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Summary for 1703 26TH AVE / Parcel ID 359250-0075 / Inv # 0

Historic Name: Patton Residence Common Name: 46 Blume-McMeekin Residence
Style: Tudor Neighborhood: Montlake
Built By: Year Built: 1923
 
Significance
Built in 1923, this residence is associated with 1920s era development in the Montlake neighborhood. It remains remarkably intact and is a contributing resource to the Montlake NRHP Historic District.The earliest known owners, in 1928, were John S. & Grace Patton; he was a manager for Northwest Appliances Inc. It was owned by Dan & Mary Ross in 1938.  In the 1940s, Richard A. Prince, an accountant for Griffith Wiles & Hagelbarger, owned the home with this wife, Ardis. The owners in 1958 were John & Rose Ashmore; he was a salesman for Majestic Furniture.

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:

er, 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 two-story Tudor-style house has Craftsman detailing. It is rectangular in plan with shingle siding and a gable front and wing roof. The roof has deep eaves and eave returns. A wall dormer to the south of the gable front has a clipped end and eave returns. The flush entry is sheltered by a projecting shed porch roof supported by square Craftsman-style posts at the corners. The porch has a square wood balustrade and railings. The wood door has an eight-part divide light in the upper half. All windows on the front facade are eight-over-one double-hung wood sash.  The house sits high on a steep site with a rockery, concrete block retaining wall and tall wood fence at the perimeter. It is planted with lawn, shrubs and mature trees.

Detail for 1703 26TH AVE / Parcel ID 359250-0075 / Inv # 0

Status:
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Shingle 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: two
Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture
Integrity
Changes to Plan: Intact
Changes to Interior: Unknown
Changes to Original Cladding: Intact
Changes to Windows: Intact
Major Bibliographic References
King County Assessor Property Characteristics Report, database at http://www5.metrokc.gov/ --parcel locator

Photo collection for 1703 26TH AVE / Parcel ID 359250-0075 / Inv # 0


Photo taken Dec 31, 2014

Photo taken Jan 01, 1900
App v2.0.1.0