Egan House

Address: 1500 Lakeview Blvd.
Date Built: 1958
Original Architect/Builder: Robert Reichert
Description: Post World War II Modernist Northwest Architecture, designed triangular form on a rectangular plane atop a pier block.
Original Owners: Admiral Willard Egan, United States Navy, Retired.

Historic Seattle's Role:

Historic Seattle acquired the Egan House in 1998 in partnership with the City of Seattle Parks and Recreation Department. When the Parks Department purchased the surrounding land for greenbelt space, City of Seattle Councilmember Peter Steinbrueck stressed the building's significance, and was instrumental to the success of the project. He advocated Historic Seattle's role as the house's new owner and steward. A feasibility study was conducted to determine the condition of the house, which supported the refurbishing project, completed in 2003. A subsequent renovation and restoration project was completed in 2003.

Current and Future Uses:

The Egan House's exterior work included repairs to deteriorated and insect damaged wood, a new roof, paint, and support column for the cantilever above the entryway. Interior work included paint, heating system improvements, tile replacement, and bathroom and kitchen upgrades. We received a construction and mortgage loan from NorthStar Bank to complete this work and Lee Stanton provided design and project management services for this project. Since September 2003, the house has served as single family rental maintained by Historic Seattle.

The 1958 building is the youngest in Historic Seattle's portfolio. When first constructed, the building represented a shift away from traditionalist styles. Its preservation has helped Historic Seattle expand its advocacy and educational programming to support recognition of modern design as a significant part of our architectural heritage.