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Summary for 4402 Densmore AVE / Parcel ID 4083300235 / Inv #

Historic Name: Common Name:
Style: Tudor - Cottage Neighborhood: Wallingford
Built By: Year Built: 1926
 
Significance
This “bungalow court” was erected in 1925–26 by the Benneck Brothers (6002 35th N. E.) for owner J. E. McPherson (permit # 244352). The structure was designed by Seattle architect William H. Whiteley who designed small apartment complexes, retail shop buildings, and bungalow courts in several areas of the city and was associated with Fred Anhalt for a short time early in the latter man’s career as a developer. The State Savings and Loan Association appears to have been the owner of the property when the property was surveyed by the Assessor in 1937, and apparently acquired the property in 1933. John Burnett acquired the property late in 1942, John Opiro became the owner early in 1944, and Victor E. and Gloria L. Martin purchased the property in 1968. The electrical service in one of the buildings (1710 N. 44th Street) was changed in 1996. The current owner, Patricia Allen, purchased the property from the Martin family in 2000 and added new service and lighting in the garage in 2003. This structure was identified as a building significant to the Wallingford community by Nyberg and Steinbrueck. The building has not been extensively modified and retains much of its original character. It contrasts with the nearby housing, much of which was built a few years earlier when the bungalow style was still in vogue and is made somewhat prominent by its corner location.
 
Appearance
This one story, stucco clad, frame apartment building erected over a half basement on a concrete foundation contains five apartments. Although described as a bungalow court in the building permit, the units address the street individually in the manner of a collection of townhouses. The window and door openings are consistently detailed; however, the roof slope and gable styles vary from unit to unit. The corner unit features a moderately sloped roof, a gable with a half-round window, and a peaked porch cover with barrel vaulted soffit, all suggestive of colonial revival styling. Most of the units feature steeply sloped roofs with overlapping half-timbered, full gables, simpler half-timbered clipped gables, or clipped gable dormers, all design elements most often associated with Tudor revival structures or northern European farmhouses. The structure offers the overall impression of a collection of cottages varying slightly in age and style. Storm sash have been added to the windows and the garage structure in the courtyard behind the building may have been altered. No other modifications are apparent.

Detail for 4402 Densmore AVE / Parcel ID 4083300235 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Hold
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Stucco, Wood Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Gable, Gable - Clipped Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition-Shingle
Building Type: Domestic - Multiple Family Plan: E-Shaped
Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: one
Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Community Planning/Development
Integrity
Changes to Original Cladding: Intact
Changes to Windows: Slight
Changes to Plan: 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.
Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl, ed. Shaping Seattle Architecture, A Historical Guide to the Architects. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.

Photo collection for 4402 Densmore AVE / Parcel ID 4083300235 / Inv #


Photo taken Mar 31, 2004
App v2.0.1.0