| Historic Name: |
Graham, John, Jr., House |
Common Name: |
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| Style: |
Colonial - Georgian Revival |
Neighborhood: |
Queen Anne |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1928 |
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| Significance |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places. |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). |
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This is one of Queen Anne's best examples of the classic Georgian Revival style, which was popular in several Seattle neighborhoods during the 1920s. It was built in 1928 for Frederick D. Hammons, the secretary-treasurer of the Seattle Times Company, and his wife Claire. During the 1940s-60s it was owned by John Graham, Jr., an architect well known for his design of Northgate Shopping Center, the Bank of California Building , the U.S. Naval Hospital in Bremerton and other major commercial properties. In 1967 it was purchased by Robert Benjamin, an accountant, and his wife Nancy. The current owner has been here since the 1970s.
No original permit has been found to identify the architect. However, in 1937, a steel awning over the sun porch was designed by Joseph S. Cote, one of Seattle's most prominent architects. This may indicate that Cote was the original designer of the building. This house bears some resemblance to one of his earlier works, the William Piggott house (1920-21) on Capitol Hill.
Cote was born in Quebec in 1874 and studied architecture at Columbia University. He worked with the New York firm of Heins and LaFarge, coming to Seattle in 1903 with W. Marbury Somervell to oversee construction of St. James Cathedral. The two were in partnership from 1906 until 1910, producing many of the city's most significant buildings. Their Beaux-Arts training and East Coast experience made them well suited to provide Seattle with appropriate architectural symbols for civic institutions. Cote was the principal designer of the Perry Apartments on First Hill (destroyed), the original Swedish Hospital building (destroyed) and the Sunset Club (1914-15); they also designed three libraries (Green Lake, West Seattle, and University, 1908-1910) and Providence Hospital (1907-1912). Cote returned to Seattle following World War I service, and continued his architectural practice, primarily doing residential commissions.
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| Appearance |
| This is a highly-detailed example of the Georgian Revival style, with a gabled roof, red brick cladding and a symmetrical façade. The deep cornice has Greek key and scalloped patterns. At each end is an external brick chimney, flanked by quarter-round vents. The center entry has a gabled portico with two pairs of Egyptian-influenced columns and a fanlight and sidelights of leaded glass. There are two windows on each side of the entry, all with six-over-six double-hung sash, cast stone lintels and sills, and black shutters. The lintels have incised designs with urns and floral motifs. The second floor has six similar windows; the two above the entry are slightly smaller that the others. Generally similar windows are found on the other elevations, some in groups of three. The north elevation has a gable-roofed enclosed porch and a secondary entry with a lead glass fanlight and and an elaborate pediment with fleur de lis and other patterns. At the rear (west), not visible from the front, is a two-story addition containing a double garage; the original garage is in the basement of the house. Landscaping is formal, with foundation shrubs, a small lawn and a hedge along the sidewalk. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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| Cladding(s): |
Brick |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Gable |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition-Shingle |
| Building Type: |
Domestic - Single Family |
Plan: |
Rectangular |
| Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
two |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture |
| Integrity |
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Changes to Windows: |
Intact |
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Changes to Plan: |
Slight |
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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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Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl, ed. Shaping Seattle Architecture, A Historical Guide to the Architects. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.
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