Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 4224 4th AVE / Parcel ID 3131201590 / Inv #

Historic Name: Common Name: Style: Modern Neighborhood: Wallingford Built By: Year Built: 1953   Significance This small modern cottage was designed by R. H. Peck (perhaps Raymond Peck, who was involved in a brief but prolific partnership with noted Seattle architect John Stuart Detlie from 1957-1960) and appears to have been built by the owner, A. R. Spencer (who apparently lived across the street at 4209 4th Ave. N. E. when he applied for the building permit). The permit was issued in 1950, and the County Assessor viewed it as having been finished that year, but construction was not actually completed until 1953. The spare modern styling is typical of houses being constructed in Seattle's eastside suburbs in the 1950s. The owner and designer made no attempt to accommodate the modern styling to the existing older pattern of residential siting and development. The building appears to exhibit a high degree of integrity, is representative of the typical mode of building in less developed areas of the region at the time and is an interesting example of modern era infill housing in an eclectic erea neighborhood   Appearance The building is a one story wood clad frame residence on a concrete foundation. There is no basement. The extent of the glazing in the windows lighting the more public south end of the front elevation is made to seem even more extensive by the minimal framing and slender muntin bars. The window turns the corner at the southwest corner. The smaller window at the north end of the front elevation is diminished in comparison and has a high sill as was typical of the more private rooms of suburban housing in the 1950s (perhaps illegally high by today's standards). The gable roof is not flat but rises at a rate too small for shingle roofing; although not visible, the roofing is almost certainly asphalt composition. At the gable ends, the overhang increases as the rake approaches the midpoint of the side elevation, accentuating the minimal roof slope and giving the house a point at the north and south elevations. The wide facia board hides the drainage and makes the roof appear to settle heavily on the building. The verticle siding pattern is another concession to modern era aesthetics. A permit was issued to add a12 x 16 playroom with storage in 1955; however this addition, if it was ever completed, is not visible from the street. There are no significant modifications to the street façade.

Detail for 4224 4th AVE / Parcel ID 3131201590 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Vertical - Board and Batten, Vertical - Boards, Wood Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Gable Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Rectangular Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: one Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Community Planning/Development Integrity Changes to Plan: Intact Changes to Windows: 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. Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl, ed. Shaping Seattle Architecture, A Historical Guide to the Architects. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.

Photo collection for 4224 4th AVE / Parcel ID 3131201590 / Inv #

Photo taken Aug 10, 2004