Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 608 W Lee ST W / Parcel ID 1732801305 / Inv #

Historic Name: Janson, A. House Common Name: Janson/Anderson House Style: American Foursquare Neighborhood: Queen Anne Built By: Year Built: 1904   Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. Janson House was constructed in 1904. Eiliv Janson (1870-1962), born in Bergen, Norway, at the age of 12 immigrated with his parents to Minneapolis. Ten years later, Eiliv graduated from University of Minneapolis as a physician. In 1900, following his brother Ivar by about five years, Eiliv arrived in Seattle and for the next 26 years, the two brothers ran a physicians office together. In the summer of 1904 Eiliv and his wife Albertine decided to build a house on Queen Anne Hill. They purchased some property and hired Kerr & Rogers to design the house and hired Roderick McLean to construct it. McLean completed the house by the fall of 1904 and the Jansons took up residency. Eiliv Janson’s commute to his downtown physician's office involved a five block walk to Olympic Place to catch the Kinnear Park street car. The Janson's lived in the house until about 1908. Until 1961, his 91st year, Eiliv Janson continued as a Seattle physician, specializing in dermatology. Janson hired Kerr & Rogers to design the house and R.D. McLean to construct it. (Pacific Record Aug 6, 1904 p 6 col 4) Robert C. Kerr (b. 1864) born in Scotland, at the age of 28 crossed the Atlantic and landed in the United States. Ten years later in 1902 he moved to Seattle. Roy D. Rogers (b. 1876) born in Minnesota in 1901 arrived in Seattle. Initially they both worked for the architecture firm Bebb & Mendel, Kerr as a draughtsman and Rogers as an architect. In 1903 they decided to go out on their own and formed a partnership that lasted five years. After their 1908 dissolution, Kerr practiced in Seattle until 1911 and Rogers practiced until 1934. Builder Roderick D. McLean (b. ca 1868) emigrated from Canada about 1890 and moved to Seattle in 1901 and established himself as a building contractor which he continued for the next 22 years. McLean started construction in August 1904 and probably completed it by the end of the year although construction might have continued into 1905. The Jansons moved into the residence no later than spring 1905 and lived there for about three years. In 1911 the Eugene G. Anderson family moved into the house. By about 1897 Kansas native Eugene Anderson (b. ca 1873) lived in Iowa with his newlywed wife Ruhama (b. ca 1874) and started to raise a family. In 1908 the family decided to head for Puget Sound country and Eugene and Ruhama boarded a train for their overland journey with their four children; Mary, Charles, Esculene, and Steven ages 9, 7, 3 and 2. Arriving in Seattle, Eugene established the Western Dry Goods Company, a wholesale company he headed for 15 years. Three years later they moved into the Janson/Anderson House and lived there for 35 years. Later occupants. During World War II, the Leslie E. Larson family lived in the house. He was a watchmaker for Ben Bridge Jewelers. Salesmen John W. Hepburn and family lived in the house from the late 1940s until at least the early 1960s. In the early 1960s, John Hepburn worked for Wallace Silversmiths. In 1966, James Schubert purchased the house. Variant address: The 1905 and 1917 Sanborn maps of Seattle list the residence at 610 W. Lee Street. The 1975 Historic Seattle Survey of the Queen Anne neighborhood listed the building as Significant to the Community. The residence appears to meet City of Seattle Landmark criteria due to the significance of the architect, age of the structure (over 100 years old) and minimal alteraltions. Sources: "Building and Realty" "City Records Building Permits … 28970" Seattle Daily Bulletin August 3, 1904. p. 2. "Death Takes Dr. Eiliv Janson at 92" Seattle Times October 12, 1962. Clipping file B4. Seattle Room, Seattle Public Library Downtown Branch. "Janson, Ivar" Wolfe, Sketches of Washingtonians pp. 209-210. "Ivar Janson, M. D." Volume of Memoirs … pp. 376-378. Stine. Scandinavians on the Pacific pp. 67-71. "Kerr, Robert C. Wolfe, Sketches of Washingtonians pp. 217-218   Appearance On August 2, 1904 the Seattle Building Department issued a permit (# 28970) to Albertine Janson to construct a 44 x 50 foot two story and attic residence designed by Kerr & Rogers. The stucco cladding on this foursquare residence is an uncommon cladding from this time period in Seattle. Hip dormers on south and east sides and a dormer with a small roof was later added to west elevation but is almost not visible. Entire width of front (south) elevation has a recessed porch with square columns and front door set in a three sided bay. The center of the porch has a roof extension which is a balcony. Second floor opening to balcony is changed. One three sided bay window on first floor of east elevation and two three sided bay windows on second floor of south elevation. Decorative upper sash of double hung windows changed to plain sash. Sash corners have teardrops. Bracketed overhanging eaves. Exterior chimney on west elevation.

Detail for 608 W Lee ST W / Parcel ID 1732801305 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Stucco Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Hip Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Rectangular 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: Slight Changes to Windows: Slight Major Bibliographic References City of Seattle DCLU Microfilm Records. King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives. Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996. Wolfe, Wellington C. Sketches of Washingtonians. Seattle, W. C. Wolfe & Co., 1906. Volume of Memoirs and Genealogy of Representative Citizens of the City of Seattle. NYC, Lewis Publishing Co., 1903. Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Maps of Seattle, Washington. (New York, Sanborn Map Company, 1904-1905) 4 volumes. Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Maps of Seattle, Washington. (New York, Sanborn Map Company, 1916-1919) volumes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6. Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Maps of Seattle, Washington. (New York, Sanborn Map Company, 1949-1950 update) 11 volumes. Seattle Daily Bulletin Historic Seattle Preservation and Development Authority. “Queen Anne: An Inventory of Buildings and Urban Design Resources.” Seattle: Historic Seattle, 1975. Stine, Thos. Ostenson. Scandinavians on the Pacific, Puget Sound. Seattle: Thos. Ostenson Stine, 1900. "Kerr, Robert C." Wolfe, Wellington C. Sketches of Washingtonians. Seattle, W. C. Wolfe & Co., 1906. pp. 217-218.

Photo collection for 608 W Lee ST W / Parcel ID 1732801305 / Inv #

Photo taken May 09, 2003 Photo taken May 09, 2003