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Summary for 1755 26TH AVE / Parcel ID 359250-0130 / Inv # 0

Historic Name: Shager Residence Common Name: 46 Phillips Residence
Style: Arts & Crafts - Craftsman Neighborhood: Montlake
Built By: Year Built: 1922
 
Significance
This residence was built in 1922 as a Craftsman bungalow and was extensively remodeled in 2003. A new attached garage was added in front, topped by a new porch; a two-story rear addition was also constructed. These changes have altered this house’s form and character and it is not a contributing resource to the Montlake NRHP Historic District. The earliest known owner,  in 1928, was chiropractor Paul L. Shager. It was owned by John & Mary Walls in 1938; he was a buyer for Frederick & Nelson. In the 1940 through at least the 1950s, the owners were Albert W. Salomon, who worked at Polar Bear Café, and his wife, Ada.

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 side gabled, clapboard residence has clipped gable ends, a prominent projecting porch pediment, an attached garage below the porch at grade, and a two-story side-gabled addition to the rear. Typical windows are newer, double-hung with false divided lights. The south half of the site is gently bermed and planted with shrubs and Japanese maples.  A concrete retaining wall separates the planted area from the concrete driveway at grade to the south. 

Detail for 1755 26TH AVE / Parcel ID 359250-0130 / Inv # 0

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

Photo collection for 1755 26TH AVE / Parcel ID 359250-0130 / Inv # 0


Photo taken Dec 31, 2014
App v2.0.1.0