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

Seattle Historical Sites

New Search

Summary for 3329 BELLA VISTA AVE / Parcel ID 5700003350 / Inv #

Historic Name: Common Name:
Style: Colonial - Dutch Colonial Neighborhood: Mount Baker
Built By: Year Built: 1917
 
Significance
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance.
Built in 1917, this building was purchased by Max M. and Jenny J. Esfeld in May of 1918. Mr. Esfeld owned the Diller Trunk Store. Mr. Diller was the successor to Mike Cohen, former owner of the ladies and gentlemen’s used and new clothing store. By 1954 through 1958, M. Chandler Redman lived in the building. Donald Van Numwegen purchased the building in June of 1972 for $31,500. 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 1917, this substantial, Dutch Colonial Revival style, single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular lot. The building is oriented to Bella Vista Avenue South on a flat site 3’ above street level. This 1070 square foot, two-story house with a partial daylight basement features a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 27’ by 38’, with a nearly full width front porch. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, shingle-clad superstructure. Asphalt composition roofing covers the side gambrel roof and extended shed roof dormer. Overhanging first story eaves and closed overhanging gable ends define the roofline. Decorative brackets between the dormer windows support a thin cornice along the shed roof eaves. Wood sash windows provide day lighting. Quarter-round windows flank the gable end chimney. Two flights of stairs lead to the front porch. A low railing wraps around the porch. The dormer brackets and front porch set this building apart as unique within the neighborhood.

Detail for 3329 BELLA VISTA AVE / Parcel ID 5700003350 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Shingle Foundation(s): Unknown
Roof Type(s): Gambrel Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition
Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Rectangular
Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: two
Unit Theme(s):
Integrity
Changes to Plan: Intact
Changes to Original Cladding: Intact
Changes to Windows: Intact
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 3329 BELLA VISTA AVE / Parcel ID 5700003350 / Inv #


Photo taken Oct 31, 2003

Photo taken Oct 31, 2003

Photo taken

Photo taken Mar 15, 2004
App v2.0.1.0