| Historic Name: |
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Common Name: |
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| Style: |
Queen Anne |
Neighborhood: |
Beacon Hill |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1895 |
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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 1895, this building was owned by F. Swanberg by August of 1911 when a permit was issued to remove a nonbearing partition wall, repair the porch and build a woodshed. In May of 1922, Samuel J. Osten purchased the property. Mr. and Mrs. Jessie F. Osten lived in the building from ca 1919 through 1941. Mr. Osten worked as a blacksmith. By 1949, E. N. Conner and J. F. Flanagan lived in the building, followed by Gladys Conner and Gayler Alexander in 1953. Mrs. Conner remained through 1955. Peter D. Woo lived in the building from 1957 through 1970.
Beacon Hill is a long north-south tending ridge located southeast of downtown Seattle and stands 350 feet at its highest point. The hill’s steep topography deterred substantial Euro-American settlement through the early 1880s. Then, development of the area was stimulated by the introduction of streetcar lines in the 1890s, its proximity to Seattle’s main industrial area to the west, and the regrading of the hill’s north end in the early 1900s.
Originally acquired by the City in 1898, Jefferson Park was integrated into Seattle’s Olmsted system of parks, and the Olmsted Brothers prepared a plan for the park in 1912. The first public golf course west of the Mississippi opened at Jefferson Park in 1915. Jefferson Park has exerted a profound positive influence on the development of the Beacon Hill neighborhood.
Because of its proximity to the International District, Japanese and Chinese families moved to Beacon Hill starting in the 1920s. World War I and II stimulated a surge in housing development associated with wartime industry. The construction of Interstate 5 in the 1960s and Interstate 90 in the 1980s sliced through the neighborhoods and contributed to Beacon Hill’s relative isolation. Today, Beacon Hill is an ethnically diverse working class community, which has a mixed Asian, Chicano, African American, and Caucasian population.
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| Appearance |
| Built in 1895, this vertically-emphasized, Queen Anne style, single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular corner lot at the intersection of Massachusetts Street and Fifteenth Avenue South. The building is oriented to Thirteenth Avenue South on a flat site 3’ above street level. This 1086 square foot, two-story house with a full daylight basement features an almost square plan, measuring approximately 32’ by 35’, with a 4’ by 29’ front porch. A brick foundation supports the wood frame, clapboard-clad superstructure. Shingles highlight the gable ends and transition between first and second stories. Asphalt composition roofing covers the hip roof and gable roof wall dormers. Wood sash 1:1 double hung windows and a contemporary front picture window provide day lighting for interior spaces. A small multiple-lite casement window flanks the main entrance. All windows, except half story dormer windows, feature painted wood casings. A direct flight of stairs leads to the front porch. Four boxed wood piers support the hipped porch roof. A low solid railing extends along the porch beneath the piers. A substantial exterior brick chimney services the building. A single story pre-1937 addition extends off the building’s back side. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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| Cladding(s): |
Shingle, Wood - Clapboard |
Foundation(s): |
Brick |
| 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: |
Slight |
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Changes to Plan: |
Slight |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Slight |
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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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Tobin, Caroline. (2004) "Beacon Hill Historic Context Statement."
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