Historic redefined: Homes built in ’50s are hot in housing market

Published 1:30 am Thursday, February 16, 2017

EVERETT — Mid-century modern homes have been hot on the real estate market for some time. What was built in the 1950s is now hip. And historic.

These post-World War II houses have good bones, clean lines, a spare aesthetic and often are more affordable than other older homes, said Everett real estate agent Andrea Tucker.

And they need to be preserved, said Tucker, a member of the Historic Everett organization that will host a program about mid-century architecture Sunday afternoon at Everett Public Library.

The program — “Mid-Century Marvels: Preserving Our Local Character” — will feature a presentation by state Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation architecture historian Michael Houser.

His lecture will include a look at what’s on the state Register of Historic Places from Everett and why more recent architectural works need to be preserved. The state recently funded a survey of houses in Everett’s Claremont area of the Glacier View neighborhood, and Houser will talk about that survey, too.

While the state considers anything constructed before 1967 to be historical, Houser said, the last building placed on the register from Everett was built in 1924. That’s 43 years’ worth of buildings not preserved.

“So that’s a big gap,” Houser said. “We need to be educated and develop a sense of appreciation for more recent architecture. Mid-century modern is very popular right now. All one has to do is go into a Target store and see that it’s all coming back — the home furnishings based on what was popular in the 1950s and ’60s.”

Mid-century design varies greatly, Houser said, including architectural masterpieces in wooded settings and ranch homes in neighborhoods.

“We need to preserve the more common stuff, too,” he said.

Houser will highlight the work of several architects including Harold W. Hall, William A. Johnson, Robert Champion and John Bryant.

“They were all based in Everett in the 1950s and ’60s, and all churning out high-quality designs,” he said.

Tucker praised the designs of these homes.

“They commonly have great floor plans with big open spaces, large windows, oak floors, brick or stone fireplaces and cedar-lined closets,” Tucker said.

Mid-century modern homes had their start in California in the late 1940s. The style moved north to the Puget Sound region and was popular into the early 1970s.

Derided in the 1990s as bland, the style has seen a definite resurgence, Tucker said.

“These are fantastic homes,” she said.

If you go

Mid-Century Marvels: Preserving Our Local Character

Presented by Historic Everett at 2 p.m. Feb. 19 in the auditorium at Everett Public Library, 2702 Hoyt Ave.

Historic Everett is a nonprofit organization supporting preservation education since 2004. More is available at www.HistoricEverett.org.