Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 320 W Galer ST W / Parcel ID 4232903340 / Inv #

Historic Name: Brett House Common Name: Brett/Jones House Style: American Foursquare Neighborhood: Queen Anne Built By: Year Built: 1904   Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. The Brett/Jones House was constructed in 1904. John and Mary Brett were both born in 1859, John in Minnesota to parents from Great Britain and Mary in Illinois to German immigrants. When they arrived in Seattle in 1900 the Bretts had been married for 21 years. John Brett got his first Seattle job as a sash and door man for Stetson & Post Mill Company. Stetson & Post, one of Seattle’s largest sawmills, employed 140 men in 1906. In late summer 1902, at about the time that Stetson & Post promoted him to foreman, Brett decided to try building and selling homes to the influx of new arrivals to Seattle. He purchased some platted lots along W. Galer Street and started building a 2-story house at 314 W. Galer Street. Early the following year, when the house was habitable, John and wife Mary moved into it from their Bell Town residence. During fall 1903, within two weeks after selling the house at 314 W. Galer, Brett started constructing a house at 320 W. Galer Street. By late winter 1903-04 the house was completed and the Bretts moved in. After a two year stay Brett sold 320 W. Galer constructed a house next door at 318 W. Galer and moved in. The Bretts lived in their third house on this block for just a few months before they sold it. Out of real estate along Galer, the Bretts were forced to move two blocks away. By that time, 1907, Brett started working for the Western Mill Factory, a sawmill located at the south end of Lake Union. The Bretts continued to live in Seattle until 1923. In August 1906, Michael Jones (b. ca 1883) and his wife Sarah Korah (b. ca 1887) purchased 320 W. Galer. In 1902, when they arrived in Seattle Michael tried the grocery business. After a couple of years, Michael Jones left groceries to become an express messenger for Great Northern Railroad. To get to work Jones walked about four blocks to the streetcar line that ran down Queen Anne Avenue. The pay was good but he spent a lot of time out of town riding the rails escorting packages. During the six years they lived in the house, they had their first child, daughter Francis (b. 1911). In 1913 they moved to Capitol Hill at just about the time their second child, Kachleen, was born. During the next 24 years the Jones family used the house as a rental. In 1937 Sarah Korah Jones moved back into the house and lived there for about two years before she sold it. Later occupants. By 1928, glove manufacturer Charles Trager and his wife Madeline W. rented the house. In 1938 Sarah Jones sold the house to Elizabeth Nelson, who, during World War II, worked for Boeing Airplane Company. In the early 1940s, the Hillcrest Beauty Salon owned by Cecelia Bagniski, occupied the house with Elizabeth Nelson. By the late 1940s into the 1950s marine inspector Maynard D. and Mary C. Maynard resided in the house. Boeing inspector Walker L. and Catherine L. Hagman occupied the house in 1961. The residence appears to meet City of Seattle Landmark criteria due to the age of the structure (over 100 years old) and minimal alterations. Sources (also see below): Greater Seattle Illustrated. Pages 156-157.   Appearance On October 16,1903, the Seattle Building Department issued Brett Jones a 90 day permit to construct a residence (# 23408). Brett, listed as owner and builder, may have completed the vernacular foursquare building before the end of 1903 but it was likely finished early in 1904. Hip dormers are located on the south and east roof slopes. Exposed brackets on eaves. Bay windows are on the south and west elevations. Extended porch with Doric columns support a gable roof.

Detail for 320 W Galer ST W / Parcel ID 4232903340 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Shingle, Wood - Clapboard Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Hip Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Irregular Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: two Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture Integrity Changes to Plan: Intact Changes to Windows: 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. Greater Seattle Illustrated. (Seattle, National Publishing Company, ca 1906) Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Maps of Seattle, Washington. (New York, Sanborn Map Company, 1904-1905) 4 volumes. Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Maps of Seattle, Washington. (New York, Sanborn Map Company, 1916-1919) volumes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6. Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Maps of Seattle, Washington. (New York, Sanborn Map Company, 1949-1950 update) 11 volumes.

Photo collection for 320 W Galer ST W / Parcel ID 4232903340 / Inv #

Photo taken Dec 23, 2004