| Historic Name: |
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Common Name: |
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| Style: |
French - French Eclectic, Queen Anne - Free Classic |
Neighborhood: |
Madrona |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1891 |
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| Significance |
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This is a very unusual example of eclectic architecture combining elements from a variety of housing styles and exhibiting a high degree of design integrity.
This is one of approximately 2,200 houses that are still extant out of more than 5,000 that were built by the end of 1906 in Seattle’s Central Area, Eastlake, First Hill, Leschi, Madison Park, Madrona, and North Capitol Hill neighborhoods.
A complete permit history, and a complete record of ownership and occupation have not yet been prepared for this property; however, the house appears to have been owned by J. F. Battle in 1939. The property was purchased by Theo E. McCaffray in 1946, and then by Martin H. James in 1959.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
King County GIS Center Property Report (http://www5.kingcounty.gov/kcgisreports/property_report.aspx; accessed August 18, 2008)
King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972) Washington State Archives
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| Appearance |
This is a two-and-a-half story, clapboard clad, wood frame single-family residence on a brick foundation, over a full basement. (The King County Property Record Card indicates that this structure has a concrete foundation, suggesting that the brick visible at the base of the house is a veneer.)
The irregular, though essentially T-shaped plan of the two-and-a-half story main mass of the house is capped by a hip roof with minimal overhangs and enclosed soffits. The numerous single story projecting bays, some rectangular and others circular, appear to have flat roofs and in most cases are surmounted by classical balustrades.
The windows and doors are generally characterized by patterns and details customarily associated with Queen Anne -- Free Classic design, though the diamond shaped panes of the casements in at least one of the dormers are atypical of that style.
The use of numerous, asymmetrically placed, projecting bays to enliven the wall surfaces is a typical feature of Queen Anne work. However, the use of classical rooftop balustrades is not. A more notable departure from Queen Anne practice is found at a large, single-story, semicircular, "glassed-in" porch that stretches across the northern half of the east elevation and dominates the structure's street facade. The perimeter of this space is delineated by a set of regularly spaced pairs of Tuscan columns which form the framework for a system of curved glass windows, some of considerable size, and curved glazed doors, forming a fenestrated colonade that, when combined with the simple classical entablature and surmounting balustrade, gives the building a distinctive Beaux Arts character that contrasts with the French Eclectic flavor of the hipped roof at the main mass of the house, the medieval irregularity of the plan, and the general asymmetry of the elevations.
The designer has utilized the English country house device of locating the entry at the back of the structure (under a more-or-less triangular porch cover) to leave only gardens and views to be enjoyed by residents and visitors at the street side of the small estate.
This house was built in 1891 according to the King County Property Record Card (1901 according to the King County GIS Center Property Report, accessed August 18, 2008). The Property Record Card indicates the house was remodeled in 1910.
It appears the rooftop balustrade has been removed from the bay at the center of the south elevation.
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