Seattle.gov Home Page
Link to Seattle Department of Neighborhoods home page

Seattle Historical Sites

New Search

Summary for 4603 2nd AVE / Parcel ID 8818400600 / Inv #

Historic Name: Common Name:
Style: Colonial - Colonial Revival, Colonial - Dutch Colonial Neighborhood: Wallingford
Built By: Year Built: 1924
 
Significance
This structure was built in 1924 according to the King County Property Record Card and the building permit (#235444). It was erected by contractor William C. Smith & Son (4103 Midvale Avenue) for owner Charles Miller, a steamfitter, and his wife Nellie. The permit included permission to build a one-car garage in the basement. According to the King County Property Record Card, Nellie V. Miller was the “fee owner” when the property was surveyed by the Assessor’s office in 1937. A permit for electrical modification at the house was issued to Nellie Miller in 1964. Although the building official appears not to have returned for a final inspection, the issuance of the permit suggests that the Millers continued to reside at the house until the late 1960s. Electrical work was completed on a second electrical permit issued to owner Donald E. Links in 1970. Jay W. Wentworth appears to have acquired the property in 1971. However, the house was listed as vacant in the 1973 edition of Polk’s Seattle Directory. Alterations primarily affecting the kitchen and west end elevation, and a deck addition were made for the current owner, Karen Buschow, in 1983. Architect Ron Johnson prepared the design. The structure is significant as a well-maintained and largely intact example of the eclectic colonial revival style gambrel roofed housing that became especially popular in Seattle’s north end neighborhoods in the decade following the First World War. Like many such structures, this house takes advantage of its corner location to display both the calm regularity and symmetry of its entry elevation (in this case, the south elevation) and the distinctive shape of its gambrel end (in this case, the east elevation). The structure was built in the middle of Seattle’s second north end building boom.
 
Appearance
This is a clapboard clad, two-story frame residence built over a full basement with garage on a concrete foundation. The gambrel roof with pents and enclosed soffits, the gabled porch cover, and the single story, hip roofed sunroom at the east end of the structure, are all features typically associated with Colonial Revival architecture, an eclectic style that became popular in Seattle after the First World War. Several minor modifications have been made to the interior and major changes have occurred in the kitchen and at the west end of the structure where anew deck has been added. Most of these changes are not visible from the street, and no other modifications are apparent.

Detail for 4603 2nd AVE / Parcel ID 8818400600 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Hold
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Brick, Wood, Wood - Clapboard Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Gable, Gambrel, 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, Community Planning/Development
Integrity
Changes to Windows: Moderate
Changes to Original Cladding: Slight
Changes to Plan: Moderate
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.

Photo collection for 4603 2nd AVE / Parcel ID 8818400600 / Inv #


Photo taken Sep 07, 2004
App v2.0.1.0