Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 1245 Federal AVE / Parcel ID 6762700800 / Inv #

Historic Name: White, Mrs. C. F., Residence Common Name: Style: Colonial - Colonial Revival Neighborhood: Capitol Hill Built By: Year Built: 1925   Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). This house was built for Mrs. Chester F. White in 1925. In 1912, Mrs. White and her husband, a prominent civil engineer, had commissioned Carl Gould to design a large house for them in The Highlands. It is not clear whether Gould designed this house or just remodeled it when Mrs. White purchased it in 1925. The longest term owner has been Raymond M. Cohen, the president of the West Coast Credit Corporation, who purchased it in 1938 and remained here into the 1970s. This stretch of Federal Avenue is a tree-lined avenue with a fine collection of large homes designed by major local architects for some of Seattle’s leading families; several of the homes are by Carl Gould, and his own family home is nearby. The street was well located for development, as it is only one block from the Broadway/10th Avenue streetcar line and the open space of Volunteer Park and Lakeview Cemetery is nearby. Although the southern two blocks were platted as part of the 1883 Phinney’s Addition, little development occurred until the first decade of the 20th century, about the time that Volunteer Park was redesigned by the Olmsted Brothers. The landscape architecture firm continually encouraged the city to purchase the property on the west side of the park, so that it would extend all the way to the street; obviously, this was never done.   Appearance This house has a side gable form with the entry on the side, allowing a larger house to fit on the narrow lot. It is a simple Colonial Revival style, with shingle cladding, a symmetrical façade and a prominent chimney on the street elevation. It has large multipaned windows, with pairs of 10-light casements on the first floor and smaller 8-light casements on the second floor. Those on the first floor have wood casings extending to the ground. There is an attached garage at the rear.

Detail for 1245 Federal AVE / Parcel ID 6762700800 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Shingle 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: two Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture Integrity Changes to Windows: Intact Changes to Plan: Intact Changes to Original Cladding: Intact Major Bibliographic References Williams, Jacqueline B. The Hill with a Future: Seattle's Capitol Hill 1900-1946. Seattle: CPK Ink, 2001. Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996. Booth, T. William and William H. Wilson. Carl F. Gould, A Life in Architecture and The Arts. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1995. Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Historical Guide to the Architects. Jeffrey Karl Ochsner, ed. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994. King County Tax Assessor Records, ca. 1932-1972. City of Seattle, Department of Planning and Development, Microfilm Records.

Photo collection for 1245 Federal AVE / Parcel ID 6762700800 / Inv #

Photo taken Jan 24, 2006