Photo courtesy ARCA Architects

Silver Lake Action Committee Meeting

WHEN: May 1, 2008, 7:00pm

WHERE: Silverlake Childcare Center, 11525 19th
(corner Bothell-Evt Hwy & 116th)

GUEST FOR MAY: Alan Clark (ARCA Architects) will review plans for new Silver Lake Center at the north end of the lake, including 8-story condos, restaurant, new Safeway, and commercial space.

Meetings are scheduled:  7 p.m. on the first Thursday of the months of September, October, March, April and May. Special meetings are called as events dictate.

Previous guests:
April 2008: Shannon Affholter, Everett City Council; and developer proposal for "Eastmont Station" at former Home Base with Tony Kastens from Real Capital.
March 2008: Hal Gausman, Everett Parks RE: Silver Lake Trail prelim. plans

Photo courtesy Everett Public Library NW Room

Historic Neighborhoods:
Bayside
Lowell
Northwest
Port Gardner/Rucker Hill
Riverside
Silver Lake

Learn more at the Everett Office of Neighborhoods

HISTORIC EVERETT TO NOMINATE LOCAL LANDMARK:
Bothne House on Silver Lake

HANS BOTHNE was born in Botnen, Norway in 1878. He emigrated to the United States and became a citizen in 1906. Initially he was drawn to Alaska in search of gold, returning to Washington State with enough money to acquire the beachfront property at Silver Lake in 1913 with his business partner Nels Peters. They opened a beach resort just south of the present city beach.

Bothne married a North Dakota woman of Norwegian ancestry and initially they resided in a little houseboat on the lake. His bride narrowly survived the flu epidemic of 1918 and gave birth to a daughter in the cabin-on-a-raft early in 1919.

Hans bought more land and when Everett's YMCA burned in the spring of 1920, he bought the salvage rights and moved the building, board by board, to the western shore of Silver Lake. The lumber, portico columns, railings, windows, doors, lockers, pipes, even the nails, were reclaimed and resurrected into two houses and a pair of cabins. For some reason the Palladian windows in the east and west gable ends of the old YMCA were saved but never installed. Of the four buildings constructed from YMCA salvage, only the Bothne residence survives (see photo top left). Hans' son Donald was born in the house on February 15, 1921.

Historic Everett preservation group is set to nominate the historic family homestead as an icon of lakeside life. It hopes to work with the Everett Parks Dept and Silver Lake neighbors to ensure it's place as an interpretive center connected to the Sullivan Park.

Article from Historic Everett Fall 2007 Newsletter