| Historic Name: |
|
Common Name: |
01 Arai Residence |
| Style: |
Arts & Crafts - Craftsman |
Neighborhood: |
Montlake |
| Built By: |
|
Year Built: |
1926 |
| |
| Significance |
|
|
This residence, located in the Montlake Park plat, was built in 1926 as a 1-story, Craftsman style house. It has been significantly altered with the addition of a non-compatible 2nd story addition and all new windows. Due to its lack of integrity, it is not a contributing resource to the Montlake NRHP Historic District. The earliest known owners, in 1928, were Earl J. Beckley, a salesman for Schwabacher Bros & Co Inc., and his wife, Anita. Their ownership continued through at least 1958.
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), 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 2-story residence was originally constructed as a one-story Craftsman style house with a deep, prominent brick-clad entry portico with arched openings, a gabled roof and an oak front door located at the east end of the front façade. To the west of the entry on the front façade was a grouping of four wood-framed double hung windows. The only recognizable original features are the brick portico, front door, and brick cladding on the ground floor. The window grouping on the ground floor is similar to the original, but the windows are newer, multi-lights with vinyl frames. The new second floor is clad in Efis and is characterized by an undulating façade, vinyl windows, and a complex gabled and stepped roof. A brick walk with low flanking bollards with light fixtures leads to the entry. The landscaping on the site is formal. |
|
|
