| Historic Name: |
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Common Name: |
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| Style: |
Arts & Crafts |
Neighborhood: |
Mount Baker |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1914 |
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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 1914 at a cost of $7,500, this building was owned by J. L. Wells. Norman N. Beers was the builder. Construction began in June and was completed by September of 1914. Elizabeth W. Jones purchased the building in November of 1916. That same year, Mrs. Jones hired contractor P. C. Nielson to add new roof dormers and undertake minor repairs. Victor A. and Elizabeth Clemens purchased the building in August of 1940. Mr. Clemens was treasurer for Fisher Body Corporation of Seattle in 1931, and by 1933 he was vice president and manager. The Fisher’s resided previously at the Olympic Hotel. By 1954 through 1958, Stuart E. Trick lived in the building.
The Mount Baker neighborhood comprises two north-south tending ridges located southeast of downtown Seattle along Lake Washington. Initial development of the area occurred relatively late, post-1900, following the construction of the Rainier Avenue Electric Street Railway in the 1890s. York Station on Rainier Avenue and the Dose Addition were developed earlier than the Mount Baker Park Addition, platted in 1907 by the Hunter Tract Improvement Company. The Mount Baker Park Addition represents the core of the neighborhood and is its primary character-defining feature. Mount Baker Park is one of Seattle’s earliest planned residential communities that successfully integrated the natural environment and a relatively exclusive residential neighborhood in its layout of lots, streets, boulevards, and parks. The houses, primarily built between 1905 and 1929, reflect a variety of eclectic and Northwest-based architectural styles, and include designs by many prominent local architects.
Other important influences were the streetcar connection with downtown Seattle, the integration of local parks and boulevards into the Olmsted system, the construction of Franklin High School in 1912, and the building of the Mount Baker tunnel and Lacey V. Murrow Floating Bridge to Mercer Island in 1940. Today this middle-to-upper income neighborhood remains predominantly residential, is home to an ethnically diverse population, and retains much of its planned character.
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| Appearance |
| Built in 1914, this substantial, Arts & Crafts style, single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular lot. The building is oriented to Cascadia Avenue South on a flat site 8’ above street level with a view over Lake Washington. This 1444 square foot, two-and-a-half story house with a full daylight basement features a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 30’ by 38’, with a 14’ by 10’ front stoop. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, clapboard- (first story) and stucco- (upper stories) clad superstructure. Asphalt composition roofing covers the side gable roof. A unique grouping of three hipped roof dormers accents the front facade. Moderate gable and eave overhangs with exposed rafters, purlins and bracing beneath the lowermost purlins define the roofline. Wood sash 1:1 windows, paired and single, provide day lighting. Windows feature painted wood trim. A prominent gable end brick chimney services the building. A flight of stairs leads to the front stoop. Paneled pillars support the porch roof with a low railing around the second story balcony. This building presents a striking side gable example of Arts & Crafts style. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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| Cladding(s): |
Stucco |
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: |
two & ½ |
| Unit Theme(s): |
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| Integrity |
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Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
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Changes to Windows: |
Intact |
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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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Historic Seattle Preservation and Development Authority. "Mount Baker: An Inventory of Buildings and Urban Design Resources."
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Mount Baker Community Club. Flowers We All Love Best in Mount Baker Park, (reprint of 1915 ed.)
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Tobin, Caroline. (2004) "Mount Baker Historic Context Statement."
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