Pre-1925: The Doxy Houseboats

Seattle pioneer John Doxy was born in Indiana in 1855 and came west to Seattle at the age of 30 with his wife and two young daughters in 1886, welcoming the birth of sons William and Ellery in Issaquah. Following the Great Seattle Fire in 1889, Mr. Doxy became a building contractor and helped to rebuild the city. In 1914, the Doxy family had settled in Madison Park, and by 1917 had established their family home at 2022 43rd Avenue N (initially registered as 2026 Laurel Shade Avenue). In 1919, William acquired additional property along the shoreline of Lake Washington at the future site of the Shoremont and Lakecrest Apartments, 2012 and 2020 43rd Avenue North (Laurel Shade Avenue was renamed 43rd Avenue North by 1919). In addition to their full-time occupations, John, William and Ellery owned and managed several rental cottages and houseboats at this location and were active members of the Madison Park community, working to improve the neighborhood in an attempt to restore the shoreline to its former position as a recreation destination. They owned and managed these rental units between 1919 and 1925, at which point the houseboats were sold to prepare for the construction of the Shoremont Apartments. Articles of incorporation were posted in the Seattle Daily Times on November 6, 1925 for the Shoremont Company, Inc., listing William, Ellery and John Doxy as the chief incorporators.