AKA: Senders, Ralph, House, Mercer Island, WA; Coulter, Ronald, House, Mercer Island, WA

Structure Type: built works - dwellings - houses

Designers: Tucker and Shields, Architects (firm); Robert McKay Shields (architect); Bert Atherton Tucker (architect)

Dates: constructed 1957-1958

1 story, total floor area: 2,800 sq. ft.

view all images ( of 1 shown)

8226 SE 41st Street
Mercer Island, WA 98040

OpenStreetMap (new tab)
Google Map (new tab)
click to view google map

Overview

The Seattle architectural firm of Tucker and Shields produced this house for Jarvis Alan Stixrood (1920-1981), a mechanical (automotive) engineer who worked for the Pacific Car and Foundry Company (PACCAR) from the late 1940s until at least the late 1960s.

Building History

By 1997, this residence had had four owners: Jarvis Stixrood (1958-1962), Ralph Senders (1962-1972), Ronald Coulter (1972-1997) and Jeffry and Sandra Rae Condiotty (1997-present). (See email from Sandy Condiotty to the author, 05/19/2015. Thank you very much to her for this information.)

Building Notes

In 2019, the house occupied a 14,081-square-foot, .32-acre lot. The 5-bedroom, 2 and 3/4-bath house had 1,470 square feet on the first floor, and contained a 1,320-square-foot basement, for 2,790 total square feet.

Jarvis Stixrood was also an inventor responsible for at least three US patents, one of which he was the sole assginee. (He also held Canadian patents.) His first was US Patent #2,859,045 (granted 11/04/1958) for "A Vehicle Suspension Lock" to Stixrood and John M. Beaufort. Stixrood alone received US Patent #2,896,583 (granted 07/28/1959) for a "Counterbalancing Hydraulic Cylinder" and US Patent #3,416,773 (granted on 12/17/1968) for a "Skidder Winch." According to US Patent Office information, the Counterbalancing Hydraulic Cylinder "...relates to hydraulic cylinders, particularly counterbalancing hydraulic cylinders wherein energy storing means are used to augment the force exerted by the hydraulic pressure. ln the construction of heavy equipment, hydraulic cylinders have been widely used to operate various elements of the equipment and hold the elements in any required position." (See US Patent #2,896,583, "A Counterbalancing Hydraulic Cylinder." accessed 05/19/2015.) He shared credit for the Skidder Winch with Joseph R. Bruce of Seattle, and Edwin C. Holden, of Benton, WA, who were the assignors to the Pacific Car and Foundry Company (PACCAR), of Renton, WA. (See US Patent #3416773 A "A Skidder Winch," accessed 05/19/2015.)

Alteration

A deck was replaced between 2007 and 2010.