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Summary for 1727 26TH AVE / Parcel ID 359250-0100 / Inv # 0

Historic Name: DeFreece Residence Common Name: 46 Dhamdhere Residence
Style: Arts & Crafts - Craftsman Neighborhood: Montlake
Built By: Year Built: 1925
 
Significance
This 1925 Craftsman bungalow has been extensively remodeled with an enclosed porch, new vinyl window sash, new cladding and a large dormer.  These changes have significantly altered its original form and character and it is not a contributing resource to the Montlake NRHP Historic District.The earliest known owners, in 1928, were Dr. Austin B. & Helen DeFreece.  It was owned by Jack & Nina Kessler in 1938; he was a Branch Manager for Hirsch-Wells Manufacturing Co. In the late 1940s, Clinton J. Garrod, President, Commercial Manufacturing Co., owned the home with his wife, Mary.

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 one-and-one-half story gable-front Craftsman bungalow has clapboard siding with shingles at the base and in the gable end.  The roof has exposed rafter ends and knee braces. The front porch has been enclosed. Windows are double-hung with vinyl sash. A large, newer flat roofed roof dormer creates a partial second floor space to the rear of the house on the north side.  The site is gently sloping with a tall concrete retaining wall at the perimeter with a planted trellis above. Concrete steps lead to the entry at the north end of the front facade and a concrete driveway at the south end leads to a detached garage in the rear.  

Detail for 1727 26TH AVE / Parcel ID 359250-0100 / Inv # 0

Status:
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Shingle, Wood - Clapboard 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: Moderate
Changes to Interior: Unknown
Changes to Original Cladding: Extensive
Other: Moderate
Changes to Windows: Moderate
Major Bibliographic References
King County Assessor Property Characteristics Report, database at http://www5.metrokc.gov/ --parcel locator

Photo collection for 1727 26TH AVE / Parcel ID 359250-0100 / Inv # 0


Photo taken Dec 31, 2014

Photo taken Jan 01, 1900

Photo taken Dec 31, 2014
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