Hidden treasures of Fremont

It was sometimes tough to keep my mind on the just-the-facts mission. I wondered what tragedy caused a lovely home, pictured in 1937 with elegant leaded-pane windows and a large front porch, to be utterly obliterated, while its neighbor, built the same year, lives on as today’s trophy restoration. But I was charged with documentation, not writing a romance novel about Fremont, so off I went to the next place.

Uphill on Market from the 1911 Craftsman farmhouse, an entire bank of turn-of-the-20th-century wood frame family homes, photographed in 1937, are long gone, replaced by 1960s walk-up apartment blocks with windows closed tightly against the roar of 24/7 traffic. No inventory forms to fill out there.

Then I spot it &mdash and who wouldn’t?

A few blocks away, behind a small triangular piece of land providing protection from the busy arterial, is a majestic three-story beauty, built, according to the tax records, in 1900. It gleams with new shingles, windows, paint and trim. In the rear is a handsome back garden and a large detached garage. I particularly admire the imposing turret with pointed roof and fish-scale shingles. Amazing that such a fine home with such dramatic details has made it intact all the way into this century.

Except something was just not quite right. In this part of Fremont, there are Tudor Revivals, ranch houses, an infinite variety of Craftsmen, Queen Annes, Foursquares, even a classy Mid-century Modern. But nowhere did I see a house with a turret. Then sure enough, a check of the home’s 1937 photo revealed the truth: Today’s stunning "restoration" was originally built as a conventional Foursquare with no turret. The tax records report a major rebuild in 2003 when owners decided it should get a more flamboyant look for its next century &mdash and good for them. It is a glamorous home, terrific historic details, but for inventory purposes, alas, it is classified as "significantly altered."

Sadder are the historic houses that are authentic, but neglected. But they too have had their pictures taken, their characteristics recorded and their integrity verified against the WPA photos and tax records. There is always hope.

This isn’t tourist Seattle or mansion Seattle, but it certainly isn’t down-on-your-luck Seattle either. Venturing into this new-to-me environment, I discovered loving care of the past and delight in its present. I am now disabused of the idea that one ever completely knows any city.

Every day in a city things change. Wrecking crews wipe away the past. A crane soon raises something new, or worse luck, a vacant lot is left. This is true of any metropolis, especially the cities one cannot help loving — unfaithful, polygamous, profligate, heart-breaking and flamboyant as they may be.