Summary for 1528 7th AVE / Parcel ID 4232902740 / Inv # |
Historic Name: |
Johnson, Maurice House |
Common Name: |
Johnson/Blomskog House |
Style: |
American Foursquare |
Neighborhood: |
Queen Anne |
Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1902 |
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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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The Johnson/Blomskog House was constructed in 1902. In 1902 soon after miner Maurice Johnson moved to Seattle he purchased some property in Queen Anne. On April 22, 1902 the Seattle building department issued Johnson a permit to build a foundation for a 24 x 28 foot house. One and a half weeks later house builder E. B. Davis procured a permit to build a $1600 two story dwelling. Elif B. Davis (b. ca 1848) emigrated from Norway in 1880. After getting established in the United States, he returned to Norway, married and came back with his newlywed to live in South Dakota. In the mid-1890s, they moved to Washington and by 1899 the Davis family settled in Seattle. They lived in Seattle for 19 years, Elif working as a building contractor and carpenter. The building permit listed Davis as the architect and builder but there is no evidence that he designed homes although he may have used plan books and designs from house catalogs.
After Davis finished the house about mid summer 1902 the Johnson family moved in and lived there for a year at which time they moved across the street. They continued to own the house and rent it out. In late spring 1906, Maurice Johnson sold the house to realtor Benjamin Blomskog (b. ca 1862) who lived there for about four years. In 1886 newlyweds Benjamin and Anna Blomskog emigrated from Sweden. By the early 1890s they moved to Washington and by 1905 were living in Seattle. When they moved into the house they had four sons and a daughter, ages 14, 12, 9, 6, and 3, and soon added a baby daughter. They had to walk about five blocks to Prospect and Olympic Place to catch the streetcar to downtown Seattle.
The Blomskogs moved out of the house in 1911 into another Seattle residence and Blomskog continued to sell Seattle homes until the late 1920s.
Later occupants. In the mid-1920s, contractor Harry M. Patterson lived in the house. From 1928 through the late 1950s Mrs. Emma L. Dickey widow to Frank T. Dickey occupied the house. Harold Dickey inherited the house in 1957.
The residence appears to meet City of Seattle Landmark criteria due to the age of the structure (about 100 years old) and minimal alterations.
Sources:
"Building Permit. … 13672" Seattle Daily Bulletin April 23, 1902 p. 3
"Building Permit … 13885" Seattle Daily Bulletin May 3, 1902 p. 3
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Appearance |
On April 22, 1902 the Seattle Building Department issued a permit to construct the foundation for a 24 x 28 foot residence (# 13672). Within two weeks builder E. B. Davis procured a permit (# 13885) to build the foursquare vernacular building. The building had a porch that extended across half of the west elevation and one bay window on the south elevation.
In the spring of 1906 realtor Benjamin Blomskog acquired the house. To create enough room for his family of seven, soon to be eight, on October 27, 1906 Blomskog acquired a permit for an 16 x 24 foot addition to the rear of the residence (#45661). Blomskog apparently altered a significant portion of the house exterior. The west elevation half width porch was replaced by a full width porch with decorative square columns supporting a flat porch roof with a hand rail. The porch roof eaves has brackets. The northern second floor casement window on the west elevation is probably one of the original building windows. The southern windows on the same second floor are two double hung windows. Blomskog constructed 2 two-story three sided bay windows on the south elevation. A hip dormer with brackets on the west elevation. Some of the windows have minor alterations. |
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Detail for 1528 7th AVE / Parcel ID 4232902740 / Inv # |
Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
Classication: |
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District Status: |
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Cladding(s): |
Wood - Clapboard |
Foundation(s): |
Brick |
Roof Type(s): |
Hip |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition |
Building Type: |
Domestic - Single Family |
Plan: |
Rectangular |
Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
two |
Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture |
Integrity |
Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
Changes to Windows: |
Slight |
Changes to Plan: |
Moderate |
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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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Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Maps Seattle, Washington. (New York, Sanborn Map Company, 1904-1905) 4 volumes.
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Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Maps of Seattle, Washington. (New York, Sanborn Map Company, 1916-1919) volumes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6.
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Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Maps of Seattle, Washington. (New York, Sanborn Map Company, 1949-1950 update) 11 volumes.
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Seattle Daily Bulletin
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Photo collection for 1528 7th AVE / Parcel ID 4232902740 / Inv # |

Photo taken Dec 23, 2004
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