2407 NE 17th Avenue - Description

2407 NE 17th Avenue
Restored Craftsman with Artistic Detailing

Before you even pass through the front door of this delightful home, it is apparent that it was built by a fine craftsman and continues to be cared for by one. Built in 1909 by architect Arthur A. Arend, the home is finely detailed with such flourishes as multiple wood trimmed arches, built-in beveled mirrors, window seats and stained glass. While we know little about Arend as a builder and architect, we can assume that he put his best into designing and building this house, and it shows. In keeping with his great start 100 years ago, the current owners have, for the past eleven years, been refining the home based on the true craftsman principles of creativity and careful workmanship. While the specific influences of the resulting decor range from Asia through Craftsman Style traditions to contemporary art, it all works together with the common theme of hand craftsmanship.

Copper, wood and stone appear in unexpected and welcome places. Copper sets off the stylized fir tree that adorns the front entrance and shows up in the kitchen counter back splashes. It even puts in an appearance in some of the hand-crafted (by the owners) ceiling chandeliers. Four years of careful woodwork striping revealed the original Douglas fir woodwork throughout the house.

The front porch is actually a re-creation of a craftsman style porch -- the original having been lost when the long ago owner rode his horse onto the old porch as a joke... and it collapsed under the weight. To get the poor horse out of the wreckage, the porch was demolished. Years later, the current owners constructed an appropriately designed front porch based on a few remaining hints of what had been there. Imagine their surprise and delight when, after the reconstruction was complete, they received photos from the early years of the house -- showing the original front porch almost identical to the one they had re-created!

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