The Kjos residence was built in 1911, for Ole A. Kjos and his wife Agnes. They lived here until 1944. Ole's first employment in Seattle was at the Western Dry Goods Company, at times as the President, Vice President, and Secretary. He was very active in masonic organizations, including the Seattle Rotary Club (1922 - 1942) and Rainier Club (joined 1912). In 1918, he was listed as working with the Saxony Knitting Company. Interestingly, he used worthless German bank notes as business cards.

The house has had about 15 owners over the years. It was the subject of a zoning dispute in the early 1950's, when the then-owner, Mabel B. Walker, attempted to use it as multi-family housing. Leon V. Metcalf, a notable composer and Professor of Music at Seattle Pacific University (then Seattle Pacific College), owned and resided here from 1956 to 1960.

Through the years, the first floor interior has remained in excellent condition, with the original quartersawn oak, windows, and most of the lighting fixtures in place when it was purchased by its current owners in 2000. They have made extensive renovations to the interior and exterior, and have taken care to remain as faithful as possible to the original design and period.