| Historic Name: |
Double NCO Quarters |
Common Name: |
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| Style: |
Colonial - Colonial Revival |
Neighborhood: |
Magnolia |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1930 |
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| Significance |
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Fort Lawton is located in Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood, within the area that is now Discovery Park. Established as a U.S. Army post in 1898, the fort had been envisioned by local residents and businessmen as a major regimental post, with the hope that it would enhance the local economy and the city’s status in its ongoing competition with Tacoma to the south. Upon selection of the site, local landowners donated more than 700 acres for the fort. By 1900, construction of the first seven permanent, wood-frame buildings on the site was completed.
While local aspirations for the fort were slow to be realized, initial construction continued through 1910, at which time there was an assembly of 25 buildings set around an oval-shaped parade ground. While Fort Lawton never became as large or influential as Seattle residents had anticipated, during World War II it was the second-largest port of embarkation on the West Coast. After the 1940s, the use of the fort declined again and many of the temporary and wartime buildings were removed. The Army stayed on until 1972, at which time it transferred ownership of a portion of Fort Lawton to the City of Seattle.
A large portion of the post, including its historic core area, with 25 buildings and parade ground, was surplused by the Army and added to Discovery Park in the mid-1970s. The Fort Lawton Historic District was nominated to and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The City of Seattle designated Fort Lawton as a local historic district in 1988.
The Fort Lawton Historic District is associated with the development and the history of the City of Seattle; and embodies the characteristics of military interpretations of American architectural styles of the 1890s and early 1900s, based on standard Quartermaster General building designs, as well as its planned site. The period of significance for the Fort Lawton Historic District extends from its inception in 1898 to 1945, based on the development of the post, with additional buildings and site features resulting from the Depression-era public works, and the fort's role in WWII.
Building 902 was constructed as NCO housing and is located on the south end of Montana Circle. It was built in the 1930s according to standard quartermaster general plans.
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| Appearance |
| Non-commissioned officers' (NCO) housing was constructed on Montana Circle, which is a one-way, U-shaped street located northwest of the parade ground and at the northwest portion of the Historic District. The area is bounded by Kansas Avenue on the west, Utah Street on the south, and the secondary or service portion of Montana Circle on the east. The topography slopes down severely around the northern edge of the Montana Circle area.
Constructed from standard quartermaster general plans, the houses on Montana Circle exhibit military interpretations of the architectural style of the period (turn of the 20th century), with Colonial Revival influence. Buildings 901 and 902 were built later, in the 1930s, and are brick rather than wood-clad. Nonetheless they are in keeping with the Colonial Revival style of the earlier dwellings in this area.
This complex of residential buildings includes the encircling paved roadway, Montana Circle; concrete walks that lead up to the front entries of the dwellings; the mature Maple, Lombardy Poplars, and several flowering trees in front of and between the dwellings; and a portion of Idaho Avenue on the east with a grove of mature Giant Sequoia near its intersection with Utah Street.
Building 902 – Double NCO Quarters
(Constructed 1930s)
This building is located at the south end of the street on the west side of Montana Circle, its primary façade facing east. This two-story duplex with basement is bearing brick construction on a sandstone foundation. Walls are finished in common bond. The main mass of the house measures approximately 40' by 28', with an 11' by 16' sun porch projecting from either end of the building. The side-gabled main roof is finished with flat, red clay tile. A brick endwall chimney is located at either end of the house. The sun porch and entry porch roofs are clad with standing seam copper roofing. Two one-car garages are provided at the basement level, accessed from the west via a paved driveway.
A single-story, enclosed entry porch projects from the central portion of the primary (east) façade. Two sets of concrete steps with metal railing provide access to the porch – one each on the north and south ends. Entry doors feature a fanlight, as do two pairs of glazed, double-leaf doors on the east side of the porch. Fenestration consists primarily of six-over-six, double-hung wood sash windows. First-story windows on the primary façade are tripartite, with the central portion six-over-six. Exterior trim includes stone window sills, brick flat arch headers, and a frieze band.
According to the 2006 conditions report, each dwelling unit consists of a living room, sun room, dining room, and kitchen at the first floor, and three bedrooms and a bathroom at the second floor. Wall and ceiling finishes are plaster, and flooring is oak. The kitchen floor is vinyl and bathroom floor is 1" mosaic tile. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
NR, LR |
| Cladding(s): |
Brick - Common Bond |
Foundation(s): |
Stone |
| Roof Type(s): |
Gable |
Roof Material(s): |
Clay Tile |
| Building Type: |
Domestic - Multiple Family |
Plan: |
Irregular |
| Structural System: |
Brick |
No. of Stories: |
two |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Community Planning/Development, Military |
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| Major Bibliographic References |
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Lentz, Florence, et al. "Historic American Buildings Survey, Fort Lawton." U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service, Pacific Northwest Region, 1981.
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Kavanaugh, Major Robert E. "Fort Lawton." National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, January 1978.
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Mann, Millegan, Morse and Ramsey. "Fort Lawton Buildings: A Survey and Report, Prepared for City of Seattle Parks and Recreation." August 15, 1975.
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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Seattle District. "Context Study of the United States Quartermaster General Standardized Plans 1866-1942." Report prepared for U.S. Army Environmental Ctr, Envir. Compliance Division, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., Nov. 1997.
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Upchurch Architects, Inc. and SLA Studio Land. "Navy Historic Housing Classifications of the Montana Circle, Washington Ave N & Washington Ave S Homes in Fort Lawton." Prepared for Pacific NW Communities, LLC, Nov. 1, 2006.
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