Historic Name: |
Donaphilita Apartments |
Common Name: |
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Style: |
Spanish - Eclectic |
Neighborhood: |
Queen Anne |
Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1927 |
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Significance |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places. |
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. |
In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). |
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This is one of several Mediterranean-inspired apartment buildings on Queen Anne, and is notable for its fetailing and unusual siting. The irregular building has eight units, each with its own entry, arranged along the hillside on Taylor Avenue North. It was designed in 1927 for Mrs. Loleta Smith, a widow, by local architect Oscar F. Nelson. The building's name, "Donaphilita," appears to be derived from her name and that of her husband, Donald. It appears to be intact, although some interior alterations were made in 1948.
Many Seattle neighborhood experienced large amounts of apartment construction during the late 1920s, and this was particularly true on Queen Anne. The city had seen considerable population growth in the previous decades, and many sought their own living quarters. In the 1920s the booming economy allowed this demand to be met. This location was served by streetcars, so provided easy access to downtown.
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Appearance |
This unusual apartment building has the shape of an irregular L, with a series of one and two-story blocks rising with the hillside. Cladding is heavily-textured stucco, with flat or red clay tile roofs. The front unit, at the southeast corner, meets the street with a two-story octagonal bay with a red tile roof. The angle between this front unit and the next is filled with a curving stucco stairway going to an upper unit, a tile-roofed bay and a tile roof over the entry to the lower unit. Interior units have a variety of hexagonal bay windows and shed-roofed hoods. The last unit has another octagonal bay. Windows throughout are six-over-six double-hung sash, singly or in pairs. |
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