Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 2518 17th AVE / Parcel ID 3079500060 / Inv #

Historic Name: Common Name: Style: Colonial - Colonial Revival Neighborhood: Beacon Hill Built By: Year Built: 1910   Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. Built in 1910, this building was designed by Seattle architect, W. S. Bell, and owned by William McPherson. Building permits indicate the three room house was moved 10’ back on the same lot in 1909. In 1911, Mr. McPherson added a retaining wall, and in 1916, he altered non-bearing partitions within the building. A 368 square foot addition was later added. By 1938, Paul S. and Doris L. Peavey resided in the building. Mr. Peavey worked as service manager with Tyson Oldsmobile Company. The Peavey’s resided previously at 7221 Fifth Avenue Northwest. By 1940, Frank Roppo lived in the building. By 1955 through 1968, Mrs. Augusta K. Blecha lived in the house. 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 1910, this compact, Dutch Colonial Revival style, single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular corner lot. The building is oriented to Seventeenth Avenue South on a flat site 3’ above street level. This 836 square foot, one-and-a-half story house with a partial basement features a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 18’ by 26’, with a 16’ by 23’ addition. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, clapboard-clad superstructure. Asphalt composition roofing covers the gambrel roof and gable roof dormer. An overhanging upper story with modest, closed eave and gable overhangs and continuous eaves above the first story define the roofline. Wood sash 1:1 windows with painted wood casings provide day lighting. A broad porch, 6’ deep, wraps around two sides of the residence. A short flight of stairs leads to the porch. An exterior gable end brick chimney services the building. The projecting upper story sets this building apart as unique within the Beacon Hill neighborhood.

Detail for 2518 17th AVE / Parcel ID 3079500060 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Wood - Clapboard Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured 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: one & ½ Unit Theme(s): Integrity Changes to Windows: Intact Changes to Original Cladding: Intact Changes to Plan: Slight 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 2518 17th AVE / Parcel ID 3079500060 / Inv #

Photo taken Oct 30, 2003 Photo taken Oct 30, 2003 Photo taken Oct 30, 2003 Photo taken