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Summary for 2838 MOUNT SAINT HELENS PL / Parcel ID 5700003555 / Inv #

Historic Name: Common Name:
Style: Colonial - Colonial Revival Neighborhood: Mount Baker
Built By: Year Built: 1937
 
Significance
Built in 1937, the building was constructed after W. Gorden and K. Irene Powell bought the property in December of 1936. Seattle architect, W. J. Bain, designed the residence. Paul Berg was the contractor. Mr. Powell was general sales manager with W. C. Eaton. By 1954 through 1958, Frank Raphael 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 1937, this Colonial Revival style single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular lot. The building is oriented to Mount Saint Helens Place South on a flat site 2’ above street level. This 1119 square foot, one-and-a-half story house with a full basement features a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 40’ by 25’, with a 5’ by 5’ front stoop. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, shingle clad superstructure. The upper story projects slightly on the front facade. Asphalt composition roofing covers the gable roof and wall dormer. Nearly flush eaves and flush gables define the roofline. Wood sash multiple-pane windows with painted wood casings provide day lighting. A direct flight of stairs leads to the front stoop. A decorative surround accents the doorway. A brick gable-end chimney services the building.

Detail for 2838 MOUNT SAINT HELENS PL / Parcel ID 5700003555 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Brick, Shingle Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Gable Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition
Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Rectangular
Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: one & ½
Unit Theme(s):
Integrity
Changes to Windows: Intact
Changes to Plan: Intact
Changes to Original Cladding: 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 MOUNT SAINT HELENS PL / Parcel ID 5700003555 / Inv #


Photo taken Nov 04, 2003

Photo taken
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