Historic Name: |
Constantine, Lefteros & Bertha, House |
Common Name: |
|
Style: |
Spanish - Eclectic |
Neighborhood: |
Queen Anne |
Built By: |
|
Year Built: |
1927 |
|
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). |
|
This is one of the most prominent houses in Queen Anne Park, and one of several Mediterranean Revival houses. It is notable for its strong Italian Renaissance influence, with a hipped roof and arched windows. The first owner and the architect have not been identified, but it may well have been built by Joseph Grandey, who built many similar houses in the vicinity. In the 1940s it was purchased by Lefteros Constantine, who owned Pike Place Fish Company with Jack Amon. Constantine died in the 1950s, and his wife Bertha lived here into the 1960s. The house is largely intact, except that the original clay tile roof has been replaced with composition shingle. In 2002 a narrow addition was made on the rear, enclosing a deck.
Queen Anne Park, bounded roughly by W. Bertona, W. Barrett, Seventh Avenue W. and Eleventh Avenue W., was developed in 1926 by the Fred W. Keen Company, with the intention of creating an exclusive gated community. A key feature of the subdivision was its curving streets, laid out by Morford & Mowrey, Civil Engineers, to reduce the steep grades and “lend beauty to the homesites.” Each site had a view, with some houses being built on speculation and others for owners. Construction and sales were done by the J. L. Grandey Company. The company took great pride in the fact that concrete streets, sidewalks and utility installation were all completed before home construction began. Plans were made for 230 homes; however, the stock market crash of 1929 occurred before they were all built, so development occurred more slowly than planned. The result is that the numerous Revival styles from the 1920s-30s are mixed with buildings from the 1950s-60s. It was the first housing addition on Queen Anne to deviate from the standard rectilinear street grid, instead applying a curvilinear layout that responded to the contours of the terrain. The same notions of site design were used in the Maple View Park Addition, and Hill’s Queen Anne Park, which followed in 1927 and 1929.
|
|
|
Appearance |
This hip-roofed house has an L-shaped plan, with a hip-roofed wing extending from the south side of the main façade. Cladding is stucco. The entry is at the center, where the wing meets the main volume of the house; the recessed entry has a simple cast stone surround and cornice, with an elaborate shield design above. First floor windows are 12-light arched casements with leaded glass; two pairs are to the south of the entry and one to the north. The main window on this floor is a four-part arched window with leaded glass. The second floor of the wind has a pair of 8-light casement windows; other windows are six-over-one double-hung sash. |
|
|
Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
|
Cladding(s): |
Stucco |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
Roof Type(s): |
Hip |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition-Shingle |
Building Type: |
Domestic - Single Family |
Plan: |
L-Shape |
Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
two |
Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture |
Integrity |
Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
Changes to Windows: |
Intact |
|
Major Bibliographic References |
King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives.
|
Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996.
|
Morford, George E., "Concrete Pavements First Improvement Specified for Queen Anne Park, Seattle," Concrete Highways and Public Improvements, February 1928.
|
|
|