Seattle.gov Home Page
Link to Seattle Department of Neighborhoods home page

Seattle Historical Sites

New Search

Summary for this site is under review and the displayed data may not be fully up to date. If you need additional info, please call (206) 684-0464

Historic Name: Houlahan Residence Common Name:
Style: Tudor Neighborhood: Montlake
Built By: Year Built: 1926
 
Significance

This house is located in Block 5 Lot 9 of the Montlake Park Addition.
The earliest known owners of this house were Arthur C. Houlahan (Vice President, P. P. S. Brick and Tile Co.) and Constance Houlahan in 1928. Their ownership continued at least through 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), the Museum of History and Industry (1952) and St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church (1962).

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 is a two story has an L-shaped footprint, with a side gable roof and front projecting gable. Cladding is red brick, with the roof clad in flat clay or terra cotta tile. On the front projecting section, the second story extends out slightly over the first floor, and the second floor on this section is clad in patterned brick and wood, giving a half-timbered appearance. The wood pieces have bolts to give them the appearance of structural beams. In the center of this section is a three-sash metal casement window. Each sash has three lights, with a 6-light transom. On the first floor below this window is a large metal window with casement sash. The brick veneer in this section has colored brick laid in a diamond pattern. At the apex of the "L" is a small enclosed entryway under a front gable roof. Here the brick veneer is ornamented with cast stone trim. The entry is a pointed arch outlined in cast stone, with a cast stone shield above it. The wood plank door also has a pointed arch. There is a small shed dormer on the west side of the entryway. On the second floor are two front gable wall dormers. The one directly above the entry has a diamond-paned single casement window. The other has a pair of 6-light casements. The façade also has very elaborate copper scuppers and downspouts. Side elevation windows are also metal casements.

Detail for this site is under review and the displayed data may not be fully up to date. If you need additional info, please call (206) 684-0464

Status: Yes - Inventory
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Brick Foundation(s): Unknown
Roof Type(s): Gable Roof Material(s): Clay Tile
Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: L-Shape
Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: two
Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture
Integrity
Changes to Original Cladding: Intact
Changes to Plan: Intact
Changes to Windows: Intact
Major Bibliographic References

Photo collection for this site is under review and the displayed data may not be fully up to date. If you need additional info, please call (206) 684-0464


Photo taken May 21, 2009
App v2.0.1.0