| Historic Name: |
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Common Name: |
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| Style: |
American Foursquare - Craftsman |
Neighborhood: |
Beacon Hill |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1912 |
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| Significance |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. |
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Built in 1912, the residence was moved from 933 12th Avenue South to its current location in August of 1920 by J. Neil, the building owner. In September of 1930, Mr. Neil also added a basement. Minosuke and Toku Yorita resided in the buildling from 1937 through 1941. Previously they lived at 1713 Main Street. Mr. Yorita ran Yorita Printing Company. By 1949, R. A. Meyer lived in the house, followed by Marvin Meyer in 1953. From 1955 through 1970, Bing Lum lived in the building.
Beacon Hill is a long north-south tending ridge located southeast of downtown Seattle and stands 350 feet at its highest point. The hill’s steep topography deterred substantial Euro-American settlement through the early 1880s. Then, development of the area was stimulated by the introduction of streetcar lines in the 1890s, its proximity to Seattle’s main industrial area to the west, and the regrading of the hill’s north end in the early 1900s.
Originally acquired by the City in 1898, Jefferson Park was integrated into Seattle’s Olmsted system of parks, and the Olmsted Brothers prepared a plan for the park in 1912. The first public golf course west of the Mississippi opened at Jefferson Park in 1915. Jefferson Park has exerted a profound positive influence on the development of the Beacon Hill neighborhood.
Because of its proximity to the International District, Japanese and Chinese families moved to Beacon Hill starting in the 1920s. World War I and II stimulated a surge in housing development associated with wartime industry. The construction of Interstate 5 in the 1960s and Interstate 90 in the 1980s sliced through the neighborhoods and contributed to Beacon Hill’s relative isolation. Today, Beacon Hill is an ethnically diverse working class community, which has a mixed Asian, Chicano, African American, and Caucasian population.
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| Appearance |
| Built in 1912, this substantial, Craftsman-influenced, American Foursquare style, single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular lot. The building is oriented to Thirteenth Avenue South with the sloped site on grade. This 988 square foot, two-story house with a full daylight basement features an essentially square plan, measuring 28’ by 30’, with a 10’ by 6’ front porch. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, clapboard-clad superstructure. Asphalt composition roofing covers the pyramidal hip roof and front facing dormer. Decoratively cut exposed rafters project slightly beyond the eaves. Wood 1:1 windows provide day lighting. A direct flight of stairs leads up from grade to the main entrance. Stout boxed columns with decorative trim carried on low projecting walls support the porch roof. A secondary side entrance features a concrete stoop sheltered by a hipped roof. An internal brick chimney services the building. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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| Cladding(s): |
Wood - Clapboard |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Hip |
Roof Material(s): |
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| Building Type: |
Domestic - Single Family |
Plan: |
Square |
| Structural System: |
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No. of Stories: |
two |
| Unit Theme(s): |
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| Integrity |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
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Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
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Changes to Windows: |
Slight |
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| Major Bibliographic References |
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City of Seattle DCLU Microfilm Records.
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King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives.
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Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996.
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City of Seattle. Survey of City-Owned Historic Resources. Prepared by Cathy Wickwire, Seattle, 2001. Forms for Ravenna Park structures.
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Tobin, Caroline. (2004) "Beacon Hill Historic Context Statement."
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