Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 2415 Bigelow AVE / Parcel ID 352890-0431 / Inv #

Historic Name: Brown, Stephen & Florence, House Common Name: Style: Arts & Crafts - Craftsman Neighborhood: Queen Anne Built By: Year Built: 1912   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. In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). This is a very good example of a Craftsman bungalow, with a gabled roof with prominent brackets, a combination of materials, and extensive use of clinker brick for the porch and columns. It was noted in the 1970s historical resources survey. The Craftsman style was perhaps the most popular style in Seattle, and elsewhere in the country, between 1905 and 1920. This house was built in 1912; the original builder is not known, but this is similar to other houses on Queen Anne built by contractor John Lorentz. It was purchased in 1931 by Stephen and Florence Brown, who lived here for more than forty years, until the 1970s. The use of clinker brick in this instance seems to be an exrtension of the use of cobblestones or river rock. These materials were used on the exterior of Craftsman houses, particularly in California, to give interest to simple structures and to connect the building with the surrounding landscape.   Appearance This side gable bungalow has a recessed full-width porch, a shed dormer on the front and knee brackets and extended rafter tails on the roof. The porch walls and columns, as well as the chimney, are made of clumps of clinker brick, a very distinctive feature. Windows are predominantly eight-over-one with plain casements in the dormer. The front porch has two eight-over-one windows. Cladding is clapboard with alternating wide and narrow bands, with stucco and half-timbering in the gable ends. A wide belt course separates the materials and there is a water table above the basement windows. The south elevation has a secondary entry with wooden stairs.

Detail for 2415 Bigelow AVE / Parcel ID 352890-0431 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Brick - Clinker, Stucco, Wood - Clapboard Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Gable Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition-Rolled Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Rectangular Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: one & ½ Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture 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. Stickley, Gustav. Craftsman Homes. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 1979 (reprint of 1909 edition)

Photo collection for 2415 Bigelow AVE / Parcel ID 352890-0431 / Inv #

Photo taken Sep 04, 2004