Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 4356 CHEASTY BLVD / Parcel ID 3677400005 / Inv #

Historic Name: Common Name: Style: Art Deco Neighborhood: Beacon Hill Built By: Year Built: 1938   Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places. In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. Cheasty Boulevard South is a parkway by formal definition with emphasis on the landscaping and a curvilinear undivided roadway that is woven into the natural park-like setting. The adjacent houses and residential buildings are secondary to the integrated concept of the parkway and have little to do with its design integrity. Residences flanking Cheasty Boulevard South to either side of Anthony Place South contribute to the understanding of the development of the down slope housing area between Cheasty Boulevard South and Martin Luther King Junior Way South as low to middle income working class residences. The general massing, heights, dates of construction, setbacks and architectural style variations define these properties as a collective entity. Properties west of the boulevard on the uphill side are comparatively recent in construction dates and character and represent an intrusion of newer properties into the parkway corridor. The City’s acquisition of undeveloped greenbelt surrounding the parkway contributes to maintaining its original character. 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.   Appearance Built in 1938, this horizontally-emphasized, Art Moderne-influenced, Art Deco style, single-family dwelling stands on an irregular-shaped corner lot. The lot tapers along the west side to follow Beacon Avenue South with South Alaska Street bordering the north and an alley on the south. The building is oriented to South Alaska Street on a flat site. This 1788 square foot, two-story house with a full daylight basement features an irregular plan; measuring approximately 41’ by 37’, with a 3’ by 4’ recessed stoop. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, brick veneer-clad superstructure. The upper story features vertical wood siding. Concrete tile roofing covers the pyramidal central roof with built-up composition roofing on the adjacent flat roofs. Flush eaves with banded fascia define the roofline character and emphasize the Art Moderne influence. Fixed, multiple-lite, horizontal pane windows punctuate the first and second stories. Window placement tends toward the front facing building corners to maximize internal day lighting. A round window in the second story provides day lighting. Two round louvered vents in the attached garage provide ventilation. A single recessed curved entrance off the primary facade provides access to the building interior. A flat roof top deck with metal pipe railing extends over the northwest first story. A centrally located substantial brick chimney with brick detailing services the building. An attached garage, measuring 20’ by 20’, extends off the back facade. An elliptical driveway off the front facade provides access to the building from Alaska Street.

Detail for 4356 CHEASTY BLVD / Parcel ID 3677400005 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Brick, Wood Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Flat, Hip Roof Material(s): Concrete- Tile Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Irregular Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: two Unit Theme(s): Integrity Changes to Original Cladding: Intact Changes to Plan: 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. Tobin, Caroline. (2004) "Beacon Hill Historic Context Statement."

Photo collection for 4356 CHEASTY BLVD / Parcel ID 3677400005 / Inv #

Photo taken Mar 12, 2004 Photo taken Mar 12, 2004 Photo taken Aug 20, 2003 Photo taken Aug 20, 2003 Photo taken Dec 10, 2003 Photo taken