| Historic Name: |
Osgood, Frank H., House |
Common Name: |
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| Style: |
Colonial - Dutch Colonial |
Neighborhood: |
Queen Anne |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1903 |
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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 most noted houses, identified in several historic resurce surveys as well as the book “Homes and Gardens of the Pacific Coast, 1913,” which called it a splendid example of Dutch Colonial architecture, with “sturdy and strong lines.” The original owner was Frank H. Osgood, an engineer who came from Boston to design and build the Queen Anne Counterbalance. In 1884 he established the Seattle Street Railway on Front Street downtown, with backing from Judge Thomas Burke. He later became involved in other engineering efforts and businesses, including the Smith Cannery Machine Company. To design his house, Osgood hired a Boston architect, R. Clipson Sturgis of the firm of Sturgis & Barton; this is said to be a replica of a home in Brookline, MA. The Osgoods remained here until 1936, when it was purchased by Dickinson Harper, an officer in an investment company. The current owners purchased the home in 1991 and meticulously restored it.
A second home has been built on the front (north) half of the lot, and a garage and brick wall on the eastern edge of the property make the house difficult to see. The original address was 655 West Highland Drive.
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| Appearance |
| While the Dutch Colonial style is very common on Queen Anne, this house is larger (and earlier) than most other examples, rising 2-1/2 stories. Cladding is red brick with a white belt course between stories, and a slate roof. The gambrel roof has flat brackets and three gabled shingle-clad dormers on the north and south elevations, each with one 6/6 window. The main entry is on the north side, with a wide wood surround with sidelights, but no porch, as it is approached from a private courtyard. Above the entry is a three-part window with a gabled pediment; the center section is a 6/6 double-hung window, flanked by four-light windows. The first and second floors have three-part windows with 4/1 windows flanking a 6/1 sash. Windows on the south (rear) have shutters; there is also a recessed porch in the center, with fluted columns. The east end has a two-story gabled wing with 6/6 windows, a cupola and a deck with a turned balustrade. At the west is a one-story sunroom, topped with a terrace with an iron balustrade. South of the house is a large garden, with a wrought iron gate and cast stone ornament at the southeast corner of the lor. At the northeast corner of the lot is a one-story garage. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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| Cladding(s): |
Brick, Shingle |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Flat, Gable, Gambrel |
Roof Material(s): |
Slate |
| Building Type: |
Domestic - Single Family |
Plan: |
Irregular |
| Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
two & ½ |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Science & Engineering |
| Integrity |
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Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
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Changes to Windows: |
Intact |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
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| Major Bibliographic References |
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Williams, Jacqueline B. The Hill with a Future: Seattle's Capitol Hill 1900-1946. Seattle: CPK Ink, 2001.
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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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Calvert, Frank. Homes and Gardens of the Pacific Coast. Vol. 1, Seattle. Beaux Arts Village: Beaux Arts Society Publishers, 1913.
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Reinartz, Kay F. Queen Anne: Community on the Hill. Seattle: Queen Anne Historical Society, 1993.
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