Mansions featured in Historic Everett’s ‘must-see homes’ calendar

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, January 3, 2023

EVERETT — Dozens and possibly hundreds of storied homes are scattered across Everett.

The people behind Historic Everett, a group dedicated to building preservation in the city, had the task of narrowing it to 12 for their 2023 calendar. The chosen homes, many of which are mansions, were built in the city’s first 50 years and include local landmarks such as the Hartley and Rucker mansions.

“For every one of these, you should find another one,” said Jack O’Donnell, who wrote the introduction and about each home. “You could do the same thing next year and feature 12 different homes.”

The annual calendar is a fundraiser for Historic Everett for its preservation projects, cemetery and walking tours, and more. Over the years it has featured the city’s firefighting and automotive history, brothels and saloons among other themes.

This year’s calendar, “Must-See Historic Everett Homes,” is a sequel to one of the group’s more popular calendars from 2017, “Historic Homes of Everett.”

“If you were coming to Everett, what would you tell your friends or family to go see,” Historic Everett board president David Chrisman said.

The Van Valey House at 2130 Colby Ave., graces the cover and leads the way. The Everett Museum of History owns and operates it as a house museum with displays about its past owners, some city history and the late U.S. Senator Henry M. Jackson who hailed from Everett.

It’s an important building in Everett because of its architecture, the people who lived there and its past and present uses, O’Donnell said. The Van Valey family, who were bottling company magnates, had the American foursquare style home built in 1914.

“The Van Valey is kind of the quintessential historic Everett home,” Chrisman said. “That one was really an easy pick.”

The home was later owned by the Morrow family, who gave it to the city in 2002 until city leaders gave it to the museum in 2021.

“We have a lot of beautiful homes, opportunities for people to see and share the highlights and the history,” Everett Museum of History president Barbara George said.

Photos in the calendar are a mix of archival images and new pictures, many taken by Chrisman. Aerial photography and video, as well as a 360 degree camera for interior pictures are new to the calendar. The drone helped illustrate the grandeur of some homes, especially those on Rucker Hill and along Grand Avenue, with sweeping views of Port Gardner, Chrisman said.

Each month’s home also includes the address, so people can visit all 12, at least from the sidewalk. Many still are occupied residences, so visitors shouldn’t expect a tour inside.

“I don’t think they’re building anything like this today,” O’Donnell said. “Maybe somebody will look back in 100 years and appreciate what they’re building today. But these (historic home) materials just don’t exist anymore.”

Days are dotted with local history, from the decision to name the city after Charles Colby’s son (Oct. 1, 1890) to more modern events like the first Minor League Baseball game by the Everett Giants (now Aquasox) on June 17, 1984.

Not all of that would fit in the 27-page calendar, so each month has a QR code people can scan with their smartphone cameras to read and see more online.

Assembling the calendar meant a lot of door knocking by Chrisman, who said he visited almost every home to speak with the owners and get permission for photographs and to feature it in the calendar.

Get your calendar

People can buy the calendar from Burkett’s Home + Gifts at 2617 Colby Ave., and Jana’s Favorite Finds at 2609 Colby Ave., in Everett. They can also be purchased online from Historic Everett at https://historiceverett.org/.

Ben Watanabe: 425-339-3037; bwatanabe@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @benwatanabe.