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Summary for 2528 31st AVE / Parcel ID 5700000670 / Inv #

Historic Name: Common Name:
Style: American Foursquare - Prairie Neighborhood: Mount Baker
Built By: Year Built: 1911
 
Significance
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance.
Built in 1911 at a cost of $4000, this building was owned by John A. Bloom. By 1913, building permits indicate J. A. Duncan owned the building and contracted with John Bloom to construct a roof over the sleeping porch as well as undertake repairs to the building’s foundation. Roy P. and Edith N. Mills moved into the building ca 1927. Mr. Mills worked as treasurer for White & Ballard, Inc., a mortgage firm located in the Leary Building. Albert U. Hoelting purchased the building in July of 1939 and occupied the residence through 1944. By 1954, Richard H. Chamberlain lived in the residence, followed by H. Paul Newman by 1958. The Mount Baker neighborhood comprises two north-south tending ridges located southeast of downtown Seattle along Lake Washington. Initial development of the area occurred relatively late, post-1900, following the construction of the Rainier Avenue Electric Street Railway in the 1890s. York Station on Rainier Avenue and the Dose Addition were developed earlier than the Mount Baker Park Addition, platted in 1907 by the Hunter Tract Improvement Company. The Mount Baker Park Addition represents the core of the neighborhood and is its primary character-defining feature. Mount Baker Park is one of Seattle’s earliest planned residential communities that successfully integrated the natural environment and a relatively exclusive residential neighborhood in its layout of lots, streets, boulevards, and parks. The houses, primarily built between 1905 and 1929, reflect a variety of eclectic and Northwest-based architectural styles, and include designs by many prominent local architects. Other important influences were the streetcar connection with downtown Seattle, the integration of local parks and boulevards into the Olmsted system, the construction of Franklin High School in 1912, and the building of the Mount Baker tunnel and Lacey V. Murrow Floating Bridge to Mercer Island in 1940. Today this middle-to-upper income neighborhood remains predominantly residential, is home to an ethnically diverse population, and retains much of its planned character.
 
Appearance
Built in 1911, this substantial, Prairie-influenced, American Foursquare style, single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular lot. The building is oriented to Thirty-First Avenue South on a flat site 6’ above street level. This 1408 square foot, two-story house with a full daylight basement features a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 30’ by 40’, with an 8’ by 6’ front stoop. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, shingle-clad superstructure. The lower portions of the front facade flare outward. Asphalt composition roofing covers the hip roof. Broad overhanging closed eaves with minimal trim define the roofline. Wood sash multiple-pane windows provide day lighting. A short flight of stairs leads to the front stoop. Substantial piers support the upper story of the house projecting over the front stoop. A brick chimney services the building. The Prairie influence sets this building apart as distinct within the Mount Baker neighborhood.

Detail for 2528 31st AVE / Parcel ID 5700000670 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Shingle Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Hip 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):
Integrity
Changes to Windows: Intact
Changes to Plan: Intact
Changes to Original Cladding: 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.
City of Seattle. Survey of City-Owned Historic Resources. Prepared by Cathy Wickwire, Seattle, 2001. Forms for Ravenna Park structures.
Historic Seattle Preservation and Development Authority. "Mount Baker: An Inventory of Buildings and Urban Design Resources."
Mount Baker Community Club. Flowers We All Love Best in Mount Baker Park, (reprint of 1915 ed.)
Tobin, Caroline. (2004) "Mount Baker Historic Context Statement."

Photo collection for 2528 31st AVE / Parcel ID 5700000670 / Inv #


Photo taken Nov 05, 2003

Photo taken Mar 10, 2004
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