Historic Name: |
Robinson, Willis & Jessie, House |
Common Name: |
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Style: |
American Foursquare |
Neighborhood: |
Queen Anne |
Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1909 |
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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). |
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This elegant house has both architectural and historic significance. Although there is no original permit data, it appears to have been built for Willis W. Robinson and his wife Jessie. Robinson was president of the W. W. Robinson Company, a wholesale grain, hay and feed dealer. He also owned the Robinson Land Company, which invested in irrigated lands and may have owned property where the grain was grown. The Robinsons had moved out by 1920. The house was later owned by the Carstens Packing Company and by the late 1930s was leased to the consul of the Empire of Japan. Newspaper accounts record the consul leaving the house in some disarray in December 1941, following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the subsequent declaration of war. During the war and for some time afterwards it was used as an apartment or rooming house. From 1951 until sometime in the 1960s, Howell O. Morrison owned the house; Mr. Morrison was a musician, dance instructor and organ aficionado, whose recitals evidently disturbed the neighbors at times, based on complaints to the Buidling Department.
The home’s interior has extensive woodwork in exotic woods such as white oak, paduak, narra, and apitong. Although the architects have not been confirmed, it is very typical of the work of Bebb and Mendel, the most prominent designers of grand residences for Seattle business leaders of the time. In the 1980s the house deteriorated and sat vacant until the present owners purchased the house in 1992; they have now completely restored it. They had the address changed from 1025 1st Avenue W. to 111 W. Prospect St. The exterior is largely original, although the original slate roof has been replaced with asphalt shingles. A detached carport was built in 1978.
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Appearance |
This house is an American Foursquare in form, with random-laid granite veneer on the first floor and brick on the second. The house sits on a large landscaped corner lot with a circular driveway leading to the porch, which projects from the center of the façade. The hipped roof has deep boxed eaves and hipped dormers on each side, each with three one-over-one double-hung windows. The low porch has a flat hipped roof and two large granite columns. The porch is flanked by two pairs of large one-over-one double-hung windows; windows on the other elevations are similar, but smaller. Above the porch are two similar windows flanking a pair of casement windows. All windows on the second story have granite sills and lintels; there are also concrete belt courses above the granite veneer and below the first floor windows. On the west (rear) elevation, a square bay on the second story is suported by oversized curved brackets; it is a sunporch with six windows, with a patio beneath. North of this is a small porch with a stone rail. At the northwest corner is a secondary entry with a stone column. |
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Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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Cladding(s): |
Brick, Stone |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured, Stone |
Roof Type(s): |
Hip |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition-Shingle |
Building Type: |
Domestic - Single Family |
Plan: |
Rectangular |
Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
two & ½ |
Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture |
Integrity |
Changes to Windows: |
Intact |
Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
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Major Bibliographic References |
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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Kreisman, Lawrence. "A Leap on the Hill." Seattle Times, April 21, 2002.
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