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Summary for 2815 MOUNT SAINT HELENS PL / Parcel ID 5700002705 / Inv #

Historic Name: Common Name:
Style: Colonial - Colonial Revival Neighborhood: Mount Baker
Built By: Year Built: 1924
 
Significance
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance.
Built in 1924, this building was owned by Alice E. Backstrom. John Zwickey was the contractor. The Backstrom’s later moved to 2731 Mount Saint Helens Place South. Mr. Backstrom worked as assistant secretary at the Washington Mutual Savings Bank. Carl A. and Azuba D. Sutter purchased the building in July of 1926 and remained in the residence through 1961. Mr. Sutter worked as manager for the Fidalgo Island Packing Company. Carl Fain, secretary treasurer for the Fisheries Supply Company, Leon F. a student, and Vance F., superintendent of the Fidalgo Island Packing Company, also resided in the house by 1931. Norm E. Houge bought the building in September of 1964 for $21,000 and remained through 1968. In March of 1970, E. Brook Andrews purchased the building for $32,500. Kevin McMahon bought the property two years later in April of 1972 for $32,500. 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.
 
Appearance
Built in 1924, this Colonial Revival style single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular lot. The building is oriented to Mt Saint Helens Place South on a flat site at street level. This 1161 square foot, two-story house with a full daylight basement features a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 27’ by 43’, with a 6’ by 8’ stoop. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, masonry-clad superstructure. Asphalt composition roofing covers the side gable roof. The front stoop is sheltered by a low pitched projecting gable supported by columns. The windows are 8:1, 10:1, four-pane and eight-pane casement windows. A masonry side chimney services the house.

Detail for 2815 MOUNT SAINT HELENS PL / Parcel ID 5700002705 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Brick Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Gable Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition
Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Rectangular
Structural System: No. of Stories: two
Unit Theme(s):
Integrity
Changes to Plan: Intact
Changes to Original Cladding: Intact
Changes to Windows: 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.
Historic Seattle Preservation and Development Authority. "Mount Baker: An Inventory of Buildings and Urban Design Resources."
Mount Baker Community Club. Flowers We All Love Best in Mount Baker Park, (reprint of 1915 ed.)
Tobin, Caroline. (2004) "Mount Baker Historic Context Statement."

Photo collection for 2815 MOUNT SAINT HELENS PL / Parcel ID 5700002705 / Inv #


Photo taken

Photo taken Mar 10, 2004
App v2.0.1.0