Jack Peterson, 92, Home Builder Who Created Mountlake Terrace

Seattle contractor Jack Peterson's middle name could have been "Versatility." He built mansions in Magnolia and synagogues in South Seattle.

He developed the Canlis Restaurant and Frontier Heights, a community east of Everett.

"Oh, and he built a city, Mountlake Terrace, in 1948," said his daughter Penni Whittaker, of Snohomish. "He had a chance to go commercial, but he'd rather build low-cost homes for returning World War II vets and their families. He believed everyone should have a good start, a stake in the future."

Mr. Peterson died of heart failure Nov. 30. He was 92.

Many of those cement-block bungalows in Mountlake Terrace today bear his stamp: He began his career as a bricklayer.

Born in Saskatchewan, he moved to Detroit at 16 to build Model Ts; he fastened the travel-trunk to the back of the car. Later he learned the bricklayer's trade, and in the early 1930s hopped a freight to Seattle to find work.

He not only found work, he found love. He was married 53 years to Helene Peterson, who died in 1989.

"Dad was what you'd call a pioneer builder," said his other daughter, Sandra Walters, of Monroe. "He built houses all over Seattle and Kirkland. In the late 1940s he and his partner, Al LaPierre, began a company that developed Mountlake Terrace. They cleared the land and built those cement-block houses that sold for $4,999.99 and up.

"Dad wanted to give people starter homes they could resell, and move up. But lot of people liked those homes so much, they stayed."

Mr. Peterson also built low-income housing for Navy families in Lake Stevens.

On a trip to Hawaii, he met restaurateur Peter Canlis and persuaded him to open a restaurant with a Polynesian flavor in Seattle. Mr. Peterson subsequently found and developed the property, an upscale Seattle landmark since 1950.

He used to hunt and fish but also enjoyed golf, said Whittaker: "He loved to play gin with his friends on the 19th hole. But he never really did retire. He sometimes would consult on his son's construction projects."

Other survivors include his son, Jon Peterson, of Snohomish; his brother and sister, Gordon Peterson and Edna Nosworthy, Seattle; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Services are at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Everett Golf and Country Club, 1500 52nd St. S.E., Everett.

Remembrances may go to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1124 Columbia St., Seattle, WA, 98104; or the Aid Car Fund of Monroe Fire Department, 163 Village Court, Monroe, WA, 98272.