| Historic Name: |
Colman Park Storage Building |
Common Name: |
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| Style: |
Vernacular |
Neighborhood: |
North Rainier Valley |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1948 |
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| Significance |
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This one-story wood frame structure was completed in 1948 to serve as a Parks Department service building for the nursery located in the upper portion of Colman Park. The Parks Department acquired most of the land for Colman Park in 1907 when jurisdiction over the lower half of the property fronting onto Lake Washington was transferred from the Seattle Water Department. In 1890, the newly established Water Department had purchased the assets of the private Spring Hill Water Company, which included a pumping station on the shores of Lake Washington. Within two years, this wood frame structure was replaced by a new brick building. With the development of the Cedar River water system, the Water Department no longer needed the 1892 pumping station. In 1907, the Parks Department successfully petitioned for jurisdiction over the unused Water Department property. By this time, private developers had created new parks in the vicinity, including the adjacent Mount Baker Park.
In 1908, the Olmsted Brothers landscape firm supplemented their 1903 report for a comprehensive park and boulevard system to include the large areas annexed by the city in 1907. Following the curving route chosen by the Olmsteds, Frink Boulevard was extended through the new park to meet up with Lake Washington Boulevard. Over the next several years, park improvements included three ornamental bridges, paths and plantings, a frame bathhouse, and substantial shops and barns to serve the south district. In 1910, the James M. Colman Estate platted land near the top of the steep slope and deeded to the city a large parcel adjacent to the new park. Covering a wide strip of the steep slope between 31st Avenue South and the shores of Lake Washington, the larger park was then named for Colman, who had died in 1906. The old pumping station was later converted for use as a bathhouse, comfort station, and concession stand in 1929.
At some point, a Parks Department nursery was established on the upper slope of Colman Park. In 1948, the Parks Department constructed a one-story service building near the 32nd Avenue South street end for the nursery. This building is similar in design to other park maintenance buildings constructed in the late 1940s and early 1950s, including facilities located at Washington Park, Carkeek Park, Atlantic Nursery, and Ravenna Park. In 1974, a community garden was established on the site of the nursery. Currently, the members of the Colman Park P-Patch use this building for storage. This building is significant for its associations with the early private water companies and with the development of Colman Park.
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| Appearance |
| Completed in 1948, this one-story wood frame building occupies a site overlooking the P-Patch at the upper end of Colman Park beyond the 32nd Avenue South street end. The shed roof structure faces southeast and has a rectangular plan, which measures 40 feet by 20 feet. The roof has a deep overhang on the principal south elevation and slight overhangs on the other elevations. Board and batten siding clads much of the building except for a band of wide cedar siding, which covers the lower portion of the south elevation and extends onto the east and west side elevations. The building’s window and door openings are set within this wide band. On the south elevation, a large opening west of center contains two paneled sliding wood doors. A horizontal band of windows wraps the southeast corner of the building. On the south elevation, two multi-paned wood pivot windows are set between three wide wood panels. On the east elevation, wide wood mullions separate three identical windows. The west elevation has the same window configuration in a single large opening south of center. Narrow horizontal boards cover all of the windows at the midpoint in order to prevent unauthorized entry. The rear north elevation presents a blank wall. A lack of maintenance and some wood deterioration has reduced the physical integrity of this otherwise intact building. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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| Cladding(s): |
Vertical - Board and Batten, Wood - Clapboard |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Shed |
Roof Material(s): |
Other |
| Building Type: |
Other |
Plan: |
Rectangular |
| Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
one |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Agriculture, Community Planning/Development, Conservation |
| Integrity |
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Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
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Changes to Windows: |
Intact |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
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| Major Bibliographic References |
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King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives.
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Sherwood, Don. Seattle Parks Histories, c. 1970-1981, unpublished.
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