Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 1426 E Roy ST E / Parcel ID 1337300065 / Inv #

Historic Name: Padden, Catherine, Residence Common Name: Style: American Foursquare - Craftsman Neighborhood: Capitol Hill Built By: Year Built: 1906   Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). This American Foursquare is notable for is sweeping veranda and sandstone foundation, unusual feature in such houses in Seattle. Its details show a Craftsman influence, including the gabled dormer and shingle cladding. It was built in 1906, and the first identified owner was Catherine A. Padden, who purchased the house in 1921; her husband, Stanley was an attorney. Later owners included Iva Cranston, telephone company clerk (1958-65), William Klamm, Jr., a Boeing supervisor (1965-70) and Dale Rammerman, an attorney who owned the house in the 1970s-80s. In 1981 a two-story rear addition was constructed. The American Foursquare was a popular house form in the first two decades of the 20th century. Capitol Hill has the city’s greatest concentration of American Foursquares--often called the Classic Box or Seattle Box, because of its local popularity. They were built primarily between 1905 and 1910. There are typically eight main rooms on two floors--living room, hall, dining room and kitchen downstairs and four bedrooms upstairs. Two reasons for the popularity of the form were that it provided a large amount of space for reasonable cost, and that it could easily be personalized for varying tastes and budgets. This one gains solidity from the granite foundation and the wrap-around veranda. This house is just off of 14th Avenue East, known as Millionaires' Row, an “Avenue of Mansions” with the homes of many of Seattle's early business leaders. At that time, the street had a spectacular view, thanks to clearcutting, and it was a logical place to build after the west slope and First Hill were developed. The Olmsted Plan recommended that this be a parkway, forming a grand entrance to Volunteer Park. However, the property owners were given control of the street between Prospect and Roy streets. A median strip in the center was planted with shrubs, and each owner added street trees, creating the appearance of an avenue. It became a showplace, attracting dignitaries such as President Harding and busloads of tourists en route to the park. It was the main route for funeral processions going through the park to Lakeview Cemetery, north of the park. To deter the stream of traffic, an ornate gateway was built at Roy Street. But by 1924 traffic had become so bad that property owners petitioned the Park Department to take back control of the street. The gate and the median plantings were removed as a traffic hazard.   Appearance This Classic Box variation has the typical hipped roof with a large gabled dormer in front. Cladding is wood shingles on the second story with rough-cut sandstone blocks on the first floor and porch. The veranda extends across the front (south) and along most of the east side. Its shallow-pitched bracketed roof is supported by two massive sandstone piers, two pairs of round columns at the front and three more columns along the side. At the end of the verandah a two-story hip-roofed bay projects about four feet. The low-pitched gabled dormer has two nine-light windows with wide wood surrounds; a piece of wood trim extends across the gable. Windows are generally 8-over-1 or 6-over-1 wood sash; the door has leaded glass sidelights.

Detail for 1426 E Roy ST E / Parcel ID 1337300065 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Shingle, Stone Foundation(s): Stone Roof Type(s): Hip Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition-Shingle Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Irregular Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: two Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture Integrity Changes to Plan: Slight Changes to Original Cladding: Intact Changes to Windows: Slight Major Bibliographic References Williams, Jacqueline B. The Hill with a Future: Seattle's Capitol Hill 1900-1946. Seattle: CPK Ink, 2001. Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996. King County Tax Assessor Records, ca. 1932-1972. City of Seattle, Department of Planning and Development, Microfilm Records.

Photo collection for 1426 E Roy ST E / Parcel ID 1337300065 / Inv #

Photo taken Mar 06, 2006