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Summary for 722 SW WILLOW ST SW / Parcel ID 8159100040 / Inv # 0

Historic Name:

Freda Germain House

Common Name:

Style:

Queen Anne - Cottage

Neighborhood:

Georgetown

Built By:

Year Built:

1902

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 substantive changes to the building form and the exterior appearance since it was identified in the 1997 HRI project: windows appear to have been replaced and original siding has been partly restored. Entry porch altered and addition made to original cottage.

(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/builder of this residence has not been identified. It is known to have been owned by Freda Germain by 1937. It is not known when she acquired it or whether she resided here. This property may pre-date the construction date identified on assessor’s records and is worthy of additional research to determine a more accurate date of construction and original ownership.

Appearance

An altered, however for the most part intact, example of Queen Anne residential design, a dominant architectural style used for domestic building during the late 19th C. This unusual (hip with wing) cottage house type measures approximately 1000 sq. ft and exhibits distinctive design features and historic building fabric, including: an asymmetrical building form accentuated by a prominent main truncated hip roof form punctuated by both a gable dormer and hip wing, front (or side) bay window, and original tall, narrow double-hung windows. The design is further distinguished by intact entry porches symmetrically placed to each side of the wing each with a hip roof, turned wooden columns, boxed plinth and a low spindle-work rail. One of the two original red brick chimneys remains in place. An ornate (original?) entry door remains in place at the south/front porch. The house was originally clad with rustic, dropped siding, however it is currently covered by modern plywood paneling and brick-pattern asphalt type cladding (c.1947) some of which has been painted. An original open rear porch may also be intact. A small one story shed structure is situated nearby the residence at the alley side.