108-year-old downtown Edmonds home put on historic registry

EDMONDS — Diane McEachron leaves her downtown home each morning to walk the Edmonds waterfront. She bought the place for its proximity to local shops and restaurants, but the 108-year-old house’s history is what sets it apart.

The City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to add the home on Bell Street to the town’s historical registry because its architecture and past reflect a bygone way of life for Edmonds and its working-class heritage.

“I think it’s just a charming home,” McEachron, 79, said. “I’m really in favor of keeping Edmonds with the small-town charm.”

The city’s Historic Preservation Committee said the home’s main period of significance was the 1940s when a brick veneer was added. The home was occupied by a merchant marine, reflected by an old marine symbol on the chimney’s exterior. It was a typical house for a working-class member of society at the time, the group said.

Additionally, the garage may have been a stable.

The owners before McEachron used the building as an antiques and tea shop, she said.

Getting the house its historic designation has been in the works for more than a decade.

In 2006, then-City Councilman Michael Plunkett submitted an application to the city.

“At the time, I didn’t know anything about it,” McEachron said. “And then next thing I know there’s a sign in my yard.”

In March, she was approached about applying and agreed.

Now, the Bell Street home is the eighth house on the town’s historic registry. In total, 19 buildings have been given the distinction.

McEachron has been in Edmonds since the ’60s. She said the home’s new status comes with a sense of pride.

“I love where I live,” she said.

Being on the registry means the home is eligible for some tax deductions connected with repair costs. Additionally, McEachron has to get permission from the commission for any structural changes.

Joey Thompson: 425-339-3449; jthompson@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @byjoeythompson.