Based on field work conducted in September 2014, this historic property retains its relationship to the streetscape, historic building form and a sufficient amount of exterior historic building fabric (design features, cladding and/or window sash/openings) to contribute to the distinct character of the Georgetown neighborhood. This is a partly altered historic property that may possess some limited architectural and/or historic significance. Constructed ca.1905 as a small one-story, 4-room family dwelling, this house type/form (hipped roof with cut-way corner porch) appears to have been a particularly common/popular early house type built in Georgetown. As virtually identical house most certainly constructed by the same builder is located on the adjacent lot (601 S. Brandon St.). According to King County tax records they were both originally clad with horizontal cedar siding and exhibited double-hung cottage type window sash (w/ ornate upper sash members) and a small front gable at the porch. King County tax records indicate was that both houses were owned by Louis Zimmerman (4-7-1911) and a subsequent owner C.E. Murray (5-24-1943).
This property is directly associated with the crucial years of early Georgetown history between 1890 and 1916 when the community was fully established, as transportation links were created and local industrial operations provided employment opportunities. As land claims were formally platted and family homes constructed, residential real estate development transformed Georgetown from a rough pioneer settlement to a formally chartered city. The most significant residential and commercial construction boom occurred in the first years of the twentieth century with the consolidation of the Seattle Brewing and Malting Company’s operations in Georgetown and the construction of the new brewing facility. With the increase of industry and local commerce, Georgetown grew from a population of 1,913 in 1900 to approximately 7,000 by 1910. The community was characterized by a mixture of modest working class housing and some high-style architecture and a population made up of many newly immigrated people, especially German and Italian immigrants. Although Georgetown came to rely much more on a commercial and industrial economic base rather than agricultural, farming activities did continue to flourish in the area. However, during the latter years of this era the initial construction of the Duwamish Waterway - and the elimination of the Georgetown oxbow segment of the river - created new industrial opportunities and ensured the future role of modern industrial development.
Sources of Information:
Baist’s Real Estate Survey 1912, pl. 22 & 29
“Historic Property Survey Report: Georgetown (Seattle, WA)” City of Seattle 1997
KC Property Record Cards 1937-1972, Puget Sound Regional Archives
Sanborn Insurance Maps: 1904-05 (Vol.1 pl.89-98), 1917 (Vol.3 pl. 353-54 & 357-59), 1929-1949 (Vol.8 pl. 869-72 & 1301-1317).
