Frederick W. Winters House, Spanish Colonial Revival residence in Bellevue, United States.
The Frederick W. Winters House is a two-story residence in Bellevue, Washington, built in 1929 in a mix of Spanish Eclectic and Mission Revival styles. Cecilia Winters's brother Elmer H. Roedel designed it based on his own home in Portland, Oregon. The house is owned by the City of Bellevue and has been closed since 2016 for light rail construction along Bellevue Way.
Frederick and Cecilia Winters settled by Mercer Slough in 1916 and ran a bulb farm, raising narcissus and Dutch and Spanish irises. Their third home was built in 1929 for $32,000, designed by Cecilia's brother Elmer H. Roedel after his own Portland house. The City of Bellevue bought the property in 1988 and renovated it; it joined the National Register in 1992.
The house reflects how successful farmers in this region lived and furnished their homes with refined taste. The period pieces inside reveal the daily routines and aspirations of people who built wealth through local agriculture.
The house has been closed since 2016 for construction of the East Link light rail line along Bellevue Way, so the building itself cannot be visited. Trains now run in a trench 9 feet (2.7 m) in front of it, covered by a lid that serves as the front yard. The Mercer Slough trailhead and interpretive center added in the 1990s remain the practical starting point for walks in the area.
When foreign flower bulbs could not be imported, local production flourished and made farms like the Winters operation key suppliers for the entire market. This economic opportunity allowed families to showcase their success with a grand residence.
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