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Summary for 2502 32nd AVE / Parcel ID 5700000940 / Inv #

Historic Name: Common Name:
Style: Arts & Crafts Neighborhood: Mount Baker
Built By: Year Built: 1921
 
Significance
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance.
Built in 1921, this residence was constructed by The Standard Building Company and was valued at $4500. In 1922, a garage was added to the lot. The building was occupied by Sol L. and Ray Lewis ca 1923. In 1924, Mr. Lewis altered the front porch. Mr. Lewis was president of Goodglick & Lewis, Inc., a plumbing supply company. Gertrude M. Lewis purchased the building in June of 1938. By 1943, Mrs. Ada Siegel also resided in the building. By 1954 through 1958, only Mrs. Lewis lived in the building. The Mount Baker neighborhood comprises two north-south tending ridges located southeast of downtown Seattle along Lake Washington. Initial development of the area occurred relatively late, post-1900, following the construction of the Rainier Avenue Electric Street Railway in the 1890s. York Station on Rainier Avenue and the Dose Addition were developed earlier than the Mount Baker Park Addition, platted in 1907 by the Hunter Tract Improvement Company. The Mount Baker Park Addition represents the core of the neighborhood and is its primary character-defining feature. Mount Baker Park is one of Seattle’s earliest planned residential communities that successfully integrated the natural environment and a relatively exclusive residential neighborhood in its layout of lots, streets, boulevards, and parks. The houses, primarily built between 1905 and 1929, reflect a variety of eclectic and Northwest-based architectural styles, and include designs by many prominent local architects. Other important influences were the streetcar connection with downtown Seattle, the integration of local parks and boulevards into the Olmsted system, the construction of Franklin High School in 1912, and the building of the Mount Baker tunnel and Lacey V. Murrow Floating Bridge to Mercer Island in 1940. Today this middle-to-upper income neighborhood remains predominantly residential, is home to an ethnically diverse population, and retains much of its planned character.
 
Appearance
Built in 1921, this compact, Tudor Revival-influenced, Arts & Crafts style, single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular corner lot. The building is oriented to Thirty-Second Avenue South on a flat site 1’ above street level. This 1504 square foot, one-and-a-half story house with a full basement features a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 39’ by 33’, with a 20’ by 7’ front porch. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, brick, stucco and half-timber-clad superstructure. Asphalt composition roofing covers the cross gable roof. Moderate gable and eave overhangs with prominent bargeboards, exposed rafters, purlins, and braces define the roofline. Double hung wood windows with multiple-pane upper sash provide day lighting. A direct flight of stairs leads to the front porch. Substantial brick piers support the extended upper story of the house. A low brick railing wraps the porch. A brick chimney services the building. The overall composition, particularly the porch piers, brick first story and stucco and half timbering in the half-story set this building apart as a distinct Arts & Crafts residence within the Mount Baker neighborhood.

Detail for 2502 32nd AVE / Parcel ID 5700000940 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Brick - Common Bond Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Gable Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition
Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Rectangular
Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: one & ½
Unit Theme(s):
Integrity
Changes to Plan: Intact
Changes to Original Cladding: Intact
Changes to Windows: Slight
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. Survey of City-Owned Historic Resources. Prepared by Cathy Wickwire, Seattle, 2001. Forms for Ravenna Park structures.
Historic Seattle Preservation and Development Authority. "Mount Baker: An Inventory of Buildings and Urban Design Resources."
Mount Baker Community Club. Flowers We All Love Best in Mount Baker Park, (reprint of 1915 ed.)
Tobin, Caroline. (2004) "Mount Baker Historic Context Statement."

Photo collection for 2502 32nd AVE / Parcel ID 5700000940 / Inv #


Photo taken Nov 05, 2003

Photo taken Nov 05, 2003
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