6046 East Lake Sammamish Parkway
Redmond, WA, USA

National Register of Historic Places - James W. Clise House

Statement of Significant:

In 1904, Seattle businessman, James W. Clise, purchased eighty acres along the Sammamish Slough, at the north end of Lake Sammamish, for use as a hunting area. At this time, the trip from Seattle was via land and water, and quite long and difficult. Clise needed a place to stay, so he built a hunting lodge which he named Willowmoor.

Clise soon purchased more land and began clearing it. He also began adding rooms to the lodge, and in 1907 he sold his Seattle home and moved his family permanently to Willowmoor. By this time, the entire estate had become a center attraction to children in the area. The one-lane roads extending throughout the farm, the boat houses, and the Dutch windmill all tended to create a fairyland effect. In the years to come, peacocks roamed the grounds, a four horse Tally-ho carried guests around the estate, and greenhouses gave shelter to Mrs. Clise's orchids.
Clise eventually expanded his estate to include 350 acres and 28 buildings in all. As many as forty people were employed to operate the farm, and bunk houses were built to house them.

Clise always remained aware of the latest scientific developments in agriculture. Ayrshire cattle, for instance, were imported after Clise made a study to determine which breed of cattle were best suited for the climate and area. Furthermore, a narrow-gauge railroad was built to ease the work involved in feeding the animals. Always alert for new or better methods, Clise made a point of studying foreign farming methods whenever he took one of his frequent trips to Europe. Clise also aided farmers in the Pacific Northwest by giving advice and recommendations. The high level of success Clise attained in farming is prehaps best revealed by an incident occurring in 1913. In this year, a delegation of 40 Japanese noblemen and farmers were sent by their government to study Clise's farming methods. By this date, Willowmoor was considered a $1,000,000 enterprise. The Japanese stayed for several days and were royally entertained by Clise, who had erected Japanese lanterns around the grounds for lighting.
In 1928, Clise could no longer operate the farm entirely on his own and he sold the estate (now called Marymoor) to Dr. Robert Bratnober. At about the same time, Washington State College awarded Clise an honorary degree in recognition of his farm development work.

In 1963, King County purchased the farm for use as a public park. At present, the residence is used as a museum, a community center and a pre-school. Much of the 485 acres included in the park are being developed into sport fields, picnic areas and children's playgrounds. Other sections of the estate are being left as natural meadows, wetlands and waterfront areas. Included within the park boundaries and near the Clise residence is the Marymoor Prehistoric Indian Site which is in the National Register. Also nearby is Clise's Dutch Windmill which is being considered for the Register in another nomination.
Architecturally, the Marymoor Museum/Community Center is significant for its overall composition which reflects the past grandeur of a bygone period. The most interesting and stylistically authentic part of the house is the original wing which had been built as a hunting lodge in 1904. The style is reminiscent of the earlier Shingle Style that was prevalent around the turn of the Century. Curvilinear bays with stained- glass windows, the carriage porch and the arbor-type sun gallery are all expressive of this period and are seldom found today along the West Coast. The building's relatively low silhouette, which was quite progressive for this period, makes the building look more contemporary than it actually was. In many ways, the architecture is reminiscent of some of the earlier works of such architects as the green brothers, Maybeck, or Story.