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Summary for 739 S HOMER ST S / Parcel ID 1722800830 / Inv # 0

Historic Name:

Common Name:

Spears-Piksa Residence

Style:

Queen Anne

Neighborhood:

Georgetown

Built By:

Year Built:

1900

Significance

Based on field work conducted in September 2014, this historic property retains its relationship to the streetscape, historic building form and a sufficient amount of exterior historic building fabric (design features, cladding and/or window sash/openings) to contribute to the distinct character of the Georgetown neighborhood.

This is a completely rehabilitated and well-preserved historic property that appears to possess architectural and/or historic significance. This property exhibits substantive changes to the exterior appearance since it was identified in the 1997 HRI project: it has been completely rehabilitated and exhibits appropriate new/repaired cladding and window materials that appear to have been based on historic photos and concealed original historic building fabric.

(1997) This property is associated with the residential and commercial building boom in Georgetown which occurred between 1890 and 1916. Fueled by the construction of the Seattle Brewing and Malting Company’s new brewing facility after the turn of the century and the arrival of foreign immigrants, especially German and Italian, Georgetown came to rely more on its commercial and industrial bases rather than agricultural. With the increase of industry and business, Georgetown had grown in population from 1,913 in 1900 to approximately 7,000 by 1910 as families located themselves near its factories and other places of employment. The original owner/builder or subsequent historic ownership of this property have not been identified. Designed as a single family dwelling, the residence was adapted for use as a boarding house or apartment house for a period (c. 1947).

Appearance

This property exhibits substantive positive changes to the exterior appearance since it was identified in the 1997 HRI project: it has been completely rehabilitated and exhibits appropriate new/repaired cladding and window materials that appear to have been based on historic photos and concealed original historic building fabric.

(1997) A highly altered, however generally intact example of Queen Anne (Free Classic) residential design, a popular architectural style used for domestic building during the late 19th C. Although altered cosmetically, this residence continues to exhibit distinctive design features and historic building fabric, including: an asymmetrical cross-gable building form accentuated by prominent gable ends, SE bay window and one-story wrap-around porch with pediment at entry and turned classical columns. Tall, narrow window openings, distinctive diamond pattern (attic level) window sash and portions of two brick chimneys remain in place.. One original ornate panel entry door remains in place and there is evidence of an additional prior opening off the porch. The original cladding (narrow cedar clapboard) is currently concealed by vinyl siding materials. Original typical double-hung wooden window sash has been uniformly replaced with a vinyl single-hung window product. Ornate bay window brackets at the SE elevation appear to have been removed, as have ornate cottage and casement sash originally situated on this elevation. A small shed roof rear addition appears to have been added c.1947.