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Summary for 2523 33rd AVE / Parcel ID 5700000995 / Inv #

Historic Name: Common Name:
Style: American Foursquare - Craftsman Neighborhood: Mount Baker
Built By: Year Built: 1908
 
Significance
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance.
Built in 1908, this building was owned by 1917 by W. R. Kelly, who had a garage constructed that same year. G. P. Haley was the contractor. In January of 1922, Alexander N. and Nellie Gow purchased the residence. Mr. Gow was president of Alex Gow Inc., marine surveyors. In October of 1947, C. Byron Walker purchased the residence for $11,000 and resided in the building through 1954. By 1958, Robert H. Benson lived in the building. In October of 1970, C. Johnson purchased the building for $21,100. 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 1908, this substantial, Craftsman-influenced, American Foursquare style, single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular lot. The building is oriented to Thirty-Third Avenue South on a flat site 3’ above street level. This 840 square foot, two-story house with a full basement features a nearly square plan, measuring approximately 28’ by 30’, with a 17’ by 8’ front stoop. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, shiplap-clad superstructure. Asphalt composition roofing covers the hip roof and front-facing dormer. Open eave overhangs with exposed rafters define the roofline. Wood double hung windows with multiple-pane upper sash provide day lighting. Oriel window projections extend off either side of the second story front facade. A bay window extends off the side facade. A direct flight of stairs leads to the front stoop. Tapered piers support the hiped stoop roof. An internal brick chimney services the building. This building is distinct within the Mount Baker neighborhood as a good example of a Craftsman- influenced, American Foursquare style residence.

Detail for 2523 33rd AVE / Parcel ID 5700000995 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Wood - Shiplap Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Hip Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition
Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Square
Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories:
Unit Theme(s):
Integrity
Changes to Original Cladding: Slight
Changes to Windows: Slight
Changes to Plan: 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 2523 33rd AVE / Parcel ID 5700000995 / Inv #


Photo taken

Photo taken Nov 05, 2003

Photo taken Nov 05, 2003
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