Seattle.gov Home Page
Link to Seattle Department of Neighborhoods home page

Seattle Historical Sites

New Search

Summary for 1718 26TH AVE / Parcel ID 3592500005 / Inv # 0

Historic Name: Jacobs Residence Common Name: 47 Gibson Residence
Style: Arts & Crafts - Craftsman, Vernacular Neighborhood: Montlake
Built By: Year Built: 1919
 
Significance
This residence has been altered with changes to the entry/porch, new window sash and other alterations that significantly changed the building's original character, and it is not a contributing resource to the Montlake Historic District. The earliest known owners were George M. & Ina Jacobs in 1928. He worked as a salesman for H. S. Turner Realty, the primary developer of Montlake. The home was owned by relatives, Harold and Winifred Jacobs, from the 1930s through at least the late 1950s. Mr. Jacobs was an Assistant Engineer for the US Engineers Office.



 



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), the Museum of History and Industry (1952) 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



Polk Directory of Seattle, 1938-1958.



Smith, Eugene. Montlake: An Urban Eden, A History of the Montlake Community in Seattle. La Grande OR: Oak Street Press, 2004.







 
Appearance
This 1-1/2 story shingle-clad bungalow has been altered by the enclosure of the original full-width porch, new window sash, and changes to the entry and eaves. It sits on a large lot with trees, a tall hedge, privacy fence, a large wood garden gate with tree motif and large maple tree on the north side. It has a front-gable roof with no eaves and recessed entry below the gable on the south end of the façade. A large two-part fixed wood sash window is on the north half of façade and a small single light window is in the gable. A windowless rectangular bay and brick chimney are on the north elevation.

Detail for 1718 26TH AVE / Parcel ID 3592500005 / 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: Irregular
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: Intact
Other: Extensive
Changes to Windows: Extensive
Major Bibliographic References
King County Assessor Property Characteristics Report, database at http://www5.metrokc.gov/ --parcel locator

Photo collection for 1718 26TH AVE / Parcel ID 3592500005 / Inv # 0


Photo taken Dec 31, 2014
App v2.0.1.0