| Historic Name: |
John L. Morrice House |
Common Name: |
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| Style: |
Vernacular |
Neighborhood: |
Georgetown |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1893 |
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| Significance |
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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 historic character of the Georgetown neighborhood. This is a particularly well-preserved historic property that appears to possess architectural and/or historic significance. This property appears to have been carefully rehabilitated since it was identified in the 1997 HRI project. It retains a distinctive building form, historic building fabric and features.
(1997) Believed to have been built before the turn of the 20th century, 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. Extensively remodeled c. 1918 and twice again c. 1930 and c. 1938, this property is also associated with an era of residential and commercial building between 1916 and 1942 which continued in Georgetown despite an acceleration of the trends toward the industrialization of the area. Significant changes came with prohibition and the closure of the brewery in 1916, the completion of the Duwamish Waterway in 1917, and the arrival of new businesses, such as the Boeing Airplane Company in 1916. In spite of the increasingly industrial nature of the area which had been zoned as such in 1923, residents of Georgetown continued to build new homes and businesses and to plan for a future in the neighborhood. This house was reportedly built in 1893, however its current appearance more closely reflects early 20th century design modes. The original owner/builder of this residence has not been identified. By 1911, it is known to have been owned by John L. (and Maggie) Morrice, a real estate broker, who resided here for a brief period. (Georgetown Add, Block A, Tract 2, Lots 4-5)
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| Appearance |
| (1997) An intact although altered example of an eclectic cottage similar to the side gable vernacular house type. This house type was commonly constructed throughout the American West during the later half of the 19th C and the early decades of the 20th C. This particular example exhibits distinctive design features and historic building fabric that reflect Craftsman/Bungalow style residential design modes popularized during the early 20th C: a one story cottage form with symmetrically placed entry door and fenestration pattern, and Prairie/Craftsman window design. The house is currently clad with cedar shingles (recently restored?)and clapboard skirting. It includes other distinctive features drawn from the popular early 20th C. Craftsman/Bungalow designs: a distinctive low roof pitch with wide overhangs, and a 6’ deep full (under roof) entry porch supported by sets of square columns. An original craftsman style door appears to remain in place. Exterior alterations of note include the current entry stair and modern side deck area. This residence has been moved at least twice (on the immediate site) and was most likely extensively remodeled to its current form c. 1918. |
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