| Historic Name: |
|
Common Name: |
|
| Style: |
Arts & Crafts |
Neighborhood: |
Beacon Hill |
| Built By: |
|
Year Built: |
1912 |
| |
| Significance |
|
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. |
|
|
Built in 1912, the building was purchased by Jess J. and Verda Sherwood in June of 1936. Mr. Sherwood worked as a laborer with the city of Seattle. Jess and Verda Sherwood resided in the building through 1955. Polk directories indicate Mrs. Ivy Darrah lived in the house from 1957 through 1959, followed by John Brown in 1962. Tax records indicate the property was sold in December of 1964, after which Anthony DeMarco lived in the building through 1970.
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 1912, this Arts & Crafts style, single-family bungalow stands on a rectangular corner lot at the intersection of Lafayette Place South and South Horton Street. The building is oriented to Lafayette Place South on a sloped site slightly below street level. This 920 square foot, one-and-a-half story house with a full daylight basement features a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 40’ by 23’, with a 4’ by 10’ front porch. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, wood shingle-clad superstructure. A vertical board skirting wraps the building’s foundation with a water table above. Asphalt composition roofing covers the low-pitched side facing cross gable roof. The cross gable consists of a pair of low-pitched gables. Broad eave and gable overhangs with exposed eaves and bargeboards define the roofline. Wood sash 1:1 windows with decorative multiple lite upper sash provide day lighting. Windows feature prominent painted wood casings having flared ends. A square, shed roofed, oriel window projects from the side facade. A short flight of stairs leads to the front entrance. Wood piers support the gable roof over the open porch. A massive gable end clinker brick chimney on the front facade services the building. |
|
|
| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
|
| Cladding(s): |
Shingle, Wood |
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: |
|
| 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.
|
|
Tobin, Caroline. (2004) "Beacon Hill Historic Context Statement."
|
|
|
