Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 2500 3rd AVE / Parcel ID 265250-0126 / Inv #

Historic Name: Reichert, Robert, House Common Name: Style: Modern - Shed Neighborhood: Queen Anne Built By: Year Built: 1952   Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places. In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). Queen Anne was well developed before World War II, so relatively few houses were built in the neighborhood when the post-war Modern movement began. This is considered Queen Anne's first Modernist house, designed in 1952 by noted local architect Robert Reichert, as a studio and home for himself and his mother. Its unusual shape was to accommodate a large pipe organ. Its small size and use of materials expresses the sense of economy and innovation often found in architect-designed houses of the period. The house was originally painted with black and white supergraphics, causing considerable consternation among neighbors. The rest of the small lot was designed as well, with concrete obelisks and a black fence with wind-powered rings. None of this, or the supergraphics, remain. The house is now largely surrounded by trees and shrubs. Seattle architect Robert Reichert (1923 – 1996) was born in Fargo, North Dakota and lived in Seattle for most of his adult life. Reichert was committed to two passions – architecture and music. He received an undergraduate degree in music from the University of Minnesota in 1947. He then attended Harvard University, studying with renowned Bauhaus architect Walter Gropius, and received a master’s degree in architecture in 1951. Reichert also studied at the Royal College of Organists, London and MacPhail College in Minneapolis. His early architectural career included work on federal government buildings in Washington, D.C., Massachusetts, Cuba and Colombia. His architectural practice in Seattle (1951 – 1996) focused primarily on residential work, but also included helping to plan a new wing of Swedish Hospital, the University Congregational Church, portions of the Labor Temple on Second Avenue and several University of Washington buildings. He joined the unviersity faculty, teaching classes and design studios in 1948–1949, 1956–1957 and 1962–1963. During this period he was also the organist for the Church of Christ, Seattle. Reichert designed his houses to express romanticism through recognized architectural vocabulary, saying "…these small wooden buildings …have provided examples of a romantic viewpoint. Yes, they are very different from those around them, as they are romanticism in a time of the most excruciating realism.…" (Architect's Statement, Seattle Art Museum Exhibition, January 1990.)   Appearance This unusual modern house sits on a small (1800 square foot) corner lot, surrounded by trees and shrubs. The house is only 1,080 square feet, on an unusually small lot. It has a steep shed roof with a very shallow eave; the high point is on the east side. There are few windows, with three on each side elevation and two on the east; windows are all aluminum frame. The west elevation, fronting on the street has the garage door but no windows. A sliding glass door opens into the rear parking area, which appears to be the main entrance; there is no door on the street. Cladding is horizontal wood, painted off-white.

Detail for 2500 3rd AVE / Parcel ID 265250-0126 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Wood Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Shed Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition-Shingle Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Rectangular Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: two Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture Integrity Changes to Original Cladding: Extensive Changes to Plan: Intact Changes to Windows: Slight Major Bibliographic References Woodbridge, Sally and Roger Montgomery. A Guide to Architecture in Washington State. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1980. Reinartz, Kay F. Queen Anne: Community on the Hill. Seattle: Queen Anne Historical Society, 1993. MacIntosh, Heather, "Preserving the Egan House," Preservation Seattle, October 2003, www.historicseattle.org.

Photo collection for 2500 3rd AVE / Parcel ID 265250-0126 / Inv #

Photo taken Jul 06, 2004