| Historic Name: |
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Common Name: |
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| Style: |
American Foursquare - Craftsman |
Neighborhood: |
Mount Baker |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1909 |
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| Significance |
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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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Built in 1909, the building was purchased by Martha A. and Frederick G. Simpson in July of 1915. The Simpson’s remodeled the house in 1917 and hired contractor, J. Murdock, to build a garage on the lot. That same year, the Simpson’s also hired contractor, A. Peterson, to build a sun porch and enlarge the existing rear porch. Mrs. Simpson was a widow by 1930. The 1938 Polk directory lists William H. Staley as a resident in addition to Mrs. Simpson. Mr. Staley was a partner in Staley and Company, a general insurance firm. By 1943, only Mr. Staley is listed in the Polk directory. Mr. Staley resided in the building through 1958. Tax records indicate Helen M. Staley purchased the building before December of 1972, at which time Richard Yarmuth bought the property for $30,000.
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.
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| Appearance |
| Built in 1909, this compact, Craftsman-influenced, American Foursquare style, single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular lot. The building is oriented to Bella Vista Avenue South on a flat site 3’ above street level. This 1050 square foot, two-story house with a full basement features a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 35’ by 30’, with a 6’ by 15’ front stoop. A poured concrete foundation scored to look like ashlar supports the wood frame, clapboard- (first story) and stucco- (upper story) clad superstructure. A broad belt course delineates the two stories. Asphalt composition roofing covers the hip roof. Broad overhanging open eaves with exposed rafters define the roofline. Wood sash double hung windows provide day lighting. A short flight of stairs leads to the front porch. The open upper porch features a low railing with an elliptical arched front opening. A brick chimney services the building. The clapboard and stucco cladding and exposed rafters set this building apart stylistically from other American Foursquare buildings within the neighborhood. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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| Cladding(s): |
Shingle, Stucco, Wood - Clapboard |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Hip |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition |
| Building Type: |
Domestic - Single Family |
Plan: |
Rectangular |
| Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
two |
| Unit Theme(s): |
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| Integrity |
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Changes to Windows: |
Intact |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
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Changes to Plan: |
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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City of Seattle. Survey of City-Owned Historic Resources. Prepared by Cathy Wickwire, Seattle, 2001. Forms for Ravenna Park structures.
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Historic Seattle Preservation and Development Authority. "Mount Baker: An Inventory of Buildings and Urban Design Resources."
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Mount Baker Community Club. Flowers We All Love Best in Mount Baker Park, (reprint of 1915 ed.)
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Tobin, Caroline. (2004) "Mount Baker Historic Context Statement."
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