Born in England, Fred Sexton studied architecture in Chicago and Minneapolis and spent time in Tacoma before arriving in Everett in 1891. He was living in a tent when he started building some of the city's most iconic structures, including Rudebeck Hall, Brue Building, the Rice-McFarland Building, and Hotel Everett.
Sexton also made his mark in homes, designing them for some of the town's top businesspeople. He built the residence at 2612 Harrison Avenue for for investor C.H. Boynton around 1900 but actually ended up living there himself for four years, which is why its commonly referred to as the Sexton House and not the Boynton House. Whatever you call it, the 3-BR, 1.25 bath is on the market asking $219K.
While the home has been updated, it's clearly still holding on to a lot of that original charm, not to mention a few original materials. We love the brick mailbox stand right out front, mail-trucks be damned. The floors are the original ones, made from old growth fir. The windows, door casings and staircase banister are all original as well.
Part of Everett's Riverside district, many of Sexton's homes from the era still stand in one form or another. His trademark was including ornamentation in a manner suggesting Picturesque Eclecticism, a style that favored theatricality over substance. Perhaps then, Sexton would have appreciated the design on the garage door that's wildly out of place with the rest of the house but sure makes you take notice.
· 2612 Harrison Ave, Everett [Estately]
· Riverside Neighborhood self-guided history tour [HE]