Historic Name: |
|
Common Name: |
44 Gehrke Residence |
Style: |
Tudor |
Neighborhood: |
Montlake |
Built By: |
|
Year Built: |
1927 |
|
Significance |
|
The earliest known owners were Richie H. & Jeanette Sterne in 1928; he was Superintendent of the Patton Wooden Ware Co. Their ownership continued through 1938. The home was owned by Charles P. Millar, Plant Manager of Monsanto Chemical Co., and his wife Antoinette in 1948. In 1958, Joseph & Josephine DeVine were the owners; he was a teacher at Whitworth School.
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).
This residence has been altered with new windows and an enclosed front vestibule that has significantly altered the building's original character, and it is not a contributing resource to the Montlake Historic District.
Major Bibliographical 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 1-1/2 story clapboard-clad house has a cross-gabled roof with overhanging eaves. The front (west) façade is dominated by a large front gable, with a band of five vinyl-clad double-hung windows (which have replaced original windows). There is also a band of three vinyl clad multi-light casement sash on the second story beneath the gable peak. On the north end of the front façade, the entry vestibule has been highly modified and filled in. Above the entry is a shed roof dormer (which replaced a hip roof dormer). Secondary facades include additional dormers and replacement sash. An exterior brick chimney is on the south wall, and the house sits above a paneled single car garage. Multiple alterations have resulted in the ineligibility of this house to contribute to the historic district. |
|
|