Mid-Century Modern Home With Interesting History Sells In 3 Days

A midcentury home on the 3500 block of 46th Avenue NE, designed by Northwest architect Gene Zema in 1964, sold in 3 days last month. 

Kim Dales, Laurelhurst Blog real estate contributor, lived in the home with her husband and now grown children, for 18 years. She said that they are moving nearby and no longer needing 3000 sq. ft. of living space.

She added: 

The home is incredible with beautiful western views of Lake Washington and the Olympic Mountains. Sunsets are spectacular!  It is a great entertaining home with a very open floorplan. I honestly could go on and on. We will miss it!

Here is an article written about the home recently:

Patti Payne's Cool Pads: Mid-century modern in Laurelhurst, originally built by architect Gene Zema, sells for $2.7M

A mid-century modern home in Laurelhurst, designed by renowned Northwest Architect Gene Zema as his personal residence in 1964, went on the market on May 31st at $2.7 million. The sale was wrapped up in three days with a compelling over-price offer.

More than 60 people came through to view the house, including Zema’s daughter and grandchildren. During their viewing, they showed the listing brokers, Windermere’s Sally Tafft and Kim O. Dales, a large and deep secret drawer that Zema used — possibly for some of his many art and artifacts collections.

This was endearing and enlightening to Dales who currently owns the house with her husband, Dr. Mark Dales, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Seattle Children’s Hospital.

“All the years we lived there, we never knew that drawer was there,” said Kim, who was touched and honored that some of Zema’s family came through during the open house.

The couple decided to sell the house after 19 years of living there, now that their children are grown. They have a cabin in the Methow Valley and are also buying a smaller townhouse in Seattle's Eastlake area.

Some of the features they have loved about this 3,000-square-foot home in Laurelhurst with three ensuite bedrooms and four bathrooms are the views of Lake Washington and the Olympic mountains, the soaring ceilings and open floorplan, terraced grounds with lots of areas for entertaining, the four-car garage underneath the home, the brick, hardwood floors, clear cedar construction, the Japanese soaking tub, a four-sided fireplace, an expansive epicurean kitchen and the walls of windows.

“We love all the light that comes in,” Kim said. “We both grew up in Nevada and we love sunlight, and that house gets a ton,” she said, adding there’s a huge skylight on the second floor as well.

It’s bittersweet to leave this home behind, she says, and its walkable neighborhoods. The home is close to the Center for Urban Horticulture and a park. “You can walk to Husky football games from the house,” she said. “And the sunsets are pretty amazing over the lake.”

Over the years, they had read extensively about Zema and appreciated that their home was once his. They treasure a book they own — “Gene Zema: Architect, Craftsman,” signed by Zema, who in his 20-year career designed 46 homes, seven clinics, two architectural offices, a nursery, a golf clubhouse and co-designed two University of Washington buildings.

Now 94, Zema, lives in a home he built on Whidbey Island — very similar to this Laurelhurst house.