Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 7467 Woodlawn AVE / Parcel ID 2883200180 / Inv #

Historic Name: Minniemyer House Common Name: Minniemyer House Style: Queen Anne Neighborhood: Green Lake Built By: Year Built: 1903   Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. The Minniemyer House was likely constructed in 1903. In August 1902, Emma Wood, wife of land developer and former Seattle Mayor William D. Wood, sold some lots near Green Lake to John H. Minniemyer (b. 1850). In the late 1880s, a group of capitalists including Wood, purchased a substantial amount of land in this area to develop. Transportation to downtown Seattle was a necessity so they financed the construction of a streetcar line through Fremont. Green Lake is one of earliest Seattle streetcar neighborhoods. Minniemyer likely had the Queen Anne style house built shortly after he purchased the property because by the spring of 1903 the Minniemyers were living there. In 1900, at the end of the initial rush for Alaska gold, Minniemyer arrived in Seattle with his wife Julia (b. 1855) and son Arthur (b. 1891). This was the beginning of a boom that the city would enjoy for the rest of the decade. Minniemyer, a bookbinder, pursued that trade at the Seattle Public Library. His north Seattle property was just one block away from Green Lake Way where the street car line ran, providing an easy commute downtown. By about 1910 Minniemyer sold out and left Seattle. Later occupants. Charles Sarbacher, a hoisting engineer for Queen Anne Sand and Gravel, and wife Maude H. lived in the house from 1928 through the early 1960s. By World War II the owners converted the house into a duplex. Keith V. and Virginia B. Seavy lived in the duplex during the war. Keith Seavy worked at the Lake Washington Shipyards employed as a machinist. From the late 1940s until the mid 1950s Stephen Lee and Luticia Crowley occupied the residence. Stephen was a steamfitter and later a laborer for the Port of Seattle. By 1962, hydrotherapy expert Odd Daastol and wife Aasta lived in the house. In 1965, Helge C. Dahl purchased the house. The 1975 Historic Seattle Survey of the Greenlake neighborhood listed the house as Significant to the Community. The 1979 Seattle Historic Resources Survey inventoried the house. The residence appears to meet City of Seattle Landmark criteria due to the age of the structure (over 100 years old) and minimal alterations. Variant addresses: The 1903 to 1905 Polk directories list the address as 103 Woodlawn Avenue. The 1905 Sanborn maps and 1906 Polk directory list the address as 105 Woodlawn Avenue. The 1907 Polk list the address as 745 Woodlawn Avenue.   Appearance The Queen Anne style Minnemeyer House was constructed about 1903. In 1908 the rear porch was extended two feet and a window was replaced with a door (permit # A 4324). The northeast corner of the residence has a two story turret. The porch on north elevation has Doric columns supporting a gable and hip roof. A bay window is located on the east elevation. Double hung windows throughout with beveled sash.

Detail for 7467 Woodlawn AVE / Parcel ID 2883200180 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Shingle, Wood - Clapboard Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Gable Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Irregular Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: two & ½ Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture Integrity Changes to Windows: Intact Changes to Original Cladding: Intact Changes to Plan: Intact 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. City of Seattle. Seattle Inventory Field Form. 1979. 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. Historic Seattle Preservation and Development Authority. “Greenlake: An Inventory of Buildings and Urban Design Resources.” Seattle: Historic Seattle, 1975.

Photo collection for 7467 Woodlawn AVE / Parcel ID 2883200180 / Inv #

Photo taken Nov 23, 2004