Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 1808 S MCCLELLAN ST S / Parcel ID 7319900157 / Inv #

Historic Name: Common Name: Style: American Foursquare Neighborhood: Beacon Hill Built By: Year Built: 1908   Significance Built in 1908, this building was built and owned by W. R. Browers & Son. The building cost an estimated $1550. Joseph P. and Lillian Conley resided in the house by 1931 and purchased the building in December of 1935. Mr. Conley worked as an engineer with the Chicago Milwaukee Saint Paul and Pacific Railroad Company. The Conley’s remained in the building through 1943. Joe A. and K. J. Kubota purchased the residence in July of 1952 for $9400 and remained through 1968. 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 1908, this substantial, American Foursquare style, single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular lot. The building is oriented to South McClellan Street on a flat site 2’ above street level. This 775 square foot, two-story house with a full daylight basement features a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 25’ by 31’, with a full width front porch. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, clapboard and shingle (upper portions) clad superstructure. Asphalt composition roofing covers the hip roof. Broad overhanging eaves with decorative modillions define the roofline. Wood sash multiple-pane windows provide day lighting. A low railing wraps the front porch beneath four piers supporting the hipped porch roof. This building is a relatively intact example of an American Foursquare style dwelling within the Beacon Hill neighborhood.

Detail for 1808 S MCCLELLAN ST S / Parcel ID 7319900157 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Shingle, Wood - Clapboard Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Hip Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Structural System: No. of Stories: two Unit Theme(s): Integrity Changes to Plan: Intact Changes to Windows: Slight Changes to Original Cladding: 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 1808 S MCCLELLAN ST S / Parcel ID 7319900157 / Inv #

Photo taken Photo taken Nov 06, 2003 Photo taken Nov 06, 2003 Photo taken Nov 06, 2003