Historic Name: |
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Common Name: |
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Style: |
American Foursquare- Colonial |
Neighborhood: |
Mount Baker |
Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1928 |
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Significance |
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 1928, this building was owned by A. S. Hansen. Fred H. and Agnes C. Kurz moved into the building in 1934. Mr. Kurz was president of Davies and Kurz Inc., Oakland and Pontiac distributors. By 1943, Alex K. Goldman lived in the residence. In November of the following year, Julius M. Myers purchased the building. The property sold again in July of 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.
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Appearance |
Built in 1928, this substantial, Colonial-influenced, American Foursquare style, single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular lot. The building is oriented to Thirty-Fourth Avenue South on a flat site at street level. This 1476 square foot, two story house with a full daylight basement features a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 30’ by 42’, with a small 5’ by 5’ recessed entrance. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, brick veneer-clad superstructure. Asphalt composition roofing covers the hip roof. Minimal closed eave overhangs with a restrained cornice define the roofline. Wood sash multiple lite leaded casement windows provide day lighting. Terra cotta trim highlights the window openings. A short flight of stairs leads to the front entrance accented with terra cotta. A full-height bay projects on the building’s north side. A substantial exterior brick chimney services the building. The eave, window and main entrance detailing set this building apart stylistically as unique within the neighborhood. |
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Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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Cladding(s): |
Brick |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
Roof Type(s): |
Pyramidal |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition |
Building Type: |
Domestic - Single Family |
Plan: |
Square |
Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
two |
Unit Theme(s): |
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Integrity |
Changes to Windows: |
Intact |
Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
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Major Bibliographic References |
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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Historic Seattle Preservation and Development Authority. "Mount Baker: An Inventory of Buildings and Urban Design Resources."
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Mount Baker Community Club. Flowers We All Love Best in Mount Baker Park, (reprint of 1915 ed.)
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Tobin, Caroline. (2004) "Mount Baker Historic Context Statement."
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