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Summary for 3706 S RIDGEWAY PL S / Parcel ID 5700003560 / Inv #

Historic Name: Common Name:
Style: Modern - Contemporary Neighborhood: Mount Baker
Built By: Year Built: 1948
 
Significance
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance.
Construction on this building began in 1947 and was completed in 1948. Nelle A. Olson lived in the building by 1954 through 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 1948, this Modern Contemporary style single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular lot. The building is oriented to South Ridgeway Place. This 1901 square foot, one-and-one-half story house with a full daylight basement features a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 35’ by 54’, with a front stoop. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, Roman Brick- and fir clapboard-clad superstructure. Asphalt composition roofing covers the side gable roof, which is broken by a series of three gabled dormers. The dormers and main roof have closed eaves. The brick has been painted and a deck has been added off the east façade on the upper story. The front entrance exhibits classic Colonial detailing consisting of a pilaster-framed recessed entry and repeated pattern around the front door frame. A prominent side chimney services this house.

Detail for 3706 S RIDGEWAY PL S / Parcel ID 5700003560 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Brick - Roman, Shingle Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Gable Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition
Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Rectangular
Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: one & ½
Unit Theme(s):
Integrity
Changes to Plan: Slight
Changes to Windows: 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 3706 S RIDGEWAY PL S / Parcel ID 5700003560 / Inv #


Photo taken Nov 04, 2003

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