Everett Archives: Van Valey House
Everybody probably has an idea of what their dream house looks like. For some, it’s a kidney-shaped pool with cerulean-blue water, under the shade of San Diego palm trees. For others, it’s a New York penthouse suite with gold-filigree embellishments.
Well, for this mill town writer, my dream house is a 1914 craftsman-style home with hefty bones. And by “bones” I mean local timber, cut down and sawed into thick, sturdy planks that can stand the test of time and the inclement weather of the Pacific Northwest.
Ok, basically my dream house is the Van Valey home at the corner of Colby Avenue and 22nd Street in Everett. Here’s why.
It’s got that craftsmanship. I’m talking quarter-sawed oak and 90-year-old fixtures. I’m talking bay windows, intricate tile, a wide veranda, and an actual carriage house.
The house cost $5000 when it was built in 1914 of the finest materials of the time. Of course, it’s worth much more than that in today’s money. In fact, it’s irreplaceable because such massive and pristine first-growth timber is hard to find and, if it could be found, it would be ridiculously expensive.
Impressive.
Though it’s called the Van Valey House (which implies residence), it wasn’t originally intended to be a place where people lived. It was first used at the offices of one A.L. Van Valey, an early Everett businessman. He ran the Van Valey Bottling Company, near where I-5 intersects Hewitt Avenue today. The Van Valey company bottled Rainier Beer and 7-Up for local distribution. If you hunt around local antique stores these days you may just turn up a green bottle with a molded Van Valey inscription on the bottom. I had a friend who found such a bottle buried in his backyard in Everett.
The Van Valeys seem to be bon vivants, social butterflies. They used their home for civic events and music recitals.
After the Van Valeys sold the house, it had a few other incarnations. It was a restaurant for a time, then a Red Cross center. The home was purchased in 1979 by Ed and Betty Morrow, as a residence. They lived there until 2002 when they gifted the entire building and property to the City of Everett. The City made improvements to the building, installing new wiring and a dishwasher, replacing broken fixtures. They opened it for civic events and tours in 2005. They even let folks rent it for events.
I went to a neighborhood association holiday party there once in 2015. Stepping into the foyer with its solid wood flooring I immediately understood the place. A small jazz trio was playing softly near the bay windows and behind them, Christmas lights twinkled on Colby Ave. Folks milled around the large dining room with red wine or sat next to the gas fireplace in period-appropriate oak chairs.
The people in this city who know the Van Valey house love it. And I think this is why -- because it’s hosted all of these parties and meals over the years. The music, the civic togetherness, the merriment (all of the good things about living in a community that we miss so much in this time of Coronavirus).
Others may harbor their fantasies of some tropical retreat or an urban luxury pad. But for me, being in a place that’s quintessentially Everett, with neighbors... well, that’s the house of my dreams.
Thanks for reading! Don't forget to subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay up to date with community news and real estate tips.
You can head back to the main Lamoureux Real Estate website here.
