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Summary for 2514 E CALHOUN ST E / Parcel ID 678820-0070 / Inv # 0

Historic Name: Estep Residence Common Name: 17 Seurer Residence
Style: Tudor Neighborhood: Montlake
Built By: Year Built: 1924
 
Significance
This residence is a good relatively intact example of the Tudor Revival style.  Built in 1924, it is associated with 1920s-era the development in the Montlake area.  It has been somewhat altered with changes to the original entry and porch and new window sash.  Despite these minor alterations, the house retains its original character and is a contributing resource to the Montlake NRHP Historic District. Adrian C. & Madeline Estep, of Estep Engine Co. Diesel Engine Manufacturers, owned the house from at least 1928 through 1958.

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

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



 
Appearance
This two-story Tudor style house is irregular in plan and has a side-gable roof with a prominent crossing gable bay on the east side of the primary south-facing elevation.  It is clad in clapboard siding with stucco and false timbering in the gables. The enclosed gabled entry near the center has a circular concrete porch and a contemporary Craftsman style door sheltered by a projecting gabled hood supported by brackets with timbering in the gable. Windows on the primary facade include 6-over-one vinyl sashes grouped, paired, and casement sash. It has an addition in the rear northeast corner (2005). The house sits slightly above the street on a newly landscaped lot with rock low wall terraces. The driveway is on the west side.

Detail for 2514 E CALHOUN ST E / Parcel ID 678820-0070 / 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: Irregular
Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: two
Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture
Integrity
Changes to Plan: Slight
Changes to Interior: Unknown
Changes to Original Cladding: Intact
Other: Moderate
Changes to Windows: Moderate
Major Bibliographic References
King County Assessor Property Characteristics Report, database at http://www5.metrokc.gov/ --parcel locator

Photo collection for 2514 E CALHOUN ST E / Parcel ID 678820-0070 / Inv # 0


Photo taken Dec 31, 2014
App v2.0.1.0