Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 1521 15th AVE / Parcel ID 8850000075 / Inv #

Historic Name: Common Name: Style: Vernacular Neighborhood: Beacon Hill Built By: Year Built: 1905   Significance Built in 1905, the building received a one-story addition in March of 1918. Martin Merrick constructed a retaining wall in May of 1924. Leta E. McClure purchased the building in 1926. Lester D. and Eunice Harrington resided in the building from 1935 through 1941. Mr. Harrington worked as a checker at Auto Freight Depot. In 1941, Carrie V. Johnson bought the residence. By 1949, M. J. Mickelson lived in the house. Polk directories list the building as vacant in 1953, before being purchased in March of 1958 by Earl Carlton for $3,800. By 1959, Ernest Anderson resided in the building, followed by Ralph Baird in 1966, Gordon Boylen in 1968, and Jerry D. Chase in 1970. 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 1905, this Eastlake-influenced, Vernacular style, single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular lot. The building is oriented to Fifteenth Avenue South on a sloped site 6’ above street level. This 584 square foot, one-and-a-half story house features a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 34’ by 16’, with a 14’ by 5’ front porch. A post and pier foundation supports the wood frame, shiplap-clad superstructure. Corner boards define the building corners. Asphalt composition roofing covers the front gable roof and shed roof dormer. Minimal eave and gable overhangs with a well-defined fascia and eave returns characterize the roofline. Wood sash 1:1 double hung windows spaced on regular intervals provide day lighting. Two direct flights of stairs lead from street level to the front porch. Wood piers support the hipped roof porch. Spindle work formerly ran between the pier capitals with a similar railing below. A concrete retaining wall wraps along the front yard abutting the sidewalk. A brick chimney services the building.

Detail for 1521 15th AVE / Parcel ID 8850000075 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Wood - Drop siding, Wood - Shiplap Foundation(s): Unknown Roof Type(s): Gable Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: L-Shape Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: one & ½ Unit Theme(s): Integrity Changes to Plan: Slight Changes to Windows: Intact 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 1521 15th AVE / Parcel ID 8850000075 / Inv #

Photo taken Oct 03, 2003 Photo taken Oct 03, 2003 Photo taken Oct 03, 2003 Photo taken