Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 1702 1st AVE / Parcel ID 0809000746 / Inv #

Historic Name: Douglass, E. House Common Name: Douglass/Stine House Style: Vernacular Neighborhood: Queen Anne Built By: Year Built: 1905   Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. The Douglass/Stine Building was constructed in 1905, just one year after Ely Douglass and son James arrived in Seattle. Ely Douglass (b. ca 1856) born in Massachusetts to a French Canadian mother, by 1880 resided in Illinois and was wed to Carrie (b. 1859) also born to French Canadian parents. By 1904, they headed west and settled in Seattle with most of their children who by then were in their late teens and 20s. Ely Douglass, with one of his eldest sons, James, established a business together. Under the firm name of Douglass and Son, they worked as carpenters, building contractors, and architects. The Polk city directories listed Ely Douglass as an architect from 1908 to 1910 and son James Douglass from 1908 to 1922. In 1909 James Douglass developed and manufactured the Douglass Wall Bed, which apparently ceased operations after one year. Until 1910 Douglass and Son designed and built a number of Queen Anne neighborhood houses on speculation; acquiring land, building residences, and selling them. Son James then took over the business and operated it into the 1920s. One of these ‘spec’ projects was started in 1905, after Ely Douglass acquired some vacant lots at 1st Avenue N and Hayes Street. The property was located just one block away from the streetcar that traveled to downtown Seattle via Queen Anne Avenue. On April 8, 1905, Seattle issued Ely Douglass a building permit to build a “1 ½ story frame Cottage 24 x 35 [ft.].” The permit listed Douglass as architect and builder. By the summer of 1905 Douglass completed the house and the following year sold it to Thomas F. Stine (b. ca 1861). Thomas Stine arrived in Seattle right after the 1889 Seattle Fire. He operated a cigar store and then a coal and wood fuel yard in Queen Anne before Northern Pacific Railway hired him as an assistant yardmaster. In 1905, Thomas married Millie Stine (b. ca 1869). Their previous married life was difficult; this was Thomas’s second marriage and Millie’s third. By 1910 Thomas Stine left Northern Pacific Railroad and operated the Seattle Delivery Company for a year. Then he started the Standard Engineering Company which sold and repaired engines, boilers, and power plants. In 1914 the Stines sold the house and moved to southeast Seattle. Later occupants. From the late 1920s through the 1940s Michael F. and Julia E. Morgan owned the house. Michael Morgan worked as a fireman for Seattle Fire Department and then went to work for Todd Shipyards first as a fireman then as a guard. In 1953 manufacturers agent John A. Katica and wife Mary E. acquired the house and still owned it ten years later. The residence appears to meet City of Seattle Landmark criteria due to the age of the structure (about 100 years old) and minimal alterations.   Appearance On April 8, 1905 the Seattle Building Department issued a permit for a one and a half story residence that measured 24 feet wide and 35 feet deep (# 34140). Three years later the house was enlarged with a 14 foot addition and apparently the entire house was remodeled (permit # A 5791). Cook & Redenbaugh were the building contractors and perhaps also the architects of the remodel. The front gable residence has large gambrel dormers on north and south elevations. They both have two pairs of double hung windows with extended trim and brackets immediately above windows and a small circular window near gable peak. The dormer double hung windows are replaced in original surrounds. West elevation has a recessed full width porch with square posts with an Ionic flavor. Upper sash of first floor windows are leaded glass.

Detail for 1702 1st AVE / Parcel ID 0809000746 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Shingle, Wood - Clapboard Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured 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): Architecture/Landscape Architecture Integrity Changes to Windows: Slight Changes to Original Cladding: Intact Changes to Plan: Moderate Major Bibliographic References City of Seattle DCLU Microfilm Records. King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives. Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996. Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Maps of Seattle, Washington. (New York, Sanborn Map Company, 1904-1905) 4 volumes. Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Maps of Seattle, Washington. (New York, Sanborn Map Company, 1916-1919) volumes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6. Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Maps of Seattle, Washington. (New York, Sanborn Map Company, 1949-1950 update) 11 volumes. Seattle Daily Bulletin

Photo collection for 1702 1st AVE / Parcel ID 0809000746 / Inv #

Photo taken Dec 23, 2004