| Historic Name: |
Burwell, Austin and Mary, House |
Common Name: |
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| Style: |
American Foursquare |
Neighborhood: |
Queen Anne |
| 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 National Register of Historic Places. |
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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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In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). |
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This Foursquare was designed by Daniel Huntington for Austin Burwell in 1907. Burwell, from a prominent family, was treasurer of Burwell & Morford, a real estate and financing company. The house was featured in "Homes and Gardens of the Pacific Coast, 1913," which noted its side entrance and called it "a simple, comfortable home," with a simple garden and a view of Puget Sound.
This would have been one of Daniel Huntington's earliest Seattle buildings, and is pictured in the essay on Huntington in "Shaping Seattle Architecture." Huntington, one Seattle's most prominent architects, was originally from New York, but began his architectural career in Denver in 1889. After work in New York and again in Denver, he arrived in Seattle about 1904 and in 1907 formed a partnership with James Schack. He later worked with Carl Gould and Arthur Loveless, designing numerous residences and commercial buildings with each firm. His most important role was as City of Seattle architect from 1912 until 1921, during which period he designed the Lake Union Steam Plant and at least ten fire stations and libraries, many of which are designated landmarks. He later became known for apartments, schools and institutional buildings.
Other than the Burwells, the house has had numerous owners. These include William E. McClure, a lawyer, and his wife Inez (1930s), John Hamlin (1960), J. V. Thomas (1975) and William Travis (1986). The longest occupant was a psychiatrist, Martin E. Bassan, and his wife Celeste, who lived here in the 1940s-50s.
The house has been somewhat altered, but retains its original character. An addition was made in 1975 and, in 1986, a covered entry porch and a bay window were added, as well as a small second floor addition. The original wood balustrade on the second floor porch (seen in the 1913 photo) was with black wrought iron prior to the 1937 Tax Assessor's photo.
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| Appearance |
| This Foursquare has a hipped roof with a hipped dormer and a very tall clinker brick chimney at the northeast corner. The wide enclosed eaves are supported by distinctive curved brackets. Similar brackets appear on the dormer and the full-width projecting porch, which has four square wood columns but no balustrade. The roof of the porch acts as a deck, with a wrought iron railing that replaced the original wood balustrade. The first floor has notably large three-part 12-over-one windows, with wide arched surrounds. The second floor has large one-over-one double-hung sash and eight-light French doors on the porch. The entry on the east side has a roof similar to a porte cochere, but with no driveway. The north elevation has a three-sided hipped-roof bay. The garage is also on the north, with newer doors. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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| Cladding(s): |
Shingle |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Hip |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition-Shingle |
| Building Type: |
Domestic - Single Family |
Plan: |
Rectangular |
| Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
two |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture |
| 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: |
Intact |
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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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Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl, ed. Shaping Seattle Architecture, A Historical Guide to the Architects. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.
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Calvert, Frank. Homes and Gardens of the Pacific Coast. Vol. 1, Seattle. Beaux Arts Village: Beaux Arts Society Publishers, 1913.
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