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Summary for 1924 E BLAINE ST E / Parcel ID 8722100700 / Inv # 0

Historic Name: Common Name: 36 Mann Residence
Style: Tudor Neighborhood: Montlake
Built By: Year Built: 1926
 
Significance
This residence is an intact example of the Tudor Revival style. It is associated with the 1920s-era development in the Montlake area and is a contributing resource to the Montlake NRHP Historic District. The earliest known owners of this house, in 1938,  were Douglas C. Morris, an engineer, and his wife, Ida. From 1948 through 1958, the home was owned by William J.  Diffenbacher, a salesman at Pacific Fruit &Produce Company, and 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), 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 clapboard clad Tudor cottage is on a flat lot with a hedge, lawn and foundation shrubs. It has a steep side-gable roof with a projecting front gable bay on the north end of the façade and a projecting gabled brick-clad entry bay at the center. The entry has a concrete porch with curved metal railings, an arched opening and wood door with arched grilled light; the concrete stairs descend to the south. A tall brick chimney is to the right of the entry gable.  The gable wall at the north end has stucco with false timbering in the gable, an 8/1 wood sash window with shutters on the first story, and a basement garage below. Paired 6-light wood sash are on the south end of the façade.

Detail for 1924 E BLAINE ST E / Parcel ID 8722100700 / Inv # 0

Status:
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Brick, Wood - Clapboard Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Gable Roof Material(s):
Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Rectangular
Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: two & ½
Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture
Integrity
Changes to Plan: Intact
Changes to Interior: Unknown
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 1924 E BLAINE ST E / Parcel ID 8722100700 / Inv # 0


Photo taken Dec 31, 2014
App v2.0.1.0