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Summary for 6431 FLORA AVE / Parcel ID 2734100505 / Inv # 0
Historic Name: Armido P. and Victoria Fontana House Common Name:
Style: Arts & Crafts - Craftsman Neighborhood: Georgetown
Built By: Year Built: 1913
 
Significance

Based on field work conducted in September 2014, this historic property retains its relationship to the streetscape, historic building form and a sufficient amount of exterior historic building fabric (design features, cladding and/or window sash/openings) to contribute to the distinct character of the Georgetown neighborhood.

This is an altered but relatively intact historic property that may possess some limited architectural and/or historic significance. This property exhibits no substantive changes to the exterior appearance since it was identified in the 1997 HRI project.

(1997) This property is associated with the residential and commercial building boom in Georgetown which occurred between 1890 and 1916. Fueled by the construction of the Seattle Brewing and Malting Company’s new brewing facility after the turn of the century and the arrival of foreign immigrants, especially German and Italian, Georgetown came to rely more on its commercial and industrial bases rather than agricultural. With the increase of industry and business, Georgetown had grown in population from 1,913 in 1900 to approximately 7,000 by 1910 as families located themselves near its factories and other places of employment. The original owner or builder of this residence have not been identified. The house was owned by Armido P. (and Victoria) Fontana by 1931. Armido Fontana is known to have worked as the treasurer of the Atlas Concrete Pipe Company in the later 1930s.
 
Appearance
An intact, however partly altered, example of an early 20th C. residential design that includes distinctive Bungalow design features. This residence was constructed according to a fairly common house plan that was used throughout the Seattle area during this era and is similar to numerous Bungalow designs available through architect/builder’s plan books and Aladdin type house catalogs. This residence exhibits design features and historic building fabric that reflect the popularity of early 20th C Craftsman/Bungalow design modes: a one story multiple front gable form with a projecting central entry porch. The house is distinguished by low roof pitches, wide barge boards, wide overhanging eaves and kneebraces. The entry porch includes tapered wooden columns supported on wire-cut brick masonry plinths. The windows are typically standard double-hung and cottage type. The house is currently clad with asbestos shingles laid over narrow clapboard siding. The original cladding treatment along with trim and architectural features emphasized the horizontal design character.

Detail for 6431 FLORA AVE / Parcel ID 2734100505 / Inv # 0
Status: Yes - Inventory
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Other 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 Windows: Intact
Changes to Original Cladding: Extensive
Changes to Plan: Intact
Major Bibliographic References
King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives.

Photo collection for 6431 FLORA AVE / Parcel ID 2734100505 / Inv # 0

Photo taken Apr 25, 1997

Photo taken Sep 18, 2014
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