King County Landmarks: Charles and Elvera Thomsen House (1927), Kenmore

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Address: 7332 NE Simonds Road, Kenmore. Also known as Wildcliffe Farm, this elegant country home built in the French Provincial style sits on the south bank of the Sammamish River. The house was built for Charles and Elvera Thomsen.

Thomsen, a successful businessman who founded the Centennial Mill Company and later acquired the Pacific Biscuit Company, retired in 1937 and turned his hobby of growing blueberries into a lucrative venture. Thomsen planted 27,000 blueberry bushes on the property's riverbottom land, built a cannery, and shipped 40 tons of blueberries annually under the Wildcliffe Farm label.

The interior of the house features a gracious hall, elaborate paneled woodwork, and ornate period tilework in the baths.

Sources:
King County Landmarks and Heritage Commission.

By Heather MacIntosh, January 01, 2000

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This essay made possible by:
King County
National Trust for Historic Preservation

Thomsen House, Kenmore
Courtesy Mary Randlett

Thomsen House, Kenmore, Interior
Courtesy Mary Randlett