Historic Name: |
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Common Name: |
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Style: |
American Foursquare |
Neighborhood: |
Wallingford |
Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1909 |
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Significance |
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Construction of this house was probably completed in early 1909. The building permit, issued in 1908, lists Virgil Hill as the applicant; however, Hill's precise role in the early life of the structure is yet to be determined.
The interior of the house was modified in 1982 – 83 by owner Don Guyet.
The basement was finished and a stair was added by the current owner, David Perlin, in 1991 – 92. Although this interior work did not affect the appearance of the house, Perlin made a much more significant change in the latter half of 1992 when an addition was added to the northwest quadrant of the structure. The resulting large bay and deck are apparently associated with a kitchen remodel undertaken at that time.
Despite the changes to the back end of the structure, the house is able to convey its significance as a relatively intact example of American foursquare design.
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Appearance |
This house is a wood clad, two-story frame residence on a concrete foundation over a full basement. Clapboards furnish weather protection at the main and upper floor of the house; shingle siding occurs below main floor level.
The house is essentially a large rectangular box with a hipped roof. Large corner bays project from the southwest and southeast corners of the upper floor. The depth of the overhang, measured from the face of the siding, is held constant at the main volume of the house and at the bays, as is the elevation of the eave line. As a result, the hipped roof over the bays appears to “pops up.” A window assembly, consisting of three double hung units with equal and undivided upper and lower sash, is centered between the two bays. A hip roofed attic dormer is center on the roof above. At the main floor, the somewhat irregular arrangement of openings in the south elevation is disguised by a two bay porch that extends across the entire width of the structure. The porch roof appears to be hipped, although its low slope causes it to disappear even at some distance from the house The porch is accessed by stairs entering from the west, rather than at the center from the south; however, the effect of the design is to present a symmetrical façade to the street. The hipped roof, upper floor corner bays, and symmetrical street façade are typical features of the “Seattle box.”
Double hung windows occur in groups of two or three at the long side elevation. The heads of the windows at the main level are connected by a horizontal drip band that appears to wrap around the entire structure. The designer has made an attempt to organize the window openings vertically as well, although the practical requirements of the interior layout are clearly the primary factor in the placement of the openings. Two square windows turned on their corners to resemble diamonds are visible at the west elevation.
In addition to several interior adjustments, and the construction of a new hip roofed “bump out” at the northwest corner of the house, it appears that some minor porch modifications have been made over the life of the structure, including the removal of planter boxes as well as a trellis. The chimney has been reduced in height and an exposed clay liner functions as the sole decorative element at its skyward termination. Added gutters now hide the formerly exposed rafter tails. |
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