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Summary for 2838 CASCADIA AVE / Parcel ID 5700004370 / Inv #

Historic Name: Common Name:
Style: Spanish - Mediterranean Neighborhood: Mount Baker
Built By: Year Built: 1911
 
Significance
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance.
Built in 1911, this building was owned by 1917 by E. J. M. Pratt. In June of that year, Mr. Pratt hired contractor, R. J. VanStone, to finish the roof and build a brick fireplace. The Prudential Insurance Company of America bought the building in August of 1933. By 1943 through 1958, Alex A. Grinstein lived in the building. 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 1911, this Spanish Mediterranean-influenced, American Foursquare style, single-family dwelling stands on a long and narrow rectangular lot. The building is oriented to Cascadia Avenue South on a sloped site below street level at the rear. This 2082 square foot, two-and-one-half story house with a full daylight basement features a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 42’ by 47’, with a 6’ by 14’ porch. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, stucco-clad superstructure. Wood shakes cover the low-pitched hipped roof. Broad overhanging closed eaves define the roofline. This house bears similar detail to 2844 Cascadia Avenue South consisting of four double-hung windows with window boxes on the second story. Rounded windows with arched transoms punctuate the lower story. This house also features a hipped roof dormer off the front. The entrance is centered within the front facade and recessed below an arched entry.

Detail for 2838 CASCADIA AVE / Parcel ID 5700004370 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Stucco Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Hip Roof Material(s): Other
Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Square
Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: two & ½
Unit Theme(s):
Integrity
Changes to Windows: Intact
Changes to Original Cladding: Intact
Changes to Plan: 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 2838 CASCADIA AVE / Parcel ID 5700004370 / Inv #


Photo taken Mar 15, 2004

Photo taken
App v2.0.1.0