| Historic Name: |
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Common Name: |
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| Style: |
Vernacular |
Neighborhood: |
Beacon Hill |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1905 |
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| Significance |
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Built in 1905, this building was occupied by William and Mary May in 1925. By 1926, the May’s constructed a garage on the property. Mr. May worked as a carpenter and contractor. The May’s remained through 1944. By 1954, Lottie M. Jovanovich lived in the building, followed by Milo A. Brekke by 1958.
Beacon Hill is a long north-south tending ridge located southeast of downtown Seattle and stands 350 feet at its highest point. The hill’s steep topography deterred substantial Euro-American settlement through the early 1880s. Then, development of the area was stimulated by the introduction of streetcar lines in the 1890s, its proximity to Seattle’s main industrial area to the west, and the regrading of the hill’s north end in the early 1900s.
Originally acquired by the City in 1898, Jefferson Park was integrated into Seattle’s Olmsted system of parks, and the Olmsted Brothers prepared a plan for the park in 1912. The first public golf course west of the Mississippi opened at Jefferson Park in 1915. Jefferson Park has exerted a profound positive influence on the development of the Beacon Hill neighborhood.
Because of its proximity to the International District, Japanese and Chinese families moved to Beacon Hill starting in the 1920s. World War I and II stimulated a surge in housing development associated with wartime industry. The construction of Interstate 5 in the 1960s and Interstate 90 in the 1980s sliced through the neighborhoods and contributed to Beacon Hill’s relative isolation. Today, Beacon Hill is an ethnically diverse working class community, which has a mixed Asian, Chicano, African American, and Caucasian population.
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| Appearance |
| Built in 1905, this compact, vernacular style, single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular lot. The building is oriented to Thirteenth Avenue South on a sloping site at street level. This 740 square foot, one-and-a-half story house with a full basement features a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 20’ by 37’, with a 5’ by 5’ recessed front stoop. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, shiplap-clad superstructure. Asphalt composition roofing covers the cross gable roof and gable roof dormer. Modest closed eave and gable overhangs with prominent rake trim and continuous eaves define the roofline with eave returns on the dormer. Wood sash 1:1 windows with painted wood casings provide day lighting. A direct flight of stairs leads to the front stoop. A wood post carries the projecting upper story of the residence sheltering the stoop. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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| Cladding(s): |
Wood - Shiplap |
Foundation(s): |
Unknown |
| Roof Type(s): |
Gable |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition |
| Building Type: |
Domestic - Single Family |
Plan: |
Rectangular |
| Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
one & ½ |
| Unit Theme(s): |
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| Integrity |
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Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
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Changes to Windows: |
Moderate |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
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| Major Bibliographic References |
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City of Seattle DCLU Microfilm Records.
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King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives.
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Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996.
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City of Seattle. Survey of City-Owned Historic Resources. Prepared by Cathy Wickwire, Seattle, 2001. Forms for Ravenna Park structures.
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Tobin, Caroline. (2004) "Beacon Hill Historic Context Statement."
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