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Summary for 1926 BOYER AVE / Parcel ID 8722101010 / Inv # 0

Historic Name: Navin Residence Common Name: 48 Dixon Residence
Style: Colonial Neighborhood: Montlake
Built By: Year Built: 1925
 
Significance
This residence is a good and generally intact example of the Colonial Revival style. It is associated with early 20th century development in the Montlake area and is a contributing resource to the Montlake NRHP Historic District. The earliest known owners of this house were William E. & Delia Navin (1928); he was department manager for Casey-Bowyer Inc. It was owned by Hugo E. & Elna Wangel in 1938; he was president of Hugo Wangel Inc., and she was a stenographer for the Seattle Police Department. The owners in 1948 were Edwin W. & Loraine Grohs of Edwin W. Grohs & Associates. In 1958, it was owned by Richard J. & Emmy Cosman in 1958; he worked for Pump & Equipment Company.

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).

The earliest known owners of this house were William E. & Delia Navin (1928); he was department manager for Casey-Bowyer Inc.

The home was owned by Hugo E. & Elna Wangel in 1938; he was president of Hugo Wangel Inc., and a stenographer for the Seattle Police Department. The home was owned by Edwin W. & Loraine Grohs in 1948; they owned Edwin W. Grohs & Associates.

The home was owned by Richard J. & Emmy Cosman in 1958, whose occupation was listed as Pump & Equipment Co.

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 1-1/2 story house is rectangular in plan, is clapboard clad, and has a side gabled roof with returned eaves. A gabled dormer with returned eaves and a 12-light wood sash window are on the main facade. The front (south) façade has the entry vestibule on the far western end, which is sheltered by a gabled roof with returned eaves roof supported by replacement metal posts and railings. Windows include a 10-over-1 wood frame window flanked by two 6-over-one wood sash. Secondary facades have similar materials with varying window configurations. An exterior brick chimney and an enclosed rear porch are on the east elevation.

Detail for 1926 BOYER AVE / Parcel ID 8722101010 / Inv # 0

Status:
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): 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: Intact
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 1926 BOYER AVE / Parcel ID 8722101010 / Inv # 0


Photo taken Jan 31, 2015
App v2.0.1.0