| Historic Name: |
Griffiths, Albert & Martha, House |
Common Name: |
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| Style: |
Arts & Crafts - Craftsman, Vernacular |
Neighborhood: |
Queen Anne |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1900 |
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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. |
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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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In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). |
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This house is one of the earliest in the southwestern edge of Queen Anne hill, possibly pre-dating the 1900 date in the Tax Assessor records. The address was formerly 663 W. Kinnear Place. The original owner and builder are not known, but in the 1930s it was owned by Albert and Martha Griffiths. Griffiths was manager of Griffiths & Sprague Stevedoring Company, owned by Captain James Griffiths. Captain Griffiths, who lived in the former Stimson house on West Highland Drive, had interests in numerous companies, including a ship brokerage, Winslow Shipbuilding and Tacoma Steam Navigation Company. Albert Griffiths died in the late 1920s, but his wife owned the house until 1938. It was purchased by John D. Waller, manager of Gaylord Containers, a manufacturer of cardboard boxes that was located at 1209 Western Avenue. Waller and his wife Charlotte lived here until the late 1940s, when Aldis Johnson, a physician, and his wife Elsie bought the house. In 1963 Carl E. Swanson, of the Pacific Diesel Company, and his wife Roma bought the house, remaining until the 1980s. It is currently the residence of Paige Miller, a Port of Seattle Commissioner.
The house is largely intact, although there is a rear addition. In the 1950s it was clad with newer shakes and some of the detail was removed, but it has been restored to its original appearance.
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| Appearance |
| This house is generally intact, with a front-gable-and-wing form, shingle cladding and half-timbering in the gable ends; cladding below the water table is clapboard. It has deep eaves with extended rafter tails. The recessed entry porch is at the west side of the main (north) façade, with an arched opening, square columns and a door with one sidelight. The small gabled dormer above has two lattice windows. The two-story gabled wing to the east has a trio of windows on the first floor (one with a lattice pattern) and two 8/1 leaded glass windows on the second. To the east of the gabled bay is a one-story section with a lattice window, a newer window and a secondary entry. The west elevation has a three-sided bay with lattice-patterned double-hung windows, with 6/1 sash on the second floor. To the rear (south) is an addition and a deck.
Also notable is the garage at the northwest corner of the property. It has unique multipaned windows above and on both sides of the door; the existing door is a replacement for the original, which had windows matching the existing transom and sidelights. The hipped-roof building, clad with wood shakes, also has windows on the side elvations, of opaque glass with lattice transoms. It is no longer used and is in poor condition. |
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