New decorative fencing and trellises enliven the streetscape of this upgraded 1893 cottage in the Central Area.

The house was the first in its Central Area tract, constructed in 1893 at the height of a nationwide depression. Within three years, it was foreclosed. John and Mary Auckland bought it in 1896, and their daughter Gladys was born there in 1905. She lived in the family home her entire life, much of it with Homer Beller, who grew up two houses away and married her in 1925. Recently widowed, John Auckland gave the young couple his house as a wedding present.

In the rear garden, a stone cascade was added to the existing lily pond from Homer and Gladys Beller's garden. Perennials, including iris and lilies, were added for color and texture.
Hand-embroidered draperies frame the dining-room windows and hand-printed wallpapers from Bradbury Art Wallpapers cover walls and ceiling. "Gondola" chairs with carved backs surround a mid-19th-century American mahogany table.

Faced with having to move Gladys to a nursing home in 1995, her caretakers across the street sought a buyer to pull together funds for her care. They approached Bergeson, a real-estate agent, to list the property. One look at its dilapidated condition - it needed a new roof, plumbing and electrical -- and he assured them that no bank would lend financing. They could use her savings to fix it up and then, perhaps, make it marketable. But in its decayed state, it would be a challenge to sell.

Would Bergeson, who was between houses at the time, buy it? "No," he said emphatically. No way. Think about it for awhile, the caretakers suggested. He said no again. But, he remembers, "Then I began to think about it. It was a great in-city location, there was potential for a garden because it was widely separated from the next house, and there was a sunny south side with lots of light. It was also a bigger lot than most - 7,800 square feet - a great opportunity to garden. The interior had nice spaces, high ceilings - but, God, the work."

Eventually, he did buy it and, in his words, "sunk my own money into it to bring it to the point that a bank would lend to it, and refinanced it with a rehab loan to finish it off well. And here we are."

Early on, he considered an addition to the single-story house, which had three bedrooms and one bathroom. But when presented with the cost of doing that, he decided to work with what he had. There had been virtually no maintenance in Gladys' declining years, so almost everything needed replacement. His contractor tore it down to the studs and started over, without significantly altering the arrangement of the rooms. Bergeson did shift their uses. The front bedroom is now a study entered through French doors from the dining room. The rear bedroom is now a closet and second bathroom.

To reinforce the importance of the parlor, the ceiling is embellished with fan-motif plaster molding. Aesthetic Movement ebonized furniture represents both American and Western European fascination with the arts of Japan during the latter half of the 19th century.

Gladys had "opened up" the hall, living and dining rooms with archways in 1930. Bergeson returned the doorways to their former simplicity. He made sure all the woodwork was milled identically to the originals, including nine-inch baseboards throughout. The same attention to detail extended to the windows.

The living room, dining room and front bedroom floors were Siberian oak installed during the couple's 1930 upgrade. Bergeson extended the oak into his new kitchen, where he took a less scholarly approach. "I wanted it to look like it might be older, but I'm not sentimental about old kitchens and old-looking cabinets. I wanted a new kitchen, and there was nothing worth saving in the original kitchen." He incorporated the original pantry and back porch into the kitchen for larger preparation and sitting areas and had a new back porch built.

Drawing from his previous experience as an interior designer, Bergeson wove together a variety of furnishings, wallpapers, ceramic tile and fabrics to create a series of cozy and colorful rooms that showcase his acquisitions, especially his collections of American Aesthetic period furniture and silver plate.

The most formal of the outdoor rooms is a palm court and fountain. Lilies, hosta and acanthus border the walkway.

No less time and effort were directed toward the garden. The property featured only a lawn and two holly trees out front. Bergeson brought in landscape designer RenÀe Soulard of Xylem to craft a series of outdoor rooms that progressed from Victorian formality in front to an increasingly casual gathering place at the back of the house. East of the lawn is a pergola for wisteria. The adjoining palm court with its Italianate fountain shares space with cardoons, hostas, rhubarb, acanthus, calla lilies and hardy gardenias. Adjoining this area is a kitchen and cutting garden planted with herbs and a variety of flowers.

A lily pond at the eastern end of the property was overgrown by the time Bergeson took possession. But from it Soulard developed a stone-lined creek bed that is now an inviting water feature surrounded by moisture-loving iris, lilies and perennials.

An aging fence Bergeson saw in West Seattle inspired the fence and trellis designs Soulard created. Their circle motif, and that on the retaining wall, relates it to the new roof vents, which Bergeson calls "birdholes." Since these holes were a given, Soulard made lemonade out of lemons by incorporating them into the design motif. One might say the same of Bergeson, who now has one of several restored homes drawing attention in a neighborhood that includes some of the city's most neglected housing stock. He was undeterred by that from the start.

"I knew what I was moving to. The location is great. I have seen it improved since I got here. I had never lived in a transitional area before. But there are so many great houses in this neighborhood that still have the ability to be restored. I figured this would be an opportunity to do something right, to live there and enjoy it."

Now his appealing little house is part of what he calls "the last neighborhood in the city with affordable housing." It isn't going to stay that way, he cautions. "I'm a realtor. I know these things."

Central Area Garden Tour

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 7, the Central Neighborhood Association sponsors its 4th Annual Garden Tour, featuring as many as a dozen city gardens, including the one featured here. The tour showcases the diversity of garden styles possible in an urban setting. The gardens will feature water-wise gardening practices, and volunteers will be on hand from the Master Gardener and Master Composter programs, as well as the Seattle Street Tree program.

The tour draws attention to revitalization efforts in one of the city's significant historic neighborhoods. Tickets are $5 in advance, $7 day of tour. They can be purchased at City People's Garden Store and all Molbak's locations until July 6. Day of tour, tickets are at Midtown Commons Plaza, 23rd Avenue and East Union Street.

Lawrence Kreisman is program director for Historic Seattle. He serves on the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board and is author of "Made to Last: Historic Preservation in Seattle and King County." Barry Wong is a Seattle Times staff photographer.