| Historic Name: |
Montlake Field House |
Common Name: |
Montlake Community Center |
| Style: |
Tudor |
Neighborhood: |
University |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1935 |
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| Significance |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places. |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. |
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The Civil Works Administration (CWA) and the Washington Emergency Relief Administration (WERA) constructed this architecturally distinctive brick field house in 1933-35 as the first permanent improvement to Montlake Playfield. The city only acquired the property for the playfield in 1933 with funding from a Local Improvement District. The acquisition of the playfield site was the result of a massive community petition, however there was substantial opposition from the owner of most of the site and the nearby houseboat owners facing eviction. Mrs. Alta M. Wheeler cultivated dahlias on her property to supply her flower shop, Dahlialand Gardens, which was located several blocks to the south on Boyer Avenue East. Mrs. Wheeler was the wife of a prominent Seattle businessman, James W. Wheeler, who served as vice president and treasurer of West & Wheeler, a real estate company. When Mrs. Wheeler objected to the low price offered by the city, it was necessary to acquire the land through condemnation proceedings.
After the playfield site was acquired though the efforts of the community, work began immediately on improvements with the assistance of Depression-era relief agencies. The Civil Works Administration (CWA) began construction of the new Montlake field house in 1934, however the Washington Emergency Relief Administration (WERA) completed the work in 1935 when the CWA was disbanded. Established in November 1933 to provide relief work for unemployed persons through public work projects, the CWA functioned simultaneously with the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) and to some extent with the same personnel. In March 1934, the CWA was liquidated, and its functions and records were transferred to the Emergency Relief Program of FERA. In 1935, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) consolidated and superseded several earlier programs, including the CWA and the FERA. The WERA was a relief agency operated by the Washington State government from 1933-37. In addition to creating work for the unemployed, WERA also provided other public welfare assistance, including aid to the aged, the homeless, and the impoverished.
The Parks Department had constructed its first field houses in 1911 at Hiawatha and Ballard Playfields. Within the next several years, similar wood frame field houses were constructed at Collins, and South Park Playfields. In the later 1920s, larger masonry field houses were constructed at Green Lake Park and Rainier Playfield. During the 1930s, two smaller brick field houses were built at Laurelhurst and Montlake Playfields. These buildings were not as large as the earlier field houses but provided more spacious recreational facilities than the smaller shelter houses. Designed with Tudor Revival stylistic features, this attractive brick building was constructed on the southern side of the playfield and contained offices, a large social room, clubrooms and restroom facilities all on one level. In the mid-1970s, a large recreation building was constructed north of the original building as part of extensive improvements to the playfield. With its distinctive Tudor Revival detailing, this building is significant for its design and for its associations with the CWA and the WERA and the development of Montlake Playfield.
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| Appearance |
| Completed in 1935, this brick field house occupies a site near the southern margin of Montlake Playfield. The Tudor Revival building is part of a complex that also includes a temporary steel structure located some five feet to the north and a large freestanding concrete gymnasium and recreation center located to the northwest across a small plaza. Measuring approximately 84 feet by 40 feet, the 1½-story side gable building has wide projecting cross gables east of center on the north and south elevations. The cross gables as well as the eastern side gable have distinctive clipped gable or jerkin head roofs. The western side gable has a large brick chimney, which rises up the center of the west elevation. All four of the gable ends feature decorative bargeboards incorporated into the ornamental half timbering, which overhangs the lower walls clad with variegated brick veneer. The vertical members within the half timbering end in drop pendants below the scalloped lower edge of the horizontal beam across the bottom. On the north and south elevations, the cross gable ends also feature a multi-paned casement window centered between wooden louvers of the same size. On the east elevation, the side gable end has two multi-paned casement windows in a similar configuration.
On the principal south elevation, the projecting cross gable contains a shallow arched entrance within a corbelled recessed opening at the western end adjacent to a large multi-paned window towards the center. The brick wall to west of the entrance flares out at the base. Beyond this window, the eastern half has a small boarded over window opening adjoining two multi-paned horizontal windows. A single door entrance to the men’s restroom is located on the narrow eastern side of the cross gable. West of the projecting cross gable, the side gable main block has two large multi-paned windows at the western end and a shed roof wall dormer with a large opening near the eastern end. This large opening contains three multi-paned windows under a fascia embellished with a scalloped edge. East of the cross gable, the main block has two multi-paned horizontal windows within the upper wall below the roofline. The east elevation has a shallow arched entrance within a corbelled recessed opening centered between four multi-paned horizontal windows. On the west elevation, large multi-paned windows flank the chimney at the center.
The "Butler" brand prefabricated steel shed obscures much of the building’s rear north elevation, which features a design nearly identical to the south elevation. The projecting cross gable contains an entrance door near the western end adjacent to a large multi-paned window towards the center. A smaller modern replacement door has been framed within the larger original opening. The brick wall to west of the entrance flares out at the base. Two horizontal multi-paned windows are situated at the eastern end of the cross gable and one is situated at the western end. A single door entrance to the women’s restroom is located on the narrow eastern side of the cross gable. Immediately west of the projecting cross gable, the side gable main block has an additional entrance door. Beyond this door, the western end of the main block contains two large multi-paned windows, while the eastern end has a shed roof wall dormer with a large opening. This large opening contains three multi-paned windows under a fascia embellished with a scalloped edge. East of the cross gable, the main block has two multi-paned horizontal windows within the upper wall below the roofline. Dense plantings and mature trees almost completely conceal this attractive building. Although relatively well maintained, this building shows signs of deferred maintenance and of a deterioration of the wood elements, especially the distinctive half timbering. Nonetheless, this architecturally distinctive building retains excellent physical integrity. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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| Cladding(s): |
Brick, Other |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Gable - Clipped, Shed |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition |
| Building Type: |
Other |
Plan: |
Cross/Cruciform |
| Structural System: |
Unknown |
No. of Stories: |
one & ½ |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Community Planning/Development, Entertainment/Recreation |
| Integrity |
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Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
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Changes to Windows: |
Intact |
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| Major Bibliographic References |
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City of Seattle DCLU Microfilm Records.
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King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives.
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Sherwood, Don. Seattle Parks Histories, c. 1970-1981, unpublished.
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Seattle Department of Parks. Annual report/Department of Parks. Seattle, WA: 1909-1955.
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