| Historic Name: |
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Common Name: |
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| Style: |
Ranch - Minimal Traditional |
Neighborhood: |
Wallingford |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1950 |
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| Significance |
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This house, completed in 1950, was designed and built by owner Frank Buckley. The basement garage is an original feature of the design. The metal porch cover appears to be an addition; however, its form and decoration are typical of houses built in this style and it is likely it was added shortly after the house itself was completed.
The house is significant as an intact example of minimal traditional design, a modern outgrowth of the Tudor cottage style that came into vogue in the years just prior to and after World War II. Structures of this type were commonly used as infill housing in Seattle's built-out North End neighborhoods after the war.
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| Appearance |
| This house is a one-story frame residence with brick veneer on a concrete foundation over a full basement. The basement garage is original. The hipped roof, masonry veneer, and relatively close cornice are typical elements of minimal traditional ranch design.
A continuous wood frieze ties together the heads of the doors and windows and caps the masonry veneer, generating a horizontal bias that is further emphasized by the strong line of the gutter (and fascia to which it is attached). The window muntins echo this horizontal emphasis.
The brickwork, characterized by the random turning of some of the bricks to give texture to the veneer, and the counter intuitive character of the corner window are both indicative of design attitudes borrowed from the Modern movement.
There is some evidence to suggest that the present windows are in fact replacements; the Assessor’s photograph, made in 1951, seems to show a vertical muntin dividing each of the larger windows in half. However, the existing windows are of a style typically found in house built at mid-century, and there are no other clear indications that the windows are not original.
The metal porch cover appears to have been added shortly after the house was completed but is sympathetic with the style of the house and further emphasizes the horizontal thrust of the design. A seismic retrofit was undertaken in 2002. No significant modifications to the building are apparent. |
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