LYNNWOOD — Jim and Cheryl Arneson of Lynnwood were honored Monday, May 8, by the city’s historical commission for preserving their home, an 84-year-old Craftsman-style house in Lynnwood.
The house, 19112 40th Ave. W., was built in 1922 by Edwin John Price, according to Marie Little, chair of the Lynnwood historical commission. The house is a rare example of a Craftsman-style house, which were common in Alderwood Manor in the 1920s, she said.
“There are very few houses that were built in the 1920s that are still around. Some may be around but you may not recognize them because they have been remodeled so many times,” Little said. “It is such a neat house. I very much appreciate the care and love that the Arnesons have bestowed upon this house which means so much to the whole community.”
The event also marks nationwide Historical Preservation month, which is May, Little said.
Jim Arneson said he was attracted to the house by its size, character and openness. The two-story, 3,500-square-foot house featured four bedrooms and an unfinished basement when the Arnesons bought it in 1980 from the Hines family.
Later, the Arnesons built three more bedrooms and a bathroom in the basement. They needed the room to raise six children, which they did, he said.
“It is great for entertaining,” he said.
The original homeowners, the Price family — which included Edwin, his wife, a daughter and two sons — came to Alderwood Manor in 1919 from Saskatchewan, Canada. He had emigrated from England in 1906 because of an economic depression.
Price, who was a skilled craftsman, worked in Seattle as a carpenter, joiner and cabinet maker, Little said. He rode the Interurban to work. Later he was employed by F.C. McClane to work on the demonstration farm and the family lived in a small shack on the farm.
In 1922, with the help of his 9-year-old son, Price built the house which still stands on the original site, Little said.
In 1929, the Price family returned to England and the Weigel family bought the house for $5,000. Today, the house and the .68 acre lot is worth almost $410,000, according to the county assessors office.
In July 1992, John D. Price of Seattle brought a photo of the house he had helped his father build to a meeting of the Alderwood Manor Heritage Association and donated the photo to the association’s archives. He died in 2002 and is survived by his wife, who lives in Shoreline.
Many of the house’s unique features remain, including 12 French doors, hard wood floors and a window seat on the first floor, Arneson said. The carriage house in the back yard has been transformed into an office and hobby room.
“We try to keep up with the maintenance,” Arneson said. “It is a constant work in progress.”
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