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Summary for 2534 34th AVE / Parcel ID 5700001895 / Inv #

Historic Name: Common Name:
Style: American Foursquare - Craftsman Neighborhood: Mount Baker
Built By: Year Built: 1916
 
Significance
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance.
Built in 1916 at a cost of $3700, this building was owned by G. E. Marice and designed by Seattle architect, Charles Haynes. Freeman C. Scharr moved into the building ca 1937. In December of 1938, Richard W. Ward purchased the building. Francis G. Mullins purchased the building in August of 1940 and remained through 1958. The Mount Baker neighborhood comprises two north-south tending ridges located southeast of downtown Seattle along Lake Washington. Initial development of the area occurred relatively late, post-1900, following the construction of the Rainier Avenue Electric Street Railway in the 1890s. York Station on Rainier Avenue and the Dose Addition were developed earlier than the Mount Baker Park Addition, platted in 1907 by the Hunter Tract Improvement Company. The Mount Baker Park Addition represents the core of the neighborhood and is its primary character-defining feature. Mount Baker Park is one of Seattle’s earliest planned residential communities that successfully integrated the natural environment and a relatively exclusive residential neighborhood in its layout of lots, streets, boulevards, and parks. The houses, primarily built between 1905 and 1929, reflect a variety of eclectic and Northwest-based architectural styles, and include designs by many prominent local architects. Other important influences were the streetcar connection with downtown Seattle, the integration of local parks and boulevards into the Olmsted system, the construction of Franklin High School in 1912, and the building of the Mount Baker tunnel and Lacey V. Murrow Floating Bridge to Mercer Island in 1940. Today this middle-to-upper income neighborhood remains predominantly residential, is home to an ethnically diverse population, and retains much of its planned character.
 
Appearance
Built in 1916, this restrained, Craftsman-influenced, American Foursquare style, single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular lot. The building is oriented away from Thirty-Fourth Avenue South on a sloping site at street level. This 1362 square foot, two-story house with a full daylight basement features a nearly square plan, measuring approximately 32’ by 36’, with a 8’ by 10’ front porch. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, clapboard-clad superstructure. Corner boards accent the buildings corners. Asphalt composition roofing covers the pyramidal roof. Broad overhanging eaves with decoratively cut brackets and a wide fascia define the roofline. Wood sash 8:1 and 4:1 double hung windows and tall multiple lite casement windows with transoms provide day lighting. Paneled wood pillars and pilasters support the front stoop roof. A low railing wraps the stoop roof. An engaged brick chimney services the building.

Detail for 2534 34th AVE / Parcel ID 5700001895 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Wood - Clapboard Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Pyramidal Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition
Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Square
Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: two
Unit Theme(s):
Integrity
Changes to Windows: Intact
Changes to Plan: Intact
Changes to Original Cladding: Intact
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.
City of Seattle. Survey of City-Owned Historic Resources. Prepared by Cathy Wickwire, Seattle, 2001. Forms for Ravenna Park structures.
Historic Seattle Preservation and Development Authority. "Mount Baker: An Inventory of Buildings and Urban Design Resources."
Mount Baker Community Club. Flowers We All Love Best in Mount Baker Park, (reprint of 1915 ed.)
Tobin, Caroline. (2004) "Mount Baker Historic Context Statement."

Photo collection for 2534 34th AVE / Parcel ID 5700001895 / Inv #


Photo taken Nov 06, 2003

Photo taken

Photo taken
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