| Historic Name: |
Waechter, O. A., House |
Common Name: |
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| Style: |
Arts & Crafts - Craftsman, Tudor |
Neighborhood: |
Queen Anne |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1915 |
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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 house was designed in 1915 by the Beezer brothers for O. A. "Ollie" Waechter. He was vice-president of Waechter Brothers, livestock dealers, and president of Siberian Fish and Storage. His brother Harry also had a house by the Beezer brothers, located nearby at 717 W. Garfield St. Ollie's widow, Bessie, remained in the house until 1938, when it was rented by Minoru Ikom, general manager of the NYK Line, a Japanese-owned shipping line. Because of the house's view of the water, it was said that information was collected here for the Japanese government. Later owners included Paul Giese, president of European Trading Company, and his wife Anne (1940s-50s); Carl and Frances Scarp (1960s); and David Wood (1970s).
Twin brothers Louis and Michael Beezer began their architectural practice in 1909, and had many commissions throughout the Northwest, Alaska and California, through the 1920s. Originally from Pennsylvania, they entered the construction and architecture fields there. By 1900 they had a thriving Pittsburgh practice, specializing in churches and residences. By 1909 they had established a practice in Seattle. They are particularly known for their work for the Catholic Church. Besides St. Anne's School and convent, they designed Blessed Sacrament Church ((1909-11; 1922-25), Immaculate Conception School and rectory (1909-1914); and St. Joseph School and rectory (1919-1923). They were also known for their residences, especially the O. D. Fisher residence on Capitol Hill (1908-09). After World War I, much of their work was outside of Seattle, with major commissions in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Walla Walla. Louis established the office in San Francisco, where he died in 1929; Michael retired in 1932 and died the following year.
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| Appearance |
| This multi-gabled Tudor Revival house is nearly 6,000 square feet with five bedrooms and 7 baths. It is located at the top of a steep lot, with a double concrete garage at the bottom of the hill. A concrete retaining wall with decorative brick and ceramic tile runs on the south side of the lot, along the West Lee Street staircase. Cladding on the house is brick with half-timbered stucco in the many gables. The entry is on the south, with elaborate gardens and a winding path from Lee Street. The gabled entry porch is enclosed with an Art Nouveau outer door. Above is a small gabled dormer with a pair of eight-light casement windows. This is flanked by two large projecting gabled bays, each supported by curved brackets and having three one-over-one double hung windows. The west elevation, high above 8th Avenue W., has a two-story three-sided bay clad with brick; its flat roof provides a small terrace for the third floor. The bay has picture windows on the first and second stories, with leaded side panels. Each window is surrounded by cast stone. Above the bay is a tall gabled parapet and, at the northwest, a gabled dormer. The east elevation, on the street, has a gabled wing with brackets and 6/3 and 12/1 leaded glass windows. At the northeast is a recessed porch with leaded glass windows. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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| Cladding(s): |
Brick, Stucco, Vertical - Boards |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Gable |
Roof Material(s): |
Slate |
| Building Type: |
Domestic - Single Family |
Plan: |
Rectangular |
| Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
two & ½ |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture |
| 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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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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Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996.
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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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