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Summary for 4159 14th AVE / Parcel ID 3959400345 / Inv #

Historic Name: Common Name:
Style: Tudor Neighborhood: Beacon Hill
Built By: Year Built: 1930
 
Significance
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance.
By 1938 through 1940, Fred A. Nicholson resided in the building. Eugene R. Young moved into the house by 1943. The building was listed as vacant in 1951. By 1953 through 1968, Wallace M. Shepherd lived in the house. 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.
 
Appearance
Built in 1930, this modest, Tudor Revival style, single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular lot. The building is oriented to Fourteenth Avenue South on a sloping site above street level. This 1316 square foot, one-and-a-half story house with a full basement features a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 26’ by 47’, with a 6’ by 11’ recessed front stoop. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, brick-clad superstructure. Lighter brick accents the building corners. Asphalt composition roofing covers the cross gable roof and hip roof dormers. Wood sash multiple-pane windows provide day lighting. A short flight of stairs leads to the front stoop. A low, stone-capped brick railing wraps the stoop with wood posts supporting the extended roofline sheltering the stoop. A prominent gable end brick chimney with lighter brick highlights services the building.

Detail for 4159 14th AVE / Parcel ID 3959400345 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Brick, Brick - Clinker, Wood - Clapboard Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Gable Roof Material(s):
Building Type: Plan:
Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: one & ½
Unit Theme(s):
Integrity
Changes to Original Cladding: Intact
Changes to Windows: Intact
Changes to Plan: 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.
Tobin, Caroline. (2004) "Beacon Hill Historic Context Statement."

Photo collection for 4159 14th AVE / Parcel ID 3959400345 / Inv #


Photo taken
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