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Summary for 1938 25TH AVE / Parcel ID 871210-0545 / Inv # 0

Historic Name: Common Name: 46 Li Residence
Style: Arts & Crafts - Craftsman Neighborhood: Montlake
Built By: Year Built: 1924
 
Significance
This residence was built in 1924 in the Colonial bungalow style. It has been altered with the removal of original eyebrow dormers, replacement of original paired, divided multi-pane windows on the front facade with fixed picture windows, and removal of a classical decorative column at the north end. Despite these alterations, the house retains its original form and windows on non-primary facades 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), 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 1-story Colonial bungalow has a rectangular plan, side-gabled roof with clipped ends and eave returns and symmetrical facade. It is clad in shingles. The main, west facing, facade features a tall, wide brick chimney with decorative brickwork in the center flanked by newer wood-frame picture windows. Windows on the north facade are 3-part wood frame with fixed center and divided sides.  The raised entry porch is set back on the south facade. It is sheltered by a clipped side-gabled roof supported on square posts with a wood balustrade between. The door faces south. The site is flat with lawn and dense shrubs and trees and a wood picket fence at the perimeter.  

Detail for 1938 25TH AVE / Parcel ID 871210-0545 / Inv # 0

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

Photo collection for 1938 25TH AVE / Parcel ID 871210-0545 / Inv # 0


Photo taken Jan 01, 1900

Photo taken Dec 31, 2014
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