| Historic Name: |
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Common Name: |
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| Style: |
Arts & Crafts, Queen Anne - Cottage, Vernacular |
Neighborhood: |
Beacon Hill |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1907 |
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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 1907, the residence was moved in September of 1920 from 1123 14th Avenue South to its current location by George A. Simpson, the building owner. Mr. and Mrs. Marguerite Simpson lived in the building from 1920 through 1941. The Simpson’s previously resided at 1615 South Lander Street. In May of 1930, the Simpson’s enlarged the existing garage. Mr. Simpson worked as a meat cutter in 1921 and by 1937 as a butcher with the James Henry Packing Company. By 1941, Mrs. Annabelle McDonald also shared the residence. By 1949, Henry O. Wulf had moved into the building. Mr. Wulf remained through 1970.
Beacon Hill is a long north-south tending ridge located southeast of downtown Seattle and stands 350 feet at its highest point. The hill’s steep topography deterred substantial Euro-American settlement through the early 1880s. Then, development of the area was stimulated by the introduction of streetcar lines in the 1890s, its proximity to Seattle’s main industrial area to the west, and the regrading of the hill’s north end in the early 1900s.
Originally acquired by the City in 1898, Jefferson Park was integrated into Seattle’s Olmsted system of parks, and the Olmsted Brothers prepared a plan for the park in 1912. The first public golf course west of the Mississippi opened at Jefferson Park in 1915. Jefferson Park has exerted a profound positive influence on the development of the Beacon Hill neighborhood.
Because of its proximity to the International District, Japanese and Chinese families moved to Beacon Hill starting in the 1920s. World War I and II stimulated a surge in housing development associated with wartime industry. The construction of Interstate 5 in the 1960s and Interstate 90 in the 1980s sliced through the neighborhoods and contributed to Beacon Hill’s relative isolation. Today, Beacon Hill is an ethnically diverse working class community, which has a mixed Asian, Chicano, African American, and Caucasian population.
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| Appearance |
| Built in 1907, this compact, Arts & Crafts-influenced, single-family cottage stands on a rectangular lot. The building is oriented to Thirteenth Avenue South and the level site is elevated approximately 4’ above street level. This 912 square foot, one-and-a-half story house with a half daylight basement features a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 24’ by 44’, with a 24’ by 6’ recessed front porch. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, clapboard-clad superstructure. Asphalt composition roofing covers the bell cast hip roof and three hip roof dormers with flared eaves. Wood sash 1:1 double hung windows along the sides and in the dormers provide day lighting. Front fixed sash wood windows with decorative wood mullioned transoms provide views from the front rooms. A direct flight of stairs with a contemporary metal railing provides access to the full facade front porch. Four wood columns support the outer edge of the building projecting over the porch. A contemporary internal metal chimney services the building. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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| Cladding(s): |
Wood - Clapboard |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Hip, Other |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition |
| Building Type: |
Domestic - Single Family |
Plan: |
Irregular |
| Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
one & ½ |
| Unit Theme(s): |
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| Integrity |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Slight |
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Changes to Windows: |
Intact |
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Changes to Plan: |
Slight |
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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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Tobin, Caroline. (2004) "Beacon Hill Historic Context Statement."
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