a good, intact, and relatively rare example of the French Norman style in Seattle. 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).
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| Appearance |
This 1.5 story house is irregular in plan, is clad with stucco veneer, and has a side gabled roof with a front gabled wing turret. The entry is in the turret, with a rectangular door flush to the wall, sitting on a curved poured concrete stoop. First story windows are pairs of wood framed nine-light metal sash casement windows. The front gable wing is to the right of the entry and turret, and extends west into an arcaded wing wall. The wing to the left of the turret comprises the side wall of another east-facing gable wing. Second story details include a small wood framed casement window beneath the gable peak and three multi-light with additional patterning casement sash windows on the turret. Secondary facades feature similar materials and fenestration, although cladding is clapboard and some windows have been replaced. An exterior brick chimney is on the west wall.
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