| Historic Name: |
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Common Name: |
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| Style: |
Tudor, Tudor - Cottage |
Neighborhood: |
Beacon Hill |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1929 |
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| Significance |
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Built in 1929, this building was owned by Maurice E. and Mary DeBels. They resided in the building through 1965. Mr. DeBels worked as a cutter and Mrs. DeBels as a designer at Eclipse Neckwear Manufacturing Company. By 1968, Mrs. Lynn F. Smith lived in the building.
Beacon Hill is a long north-south tending ridge located southeast of downtown Seattle and stands 350 feet at its highest point. The hill’s steep topography deterred substantial Euro-American settlement through the early 1880s. Then, development of the area was stimulated by the introduction of streetcar lines in the 1890s, its proximity to Seattle’s main industrial area to the west, and the regrading of the hill’s north end in the early 1900s.
Originally acquired by the City in 1898, Jefferson Park was integrated into Seattle’s Olmsted system of parks, and the Olmsted Brothers prepared a plan for the park in 1912. The first public golf course west of the Mississippi opened at Jefferson Park in 1915. Jefferson Park has exerted a profound positive influence on the development of the Beacon Hill neighborhood.
Because of its proximity to the International District, Japanese and Chinese families moved to Beacon Hill starting in the 1920s. World War I and II stimulated a surge in housing development associated with wartime industry. The construction of Interstate 5 in the 1960s and Interstate 90 in the 1980s sliced through the neighborhoods and contributed to Beacon Hill’s relative isolation. Today, Beacon Hill is an ethnically diverse working class community, which has a mixed Asian, Chicano, African American, and Caucasian population.
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| Appearance |
| Built in 1929, this substantial, Tudor Revival style, single-family cottage stands on an irregular shaped corner lot. The building is oriented to Fifteenth Avenue South and the sloping site set at street level. This 1204 square foot, one-and-a-half story house with a full basement features an L-shaped plan, measuring approximately 30’ by 42’, with a 6’ by 3’ front stoop. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, brick-clad superstructure. Asphalt composition roofing covers the cross gable roof and gable roof dormer. Modest, closed eave overhangs with eave returns define the roofline. Wood sash windows with decorative brick detailing around the window openings provide day lighting. A short flight of stairs leads to the enclosed gable roof stoop. Lighter brick detailing accents the entryway. A prominent external gable end brick chimney with lighter brick accents services the building. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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| Cladding(s): |
Brick |
Foundation(s): |
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| Roof Type(s): |
Gable |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition |
| Building Type: |
Domestic - Single Family |
Plan: |
L-Shape |
| Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
one & ½ |
| Unit Theme(s): |
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| Integrity |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
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Changes to Windows: |
Moderate |
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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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Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996.
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City of Seattle. Survey of City-Owned Historic Resources. Prepared by Cathy Wickwire, Seattle, 2001. Forms for Ravenna Park structures.
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Tobin, Caroline. (2004) "Beacon Hill Historic Context Statement."
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