| Historic Name: |
Thorp Residence |
Common Name: |
46 Russo Residence |
| Style: |
Tudor |
Neighborhood: |
Montlake |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1930 |
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| Significance |
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This residence is a good example of the Tudor Revival style. Built in 1930, it is associated with 1920s-era development in the Montlake neighborhood. A two-story rear addition with a metal clad shed roof was constructed in 2010, but it is not visible from the front and the house retains good integrity otherwise. It is a contributing resource to the Montlake NRHP Historic District. The earliest known owners were Charles M. & Johanna Thorp, in 1938; he was President of Queen City Grocery & Meat Market. Their ownership continued at least through 1948. The home was owned by Kenneth J. Rose a salesman for Thrifty Supply, and his wife, Arlene, in the late 1950s.
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.
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| Appearance |
| This brick-clad Tudor house has a rectangular plan and a steep cross-gable roof with gingerbread asphalt shingles. The enclosed entry porch, at the center of the main (east) facade, has a steep gabled roof and two small stained glass windows, one arched and one rectangular. The door faces south. To the south of the entry is a multi-pane leaded picture window with a decorative shield motif and to the east is a pair of multi-pane leaded casements. A casement window with diamond patterned leaded glass is located in the gable end. All window have brick lintels and sills. A brick chimney pierces the eaves on the south facade and a shed-roofed side porch is attached to the north facade. A tall concrete retaining wall divides the brick-terraced and planted part of the site from the concrete driveway leading to an attached garage with a paneled door at grade. A two-story metal clad shed-roofed addition is located in the rear. |
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