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Summary for 1908 25TH AVE / Parcel ID 871210-0595 / Inv # 0

Historic Name: Stapleton Residence Common Name: 46 Cook Residence
Style: Arts & Crafts - Craftsman Neighborhood: Montlake
Built By: Year Built: 1924
 
Significance
This Craftsman style residence, built in 1924, is associated with the 1920s developmental era in the Montlake neighborhood. It has been altered with a new gabled porch roof and aluminum  siding. These alterations do not significantly diminish the house’s original historic character and it is a contributing resource to the Montlake NRHP Historic District.  The earliest known owners, in 1928, were Henry B. (a CPA) & Idella Stapleton. It was owned by Allen & Ruth Singer in 1938; he was a department manager for the University Bookstore. David Mowrer Chief Service Engineer, Boeing, owned the home in the late 1940s with his wife, Charlotte. The owners in 1958 were Morris & Mary Orliss; he worked at Sound Leatherwear Co.

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:

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 ½ -story Craftsman-style residence has a side-gable roof form with a front-gable projecting bay and newer front-gable projecting porch roof with projecting notched gable ends supported by newer wrought-iron posts at the corners. The roofs have deep eaves and knee braces. The house is clad in newer synthetic siding. The wood door has a storm door in front. Typical windows are single or paired double-hung wood or vinyl frames and sash. The south facade has a brick chimney, shed roofed hanging box bay and side porch toward the rear.  The site is relatively flat with lawn and shrubs. 

Detail for 1908 25TH AVE / Parcel ID 871210-0595 / Inv # 0

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

Photo collection for 1908 25TH AVE / Parcel ID 871210-0595 / Inv # 0


Photo taken Jan 01, 1900

Photo taken Dec 31, 2014
App v2.0.1.0