Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 1958 8TH AVE / Parcel ID 7011200800 / Inv #

Historic Name: Voswinkel/Anderson House Common Name: Voswinkel/Anderson House Style: Vernacular Neighborhood: Queen Anne Built By: Year Built: 1899   Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. The Voswinkel/Anderson House was constructed in 1899 with a large addition added in 1900. Carpenter and house builder Henry Connelly arrived in Seattle in 1888, during the city’s first major building boom (1887 to 1891). This began Connelly's 30 year career in the city building homes and doing carpentry work. Building slowed nearly to a halt during the years 1892 to 1897, but the 1897 arrival of the steamer Portland with a ton of Klondike gold started Seattle’s second building boom. In the spring 1899 property owner Emma Voswinkel hired Connelly to build a small house which Brother John J. Anderson acquired the following year. Brother Anderson (b. 1864) emigrated from Sweden in 1880 and arrived in Seattle in late 1888 from Minnesota with his Norwegian wife Hannah (b. 1864) and a one month old child. For a few months, Anderson worked for Stetson and Post Mill when, in June 1889, the mill along with the rest of downtown Seattle went up in flames. Anderson’s trade was a glazier, a window glass cutter and installer, so as the post fire city rebuilt; his services were in high demand. In early spring 1900, Anderson hired a carpenter named B. H. or R. H. Nelson to build two additions (12 x 28 and 14 x 26 feet) to the original residence, which Nelson completed by summer 1900. The house was constructed at the beginning of Seattle's second major building boom that lasted for about a decade. The Andersons moved in with their five children; Roy (12 years old), Dina (11), twins Ruth and Ruby (8), and Walter (1). The nearest streetcar line to downtown was located about half a mile from the house at 6th Avenue W and Olympic Place. After living in the house for six years, the Andersons left Seattle. Later occupants. In the late 1920s Dave Hassel; in 1937 Hattie Walk owned the house and rented it for $18.00 per month; during the 1940s building contractor Clifford C. and wife Alpha O. Reade resided there; by 1953 waitress Mrs. Kathryn J. Howard lived in the house; by 1961 she married Gerald P. Murphy, who was assistant general manager for importer John W. Roby & Company. The 1975 Historic Seattle Survey of the Queen Anne neighborhood listed the residence as Significant to the Community. The residence appears to meet City of Seattle Landmark ciriteria due to the age of the structure (over 100 years old) and minimal alterations. Variant address: The Seattle Polk Directory from 1897 until 1900 listed the house at 1956 8th Ave W.   Appearance The Voswinkel/Anderson House was constructed in spring 1899 and the following spring two additions were added that tripled the size of the residence (permit #s 1492 and 3822). The main west portion of the residence is one and a half stories and the east 'addition' is one story. The roof of the eclectic building is a mixture of hip and gable. The west elevation has a double gable end. The northern gable end has a single double hung window and the southern gable end has a triple double hung window. The west elevation porch has Doric columns which support a gable roof. At the southwest corner is a one-story bay window. Some of the window sashes are replaced.

Detail for 1958 8TH AVE / Parcel ID 7011200800 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Wood - Clapboard Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Other Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Irregular Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: one & ½ Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture Integrity Changes to Windows: Slight Changes to Plan: Extensive Changes to Original Cladding: Extensive 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 Historic Seattle Preservation and Development Authority. “Queen Anne: An Inventory of Buildings and Urban Design Resources.” Seattle: Historic Seattle, 1975.

Photo collection for 1958 8TH AVE / Parcel ID 7011200800 / Inv #

Photo taken Dec 23, 2004